From Methodology to Imagination: Reflections on Philosophy and Theory Building in Applied Disciplines

摘要

The Debate and Dialogue article in the last issue of Human Resource Development Review (HRDR) by Chermack and Swanson (2015) criticized a perceived obsession with methodologies as a problem for theory building in applied disciplines. While I agree with the claim that having fervent devotion to a particular methodology or ideology is limiting or misappropriate, I do not agree that "the philosophical foundations of how to study things in general are much less important than what is studied, why it is studied and what the outcomes of studying it are intended to be" (p. 512, emphasis added). My response builds on their argument by reflecting on two of the philosophical bases driving the current state of theory and theory building in applied disciplines-Idealism and Pragmatism. I leave the discussion open with a call for more creativity and imagination in our work of theory building.