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The paper out lines an ovel perspective for theory building by showing howme thods of conceptual engineering enable systematic development of conceptual competences. Conceptual engineering is a hot topic in philosophy, with many interesting achievements and applications. Using it in organization and management theory may shed new light on the most typical conceptual strategies in theory building, so-called conceptualization sandre conceptualizations, and help systematically improve them. Focusing on organization and management theory, the paper introduces conceptual engineering as a tool toopt imizeconceptsin the management field,and builds a proof of concept on two selected examples from routinesre search. Besidespaving a new wayin theory development, conceptual engineering gives an interesting solution to the rigor-relevance problemas it shows that the scientificper spectiveon the practical relevance of a theory requiresrigoronthe level of concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizational scholars have called upon higher-power individuals to serve as moral objectors to combat unethical behavior at work because it is assumed they will face less retaliation. However, research has painted an unclear picture of whether power protects women in the same way as it does men. In this paper, we draw on two distinct role theories (i.e., power role theories and gender role theories) as well as expectancy violation theory, theorizing and finding that female moral objectors benefit less from power than male moral objectors because they are viewed as lower in self-control. We further investigate an alternative remedy, or organizational frame, that may mitigate retaliation against higher-powered female moral objectors, finding that using this frame increases perceptions of self-control and reduces retaliation. We test and find support for our theory across four studies, including an archival study (n = 33,715), a critical incident technique experiment, and two preregistered experiments testing our intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before the 1990s, the phenomenon of organizational improvisation (OI) as a distinct process was poorly understood and undertheorized in the organization theory, management, and strategy literatures, in spite of its pervasive occurrence in practice and its impressionistic mentions in interesting work. As editors of the recent Routledge Companion to Organizational Improvisation, we believe that ongoing phenomenon-focused work that builds on granular data and unexpected discoveries represents a crucial ongoing frontier for OI research. In this Guidepost, we illustrate the crucial role of phenomenon-focused research activities in the early exploration and ongoing work to understand OI, and flag four especially promising areas for ongoing discoveries: premises, practical skills, outcomes, and micro-processes. For each, we highlight specific issues where new exploratory work – drawing on quantitative and qualitative data—can offer a springboard to new, impactful understanding and action. This essay is a companion to Karl Weick's recent Guidepost where he reflects on the 30th anniversary of his 1993 ASQ Mann Gulch Disaster paper, which played a key role in legitimizing deeper scholarly attention to OI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rarely acknowledged fact about organization theory (OT) is that many of its ideas stem from the field of artificial intelligence (AI). For example, key OT concepts such as problemistic search, heuristics, exploration, requisite variety, and organizational scripts all have their roots in AI. The main goal of this paper is to expose the full range of AI ideas that have been used in OT. We do so by explaining key AI ideas and showing how OT used them. Our review covers over 100 OT works that depend on AI ideas both critically and explicitly. We group these ideas into 10 AI approaches that speak to three fundamental processes in organizations: search, representation, and aggregation. We argue that this broad and deep borrowing fromAI stems fromfundamental structural similarities between AI and OT, as both fields study how artificial systems (programs and organizations) can pursue intelligent behavior. We also identify areas of AI from which OT scholars may continue to draw inspiration and suggest ways in which AI technologies may continue to affect organizations. Overall, our work shows that, beyond its effect as a technology, AI has given OT a set of models about how organizations work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The definition, delineation, and enforcement of property rights depend on how the wider political and economic environment (or institutional environment) was created and by whom. Organization and management theories implicitly assume this institutional environment is given, fixed, and exogenous to private firms. We challenge this assumption and consider the institutional environment as the result of political struggles between different actors (including private firms) who, if successful in this struggle, will define a particular property rights regime. We maintain that private firms can endogenously create the institutional environment by legitimizing an existing one that protects their property rights or by delegitimizing (and seeking the replacement of) another one that threatens their property rights. Our study combines insights from history, political economy, and organization and management theories and shows the benefits for organization and management scholars of studying long-term processes in light of classic works that sought to understand how political and economic orders were created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent Academy of Management Perspectives article "Rethinking Diversity Strategies: An Application of Paradox and Positive Organization Behavior Theories," by David Waldman and Jennifer Sparr characterizes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies as a paradox between diversity and unity. We are concerned by the incendiary and imprecise adoption of core terms (e.g., woke, woke-washing, unity) and the dearth of engagement with existing scholarship—specifically, critical race theory, positive organizational scholarship, and DEI scholarship. In this Exchange, we posit that their article yields potentially harmful conclusions for DEI. We write this commentary to clarify definitions, bodies of literature, and diversity strategies. Maintaining scholarly standards is particularly important in diversity research because inaccuracies have real-life implications for some of society's most vulnerable and marginalized communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, paradox theory has developed impressively. Such advances have been fueled by a rising collective experience of paradox—as change, scarcity and plurality intensify awareness of conflicting, interdependent and persistent forces—and by a global community of paradox scholars—notably creative, dedicated and mutually supportive. We are honored by the 2021 Decade Award. Our 2011 publication helped shape rigorous research while informing vexing challenges. In this manuscript, we reflect on factors contributing to this scholarly expansion, offering insights into how advances of paradox theory could generalize to the rise of fields more broadly. We then explore the accumulation of paradox scholarship, noting the convergence of key ideas and definitions, while recognizing the divergence of ontologies, methodologies, theories, and phenomena. Building upon expanding insights into how to navigate paradox, we categorize varied approaches into four sets of tools—assumptions (cognition), boundaries (structures), comfort (emotions), and dynamics (change)—presented within an integrative framework that we label the Paradox System. By doing so, we highlight the breadth of underlying research, depict interwoven and paradoxical relationships across categories, and surface a core insight that navigating paradox is paradoxical. Finally, we offer suggestions and provocations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article,we propose a conceptual model of the processes that regulate theory selection and retention in management and organization studies. Considering themany sources of theoretical variety that characterize our field, what requires explanation is both the proliferation of theories as well as the decline of some schools of thought. We argue that research programs (ordered sequences of theories) lose momentum when the research movements that develop and maintain them fail to attend to some organizing priorities. By conceptualizing theorizing as form of organizing, we describe how research movements dynamically arrange sociomaterial elements (grammars, thought styles, material artifacts, and empirical craft), arguing that their sustainability depends on their capacity effectively to navigate the paradoxical tensions that derive from these organizing efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the authors discuss a special topic forum (STF) in the journal about the science of organization theory and its significance to management studies.

We argue and provide evidence that virtual reality (VR) is particularly suited to conduct phenomenon-driven empirical research that theories of management and organizations neither adequately predict nor explain. We focus on four areas. First, we demonstrate the capabilities and accessibility of VR technology. Second, we show how VR can be used as a platform to expand our ability to study poorly understood phenomena in new ways. This includes improving our ability to study phenomena that are either difficult or impossible to examine using more traditional methodological approaches. Third, we discuss opportunities for using VR to conduct research in several illustrative management subfields (i.e., organizational behavior, strategy, entrepreneurship). Further, we discuss how the metaverse opens up almost limitless opportunities for future research. Finally, we provide recommendations and also discuss pitfalls to avoid when using VR as a research platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous Peoples and contexts have offered valuable insights to enrich management and organization theories and literature. Yet, despite their growing prevalence and impact, these insights have not been compiled and synthesized comprehensively. With this article, we provide a systematic and thorough analysis of Indigenous management and organization studies research published over a 90-year period (1932–2021), and synthesize this body of work into a multidimensional framework, exploring the various features and methodological considerations of Indigenous research. Our analysis reveals that the literature in the field remains fragmented and dispersed across many different subfields and publication outlets, making it challenging for researchers to aggregate, synthesize, and build upon prior works. Our framework integrates insights into recurrent themes and provides a common language to further advance this vital field of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crowdfunding enables the organizing of support for victims of a tragedy from a wide range of sources. While this support can be financial or nonfinancial, we know relatively little about the nonfinancial support donors provide. Donors' words can have substantial positive and negative effects on sufferers; however, donors are also often limited in the extent towhich they can provide relevant support due to unfamiliarity with sufferers' lives. Therefore, it is important to investigate the messages donors leave on campaign pages. In this inductive study, we investigate online responses to a school shooting to explain how donors' responses to charitable crowdfunding campaigns manifest. The emergent crowdfunding model of public displays of compassion suggests two core types of responses depending on the nature of the public appeal. Our insights extend the boundaries of the theory on charitable crowdfunding by illustrating the benefits of relaxing implicit assumptions regarding the nature of value creation and the uniformity of donor responses. The study has implications for organization theory on nonmonetary value creation in crowdfunding, heterogeneity in crowdfunding responses, and compassion-organizing and culture-building in organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]