Controlled imagination in Management Research

Abstract

Science has long recognized the importance of “imagination” and many of the greatest advances in science have proceeded from virtually no data, or highly insufficient data. Theorizing process in management scholarship has been also described an act of disciplined imagination. This course discusses the role of “controlled imagination” as a legitimate approach in conducting management research.

Objective

Students will learn about a very important, yet often overlooked, aspect of scientific inquires: controlled imagination. In fact, imagination is ever-present in the management research process when searching for the essence of a phenomenon, components, structures, and patterns that cannot be revealed by ordinary observation as well as laws of interaction and logical structures. Although management scholarship is rich in imagination, this aspect of the research process is often minimized in favor of detailing the more “scientific” notion of control (i.e., the degree of precision in what is being studied) in descriptions of the various methods used to investigate a phenomenon. Learning objectives After completing this course, students will be able to: 1. understand about the role and importance of using imagination in scientific discoveries 2. explain the role of imagination in management research 3. assess methodological approaches that foster controlled imagination 4. distinguish between different types of controlled imagination approaches 5. apply structured approaches to “unfreeze” concepts and encourage scientific creativity

Content

This course: a) provides a brief summary of the long history of using imagination in science, b) unpacks the role of controlled imagination in management research, and c) introduces methodological approaches that can foster imagination in a controlled way in the whole process of studying a phenomenon under research to enhance management scholarship. Structure This course is designed into two days. Each day includes a morning (09:00 to 12:00) and an evening session (13:30 to 15:00). In the first day, a background/history of using imagination in the science will be introduced. Then basic concepts of scientific discoveries and the role of controlled imagination in the management research, in particular in the theorizing process, will be discussed. In the second day, we will further discuss and provide case examples of using imagination in a controlled fashion throughout the theorizing process.

Resources