Critical Realism and Organizational and Management Studies: Exploring Methodological Challenges

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Hassan Danaeefard 1
Omid Ardelan 2
Mohammad kazem Danaeefard 3
1 public administration, faculty of public administration, Tarbiat Modarres University
2 Ph.D. in Human Resource Management from Allameh Tabataba'i University
3 Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch
10.22047/hsd.2025.504730.1062
Abstract
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.
Keywords
Critical realism
organizational and management studies
methodological challenges
retroductive reasoning
causal mechanisms
 
Ackroyd, S., & Fleetwood, S. (2000). Realist perspectives on management and organisations. London: Routledge.
Archer, M. S. (1995). Realist social theory: The morphogenetic approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Archer, M. S., Bhaskar, R., Collier, A., Lawson, T., & Norrie, A. (1998). Critical realism: Essential readings. London: Routledge.
Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge. New York: Doubleday.
Bhaskar, R. (1975). A realist theory of science. Leeds: Leeds Books.
Bhaskar, R. (1979). The possibility of naturalism: A philosophical critique of the contemporary human sciences. Brighton: Harvester Press.
Bygstad, B., & Munkvold, B. E. (2011). In search of mechanisms: Conducting a critical realist data analysis. In Proceedings of the 32nd International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). Shanghai, China.
Chua, W. F. (1986). Radical developments in accounting thought. The Accounting Review, 61(4), 601-632.
Collier, A. (1994). Critical realism: An introduction to Roy Bhaskar's philosophy. London: Verso.
Comte, A. (1830). Cours de philosophie positive. Paris: Bachelier.
Danaee Fard, H. (2012). Research paradigms in public administration. The International Journal of Humanities, 19(4), 55-108.
Danermark, B., Ekström, M., Jakobsen, L., & Karlsson, J. C. (2002). Explaining society: Critical realism in the social sciences. London: Routledge.
Easton, G. (2010). Critical realism in case study research. Industrial Marketing Management, 39(1), 118-128.
Edwards, P. K., O'Mahoney, J., & Vincent, S. (2014). Studying organizations using critical realism: A practical guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fairclough, N. (2005). Peripheral vision: Discourse analysis in organization studies: The case for critical realism. Organization Studies, 26(6), 915–939
 Fleetwood, S. (2005). Ontology in organization and management studies: A critical realist perspective. Organization, 12(2), 197-222.
Fletcher, A. J. (2017). Applying critical realism in qualitative research: Methodology meets method. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(2), 181-194.
Leca, B., & Naccache, P. (2006). A critical realist approach to institutional entrepreneurship. Organization, 13(5), 627-651.
Maisuria, A., & Banfield, G. (Eds.). (2022). Working with critical realism: Stories of methodological encounters. London: Routledge.
Mutch, A. (2014). History and documents in critical realism. In P. K. Edwards, J. O'Mahoney, & S. Vincent (Eds.), Studying organizations using critical realism: A practical guide (pp. 223-240). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Orlikowski, W. J., & Baroudi, J. J. (1991). Studying information technology in organizations: Research approaches and assumptions. Information Systems Research, 2(1), 1-28.
Reed, M. (2005). Reflections on the 'realist turn' in organization and management studies. Journal of Management Studies, 42(8), 1621-1644.
Reed, M. (2009). Critical realism: Philosophy, method, or philosophy in search of a method? In D. A. Buchanan & A. Bryman (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of organizational research methods (pp. 430-448). London: SAGE Publications.
Sayer, A. (1992). Method in social science: A realist approach (2nd Ed.). London: Routledge.
Sayer, A. (2000). Realism and social science. London: SAGE Publications.
Volkoff, O., & Strong, D. M. (2013). Critical realism and affordances: Theorizing IT-associated organizational change processes. MIS quarterly, 819-834.
Wynn Jr, D., & Williams, C. K. (2012). Principles for conducting critical realist case study research in information systems. MIS quarterly, 787-810.
Development of humanities
Volume 6, Issue 11 - Serial Number 11
Humanities
Volume 6, Spring & Summer 2025, No.11
September 2025
Pages 5-32