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Attributional Assumptions of Organizational Schools of Thought: Classification, Evaluation and Managerially Relevant Knowledge
Author(s) -
Lakshman C.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
european management review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.784
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1740-4762
pISSN - 1740-4754
DOI - 10.1111/j.1740-4762.2012.01035.x
Subject(s) - attribution , psychology , bridging (networking) , knowledge management , organizational behavior , field (mathematics) , organizational theory , social psychology , cognitive psychology , computer science , management , mathematics , pure mathematics , economics , computer network
Using an attribution theory lens, this paper classifies and comparatively evaluates the prevailing paradigms in organizational research. It provides critical comments on multiple schools in organizational theory, a field that suffers from paradigm proliferation, in terms of their adequacy as contributors to management theory. It presents a framework that is an improvement over prior attempts and is drawn from existing theories in organizational behaviour, namely, attribution theory. This paper identifies the attributional assumptions made by different schools of thought and classifies these on three attributional dimensions, that is, locus, stability and controllability. Implications for researchers to develop broader, more managerially relevant knowledge bases are provided. Insightful and novel ideas and analysis, for bridging the research‐practice gap in management are identified as a result of the attributional analysis and subsequent classification.