scholarly journals Applying critical realism in spirituality at work research

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 845-869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter McGhee ◽  
Patricia Grant
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Causal Power ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Levels Of Reality ◽  
Spirituality At Work ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Methods

Purpose This study aims to demonstrate how critical realism (CR) can be used in spirituality at work (SAW) research and to provide a practical example of CR in SAW research. Design/methodology/approach CR is a philosophical meta-theory that allows the stratification of spirituality into different levels of reality, advocates for research methods matching the ontology of the level investigated and provides complementary methods of exploring this phenomenon’s causal power in social contexts. The authors present a study where CR was used to explain how and why SAW influences ethics in organisational contexts. Findings The results demonstrate that CR provides a useful approach to bridging the positivist-interpretivist difference in SAW research. Moreover, a CR approach helped explain the underlying conditions and causal mechanisms that power SAW to influence ethical decision-making and behaviour in the workplace. Originality/value While CR has been applied in the management literature, negligible SAW research has used this approach. That which exists is either conceptual or does not discuss methods of data analysis, or describe how critical realist concepts resulted in their findings. This paper addresses that lacuna. CR also provides value, as an alternative approach to SAW research, in that it allows the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods as complementary, not confrontational methods while providing a more integrated and deeper view of SAW and its effects.

Basic critical realist concepts

2021 ◽  
pp. 41-64
Author(s):  
Priscilla Alderson
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Levels Of Reality ◽  
Closed Systems ◽  
Natural Necessity ◽  
Generative Mechanisms

Chapter 2 sets out basic critical realism concepts to show how they help to resolve the problems examined in Chapter 1. The concepts or themes include: the need to separate ontology-being from epistemology-thinking; the transitive and intransitive; the semiotic triangle; open and closed systems and demi-regs; the possibility of naturalism; natural necessity or the three levels of reality, the empirical, actual and real; a detailed example of the three levels in Mexican neonatal research; retroduction; creative power1 and coercive power2; time sequencing; political economy; the search for generative mechanisms; dichotomies, and policy.

Critical realism and performance measurement and management

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 568-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Knowledge Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Or Practice ◽  
Interdisciplinary Knowledge ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Systems View

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of adopting a critical realist position for the study of performance measurement and management (PMM) systems. Design/methodology/approach This paper discusses recent challenges to knowledge creation in PMM, arguing that overcoming these will require revisiting often implicit philosophical assumptions related to how the world is and how we learn about it. A critical realist perspective is explored and illustrated with the case of a software company attempting to empower and motivate its team. Findings Critical realism provides a means of building interdisciplinary knowledge in PMM. In addition to a generative view of causality, critical realism could augment a systems view of PMM by adopting a stratified view of reality and through its applied approach to knowledge building. The case illustrates the RRREIC approach and highlights the interplay of mechanisms of different scales and how this requires interdisciplinarity. Research limitations/implications Approaching the study of PMM with critical realism requires going beyond a particular tool or practice to understand the theory behind it. Such an approach can facilitate a layered, nuanced analysis of the issues facing organizations in a changing context. Originality/value This paper adds to discussion of philosophical topics in management and PMM and could help resolve ongoing challenges to knowledge building in the field, especially around barriers to conducting interdisciplinary research. In combination with rigorous methods, a strong philosophical base can facilitate relevant, lasting theories that can respond to a changing organizational context.

Using critical realism in critical accounting research – a commentary by two ANTs

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 655-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Baxter ◽  
Wai Fong Chua
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accounting Research ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
The Social

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to respond to Modell’s arguments regarding the relative usefulness of critical realist philosophy in relation to actor-network theory.Design/methodology/approachThe authors outline the challenges in applying critical realism to critical accounting. The authors then consider Modell’s criticisms of actor-network theory, providing a counterargument highlighting the methodological choices distinguishing actor-network theory from critical realism.FindingsThe authors argue that critical realism, whilst providing an interesting addition to the critical accounting research project, confronts challenges disentangling intransitive and transitive forms of knowledge. Actor-network theory is presented as a way of examining accounting practices as local associations, providing practical opportunities to study (the assembly of) “the social”.Research limitations/implicationsMethodological diversity is to be explored, acknowledging the ontological politics of our choices.Originality/valueThis paper is an original commentary contributing to critical accounting research.

Theoretical triangulation and pluralism in accounting research: a critical realist critique

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1138-1150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Modell
Keyword(s):  
Critical Realism ◽  
Ongoing Debate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accounting Research ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Theoretical Pluralism ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Knowledge Claims ◽  
Realist Perspective

Purpose – This is a rejoinder to Hoque et al. (2013) previously published in this journal. The purpose of this paper is to further elucidate and extend some of their key arguments related to the use of theoretical triangulation in accounting research. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual discussion focusing on how the understanding of the notion of theoretical triangulation can be enhanced from a critical realist perspective. Findings – The author draws attention to some ambiguities in Hoque et al.’s (2013) reasoning and advance a critique of their rather under-developed conceptions of the relationship between ontology and epistemology, the epistemic premises influencing the choice of theories and the role of theories in conditioning empirical observations and scholarly knowledge claims. To address these issues the author advances a critical realist approach and discusses its implications for theoretical triangulation in accounting research. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the ongoing debate about theoretical pluralism in accounting research by explicating how critical realism may further such pluralism and the inter-disciplinary accounting research project more generally.

Getting real about BIM

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Fox
Keyword(s):  
Critical Realism ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Building Information Modelling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Goals ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Realist Analysis ◽  
Business Outcome

Purpose – For some years, it has been claimed that Building Information Modelling (BIM) will bring about major improvements to the productivity of the building industry. Yet, productivity has declined while claims for BIM have expanded. Often, BIM descriptions comprise the naïve framing and multiple fallacies of hype. The purpose of this paper is to present critical realist descriptions and explain their advantages compared to BIM hype descriptions. Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal critical realist case study of BIM causal mechanism and causal context. Findings – Critical realist analysis reveals that hype about BIM underplays many inter-related causal requirements: all of which are needed to bring project business outcome from management action. Practical implications – Many inter-related non-trivial causal factors need to be taken into account to achieve business outcome from BIM implementation action. Further, factors claimed at the outset to be adequate to achieve outcome from action may be less than adequate. Originality/value – The originality of this paper is that critical realism analysis across six years is presented. This longitudinal data reveals that claims for BIM can be more future goals than current certainties. The value of this paper is that detailed analysis of hype descriptions is provided alongside critical realist descriptions.

scholarly journals Of Babies and Bathwater. A Review of Tuukka Kaidesoja Naturalizing Critical Realist Social Ontology

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-331
Author(s):  
Dave Elder-Vass
Keyword(s):  
Critical Realism ◽  
Causal Power ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Social Ontology ◽  
Causal Powers ◽  
Transcendental Argument ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Realist Ontology

AbstractTuukka Kaidesoja’s new book is a welcome addition to the literature on critical realism. He shows good judgement in defending Roy Bhaskar’s argument for causal powers while criticising its framing as a transcendental argument. In criticising Bhaskar’s concept of a real-but-not-actual ontological domain, however, he discards an essential element of a realist ontology, even a naturalised one: a recognition of the transfactual aspect of causal power.

Critical realism and constructivism: merging research paradigms for a deeper qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-484
Author(s):  
Frank Bogna ◽  
Aldo Raineri ◽  
Geoff Dell
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Hazard Identification ◽  
Research Paradigm ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Paradigms ◽  
Critical Realist

PurposeTraditional approaches in qualitative research have adopted one research paradigm linked to an established typology. This paper addresses the unconventional application of two research paradigms in one study. A critical realist approach was used to augment a constructivist analysis of data in a research project seeking to explore the meaning that managers in small to medium enterprises (SMEs) attach to hazard identification, the construction of a hazard profile reflective of the business and its use in assisting to manage hazards within the SME's safety management system framework. Critical realism offered a complementary but essential framework to explore causal mechanisms that led to a deeper understanding of the findings by searching for the processes and causality that lay beneath the social and organizational phenomena observed.Design/methodology/approachThis paper compares the two research paradigms in order to seek junctures and apply them to a research project. Analytical tools applied to each research paradigm within the project are presented, followed by a new multiparadigm conceptual model that integrates critical realism and constructivism, providing an original contribution of knowledge to this field of qualitative research.FindingsThe adoption of a multiparadigm model enabled not only the interpretation of social phenomena but also the determination of its causality, enabling a more insightful answering of the research question and leading to a deeper insight into the phenomenology that was studied. This research approach widens the boundaries of qualitative inquiry within organizational research by promoting strategies that challenge more traditionally anchored research typologies, and consequently contributes to better research outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was conducted across four organizations. Similar research is encouraged across a greater number of case studies to validate the process of using a constructivist and critical realist paradigm to gain a more insightful understanding of events and their causality.Practical implicationsThe comparison of two research paradigms and consequent provision of a conceptual model (Figure 3) provides potential for the development of further multiparadigm models for research projects within the field of organizational management.Social implicationsThis paper has the potential to promote engagement and collaboration between research scholars seeking to explore the use of multiple research paradigms.Originality/valueSuch an approach has not previously been widely discussed or adopted to examine qualitative data, and advances theory in qualitative research. The application of two research paradigms using such an approach can be applied to businesses in a number of different contexts to gain a more insightful understanding of research participant perspectives, observable events arising from those perspectives and their associated causality.

scholarly journals Uncertainty, Possibility, and Causal Power in QCA

2021 ◽  
pp. 004912412110312
Author(s):  
Roel Rutten
Keyword(s):  
Critical Realism ◽  
Causal Power ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Regularity Theory ◽  
Truth Table ◽  
Causal Powers ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Table Analysis ◽  
Analysis Models ◽  
Better Than

Uncertainty undermines causal claims; however, the nature of causal claims decides what counts as relevant uncertainty. Empirical robustness is imperative in regularity theories of causality. Regularity theory features strongly in QCA, making its case sensitivity a weakness. Following qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) founder Charles Ragin’s emphasis on ontological realism, this article suggests causality as a power and thus breaks with the ontological determinism of regularity theories. Exercising causal powers makes it possible for human agents to achieve an outcome but does not determine that they will. The article explains how QCA’s truth table analysis “models” possibilistic uncertainty and how crisp sets do this better than fuzzy sets. Causal power is at the heart of critical realist philosophy of science. Like Ragin, critical realism suggests empirical analysis as merely describing underlying causal relationships. Empirical statements must be substantively interpreted into causal claims. The article is critical of “empiricist” QCA that infers causality from the robustness of set relationships.

scholarly journals Critical realism and organizational learning

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Brøns Kringelum ◽  
Jacob Brix
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Learning Theory ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
The World ◽  
Theoretical Science ◽  
Empirical Realism

Purpose This study aims to investigate the implications of applying critical realism to the study of organizational learning. It considers critical realism as an alternate theoretical science foundation to the domains of empirical realism and social constructivism that characterize most of the field of organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts the approach of a philosophical/conceptual discussion. Findings This study finds that the critical realist approach makes it possible for organizational learning researchers to apply a prescriptive change agenda. It requires researchers to study the context in which organizational learning occurs. These two features enable the researcher to propose what the world must be like for organizational learning to occur. Hence, a critical realist foundation moves organizational learning theory a step closer to its theoretical sibling, the learning organization. Originality/value This study reveals the potential in applying critical realism to the study of organizational learning and identifies its related strengths.

Numerical analysis of the shear strength of circular reinforced concrete columns subjected to cyclic lateral loads using linear genetic programming

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 2517-2537
Author(s):  
Mostafa Rezvani Sharif ◽  
Seyed Mohammad Reza Sadri Tabaei Zavareh
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Modeling ◽  
Shear Strength ◽  
Reinforced Concrete ◽  
Numerical Analysis ◽  
Genetic Programming ◽  
Linear Genetic Programming ◽  
Rc Columns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Engineering Problems

Purpose The shear strength of reinforced concrete (RC) columns under cyclic lateral loading is a crucial concern, particularly, in the seismic design of RC structures. Considering the costly procedure of testing methods for measuring the real value of the shear strength factor and the existence of several parameters impacting the system behavior, numerical modeling techniques have been very much appreciated by engineers and researchers. This study aims to propose a new model for estimation of the shear strength of cyclically loaded circular RC columns through a robust computational intelligence approach, namely, linear genetic programming (LGP). Design/methodology/approach LGP is a data-driven self-adaptive algorithm recently used for classification, pattern recognition and numerical modeling of engineering problems. A reliable database consisting of 64 experimental data is collected for the development of shear strength LGP models here. The obtained models are evaluated from both engineering and accuracy perspectives by means of several indicators and supplementary studies and the optimal model is presented for further purposes. Additionally, the capability of LGP is examined to be used as an alternative approach for the numerical analysis of engineering problems. Findings A new predictive model is proposed for the estimation of the shear strength of cyclically loaded circular RC columns using the LGP approach. To demonstrate the capability of the proposed model, the analysis results are compared to those obtained by some well-known models recommended in the existing literature. The results confirm the potential of the LGP approach for numerical analysis of engineering problems in addition to the fact that the obtained LGP model outperforms existing models in estimation and predictability. Originality/value This paper mainly represents the capability of the LGP approach as a robust alternative approach among existing analytical and numerical methods for modeling and analysis of relevant engineering approximation and estimation problems. The authors are confident that the shear strength model proposed can be used for design and pre-design aims. The authors also declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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