The Academy of Sciences of IR Iran Development of humanities 2676-5551 6 11 2025 09 22 Critical Realism and Organizational and Management Studies: Exploring Methodological Challenges Critical Realism and Organizational and Management Studies: Exploring Methodological Challenges 5 32 230101 10.22047/hsd.2025.504730.1062 FA Hassan Danaeefard public administration, faculty of public administration, Tarbiat Modarres University 0000-0003-1805-7323 Omid Ardelan Ph.D. in Human Resource Management from Allameh Tabataba'i University Mohammad Kazem Danaeefard Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch Journal Article 2025 02 05 Critical realism, based on its distinctive ontology and epistemology, provides a specific methodology for studying social phenomena and identifying the underlying generative mechanisms of these phenomena and events .This paper explores the methodological challenges associated with applying critical realism in organizational and management studies. Critical realism, with its emphasis on the stratification of reality, causal mechanisms, and the interplay between structure and agency, offers a robust alternative to positivist and interpretivist paradigms. However, operationalizing this philosophical framework in organizational research presents several challenges, particularly in identifying and empirically validating causal mechanisms, integrating quantitative and qualitative methods, and maintaining sensitivity to context. The paper first examines the philosophical foundations of critical realism, then explores its methodological challenges, and finally proposes strategies to overcome these challenges. These strategies include developing research frameworks, integrating abductive and retroductive reasoning, and promoting methodological pluralism. The purpose is to enhance the theoretical rigor and practical impact of management and organizational research by effectively leveraging the potential of critical realism. Critical realism, based on its distinctive ontology and epistemology, provides a specific methodology for studying social phenomena and identifying the underlying generative mechanisms of these phenomena and events .This paper explores the methodological challenges associated with applying critical realism in organizational and management studies. Critical realism, with its emphasis on the stratification of reality, causal mechanisms, and the interplay between structure and agency, offers a robust alternative to positivist and interpretivist paradigms. However, operationalizing this philosophical framework in organizational research presents several challenges, particularly in identifying and empirically validating causal mechanisms, integrating quantitative and qualitative methods, and maintaining sensitivity to context. The paper first examines the philosophical foundations of critical realism, then explores its methodological challenges, and finally proposes strategies to overcome these challenges. These strategies include developing research frameworks, integrating abductive and retroductive reasoning, and promoting methodological pluralism. The purpose is to enhance the theoretical rigor and practical impact of management and organizational research by effectively leveraging the potential of critical realism. https://hsd.ias.ac.ir/article_230101_c0f524500634f151b9f933ec5ed7112d.pdf