Calibrating for Progress: What are the Instrumental Functions of Theory in Management Research?

While economics has largely moved ‘beyond theory’, in management research the ‘theory always’ imperative is still held high. This imperative has come under attack lately with scholars saying we have too much theory that explains too little, or that insisting on theoretical contributions in every article hampers our ability to address timely issues. I argue that there is unease with the practice of theorizing in management and organization because we fail to demonstrate what theory does (or cannot do) for advancing knowledge, and under what conditions. In this article, I therefore seek to show when and how management theory is more useful and when less useful for moving research fields forward. Drawing on a position about progress that is rooted in a combination of Popper's critical rationalism and social criticism, I unearth four instrumental functions of theory and three areas of limitation. I suggest that scholars should be clearer about which of these functions their theorizing serves, or use the framework to justify why, instead of crafting theory, they focus on applying theory, on empirical analysis, or on method. The article provides guidance to authors, reviewers, and editors. It also offers suggestions for the strategic positioning and publishing policies of journals.