Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Paradigm development in Chinese management research: The role of research methodology

  • Published:
Asia Pacific Journal of Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Kuhn’s paradigm framework asserts that scholarly fields differ in their level of development, and that such differences will be reflected in research norms and practices. In particular, early stage subfields are expected to have less consensus regarding theory and methods, negatively affecting both the consistency and sophistication of research designs. We examine Kuhn’s framework in the context of a rapidly advancing subfield: Chinese management research. This paper reports a content analysis of China-based studies against a matched set of management articles, focusing on methodology. In partial support of the paradigm framework, we find many differences in several important research design characteristics. Additionally, consistent with expectations, many of these differences decline over time. Based on these findings, we discuss the applicability of Kuhn’s framework to management research, and also identify normative guidelines for the design of future Chinese management studies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Crook et al. (2010) reported a similar phenomenon (e.g., entrepreneurship articles reported methodological strengths in some areas, and weaknesses in others).

  2. One possible explanation is that HARKing may be directly associated with a field’s level of development. In other words, lower levels of consensus may create pressures for authors—either implicitly or explicitly—to adjust hypotheses prior to publication. There are several possible steps to address this question, either through comparison of specialized and general management outlets over time, as well as studying the internal mechanism of review processes. Additionally, our data show that the prevalence of “all hypotheses supported” studies are actually increasing for both US and China samples, which suggests that the role of paradigm development may come second to other factors.

References

  • Aguinis, H., & Edwards, J. R. 2014. Methodological wishes for the next decade and how to make wishes come true. Journal of Management Studies, 51: 143–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahlstrom, D. 2010. Publishing in the Asia Pacific Journal of Management. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 27(1): 1–8.

  • Astley, W. G. 1985. Administrative science as socially constructed truth. Administrative Science Quarterly, 30: 497–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergh, D. D., Aguinis, H., Heavey, C., Ketchen, D. J., Boyd, B. K., Su, P., Lau, P., & Joo, H. 2016. Using meta-analytic structural equation modeling to advance strategic management research: Guidelines and an empirical demonstration via the strategic leadership-performance relationship. Strategic Management Journal, 37: 477–497.

  • Bernerth, J. B., & Aguinis, H. A. 2016. A critical review and best-practice recommendations for control variable usage. Personnel Psychology, 69: 229–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beyer, J. M. 1978. Editorial policies and practices among leading scientific journals in four scientific fields. Sociological Quarterly, 19: 68–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beyer, J. M., Chanove, R. G., & Fox, W. B. 1995. The review process, and the fates of manuscripts submitted to AMJ. Academy of Management Journal, 38: 1219–1260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beyer, J. M., & Lodahl, T. M. 1976. A comparative study of patterns of influence in United States and English universities. Administrative Science Quarterly, 21: 104–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bosco, F. A., Aguinis, H., Field, J. G., Pierce, C. A., & Dalton, D. R. 2016. HARKing’s threat to organizational research: Evidence from primary and meta-analytic sources. Personnel Psychology, 69: 709–750.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, B. K., Bergh, D. D., Ireland, D., & Ketchen, D. J. 2013. Construct measurement in strategic management research. Organizational Research Methods, 16: 3–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, B. K., Finkelstein, S., & Gove, S. 2005. How advanced is the strategy paradigm? The role of particularism and universalism in shaping research outcomes. Strategic Management Journal, 26: 841–854.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, B. K., Gove, S., & Hitt, M. A. 2005a. Construct measurement in strategic management research: Illusion or reality?. Strategic Management Journal, 26: 239–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, B. K., Gove, S., & Hitt, M. A. 2005b. Consequences of construct measurement problems in strategic management research: The case of Amihud and Lev. Strategic Management Journal, 26: 367–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, B. K., Haynes, K. T., Hitt, M. A., Bergh, D. D., & Ketchen, D. J. 2012. Contingency models in strategic management: Use, disuse, or misuse?. Journal of Management, 38: 278–313.

  • Cannella, A. A., Jr., & Paetzold, R. L. 1994. Pfeffer’s barrier to the advancement of organizational science: A rejoinder. Academy of Management Review, 19(2): 331–341.

  • Carlson, K. D., & Wu, J. 2012. The illusion of statistical control: Control variable practice in management research. Organizational Research Methods, 15: 413–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chandler, G. N., & Lyon, D. W. 2001. Issues of research design and construct measurement in entrepreneurship research: The past decade. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 25: 101–113.

  • Chen, M.-J. 2001. Inside Chinese business: A guide for managers worldwide. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

  • Child, J. 2009. Context, comparison, and methodology in Chinese management research. Management and Organization Review, 5: 57–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, C. M., & Carlile, P. R. 2009. Course research: Using the case method to build and teach management theory. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 8: 240–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. 1987. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences, 2nd ed. Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

  • Crook, T. R., Shook, C. L., Morris, M. L., & Madden, T. M. 2010. Are we there yet? An assessment of research design and construct measurement practices in entrepreneurship research. Organizational Research Methods, 13: 192–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fulton, O., & Martin, T. 1974. Research activity in American higher education. Sociology of Education, 47(1): 29–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glick, W. H., Miller, C. C., & Cardinal, L. B. 2007. Making a life in the field of organization science. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28: 817–835.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hambrick, D. C. 1990. The adolescence of strategic management, 1980–1985: Critical perceptions and reality. In J. Fredrickson (Ed.). Perspectives on strategic management: 237–253. Cambridge: Ballinger.

  • Hargens, L. L. 1975. Patterns of scientific research: A comparative analysis of research in three scientific fields, the Arnold and Caroline Rose monograph series. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.

  • Hitt, M. A., Boyd, B., & Li, D. 2004. The state of strategic management research: A view of the future. In D. Ketchen, & D. Bergh (Eds.). Research methodology in strategy and management, Vol. 1: 1–31. New York: Elsevier.

  • Hogan, T. D. 1986. The publishing performance of US PhD programs in economics during the 1970s. Journal of Human Resources, 21(2): 216–229.

  • Jacobs, F. A., Hartgraves, A. L., & Beard, L. H. 1986. Publication productivity of doctoral alumni: A time-adjusted model. Accounting Review, LXI: 179–187.

  • Keith, B., & Babchuk, N. 1998. The quest for institutional recognition: A longitudinal analysis of scholarly productivity and academic prestige among sociology departments. Social Forces, 76(4): 1495–1533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, T. S. 1996. The structure of scientific revolutions, 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

  • Leong, F. T. L., & Leung, K. 2004. Academic careers in Asia: A cross-cultural analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 64: 346–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, K. 2011. Presenting post hoc hypotheses as a priori: Ethical and theoretical issues. Management and Organization Review, 7: 471–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, K. 2012. Indigenous Chinese management research: Like it or not, we need it. Management and Organization Review, 8: 1–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lodahl, J. B., & Gordon, G. 1972. The structure of scientific fields and the functioning of university graduate departments. American Sociological Review, 37: 57–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Low, M. B. 2001. The adolescence of entrepreneurship research: Specification of purpose. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 25: 17–25.

  • Low, M. B., & MacMillan, I. C. 1988. Entrepreneurship: Past research and future challenges. Journal of Management, 14: 139–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, A. D. 1991. What is strategy’s distinctive competence?. Journal of Management, 17: 821–833.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mullen, M. R., Budeva, D. G., & Doney, P. M. 2009. Research methods in leading small business – Entrepreneurship journals: A critical review with recommendations for future studies. Journal of Small Business Management, 47: 287–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Boyle, E. H., Banks, G. C., & Erik Gonzalez-Mule, E. 2017. The Chrysalis effect: How ugly initial results metamorphosize into beautiful articles. Journal of Management, 43: 376–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, T. 1939. The professions and social structure. Social Forces, 17(4): 457–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petry, G., & Settle, J. 1988. A comprehensive analysis of worldwide scholarly productivity in selected US business journals. Quarterly Review of Economics and Business, 28(3): 88–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfeffer, J. 1993. Barrier to the advance of organizational science: Paradigm development as a dependent variable. Academy of Management Review, 18(4): 599–620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ritzer, G. 1975. Sociology: A multiple paradigm science. American Sociologist, 10: 156–167.

  • Rogelberg, S. G., & Stanton, J. M. 2007. Understanding and dealing with organizational survey nonresponse. Organizational Research Methods, 10: 195–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. 2015. Methods of meta-analysis: Correcting error and bias in research findings. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

  • Shapiro, D. L., Von Glinow, M. A., & Xiao, Z. 2007. Toward polycontextually sensitive research methods. Management and Organization Review, 3: 129–152.

  • Tsui, A. S. 2009. Editor’s introduction – Autonomy of inquiry: Shaping the future of emerging scientific communities. Management and Organization Review, 5: 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsui, A. S. 2013. The spirit of science and socially responsible scholarship. Management and Organization Review, 9: 375–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Venkatraman, N. 1989. The concept of fit in strategy research: Toward verbal and statistical correspondence. Academy of Management Review, 14: 423–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Von Glinow, M. A., & Teagarden, M. B. 2009. The future of Chinese management research: Rigour and relevance redux. Management and Organization Review, 5: 75–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiseman, R. M., & Skilton, P. F. 1999. Divisions and differences: Exploring publication preferences and productivity across management subfields. Journal of Management Inquiry, 8: 299–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, R. E., Goodman, J. S., Beckmann, N., & Cook, A. 2008. Mediation testing in management research: A review and proposal. Organizational Research Methods, 11: 270–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wortman, M. S. 1987. Entrepreneurship: An integrating typology and evaluation of the empirical research in the field. Journal of Management, 13: 259–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, S., & Jiang, C. 2009. Learning by doing: Emerging paths of Chinese management research. Management and Organization Review, 5: 107–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zuckerman, H., & Merton, R. K. 1971. Patterns of evaluation in science: Institutionalism, structure and functions of the referee system. Minerva, 9: 66–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Brian K. Boyd

Authors
  1. Brian K. Boyd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian K. Boyd.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Boyd, B.K. Paradigm development in Chinese management research: The role of research methodology. Asia Pac J Manag 35, 805–827 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-017-9544-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-017-9544-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation