Abstract
Much has been written about theories and how they can be tested. Unfortunately, much less has been written about how to develop them. This paper sheds light on the process of new theory development. We document and reflect on how we developed a context-sensitive indigenous theory of knowledge sharing by studying Chinese organizations. By reviewing and refining our own somewhat messy process, we have identified six key stages: abstract, identify, select, explain, synthesize, and validate. By presenting our model of theory development to the Academy of Management, we aim to encourage greater discussion of how theories can be developed, to stimulate the development of new contextual theories, and to provide useful methodological guidance for those who take up the theory building challenge.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Academy of Management Proceedings |
| Editors | Sonia Taneja |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2015 |
| Event | 75th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM 2015): Opening Governance - Vancouver, Canada Duration: 7 Aug 2015 → 11 Aug 2015 https://aom.org/events/annual-meeting/past-annual-meetings/2015-opening-governance |
Publication series
| Name | Academy of Management Proceedings |
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| Publisher | Academy of Management |
| Number | 1 |
| Volume | 2015 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0065-0668 |
| ISSN (Electronic) | 2151-6561 |
Conference
| Conference | 75th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM 2015) |
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| Abbreviated title | Academy of Management 2015 Annual Meeting |
| Place | Canada |
| City | Vancouver |
| Period | 7/08/15 → 11/08/15 |
| Internet address |
Research Keywords
- theory development
- knowledge sharing
- research method
Publisher's Copyright Statement
- COPYRIGHT TERMS OF DEPOSITED POSTPRINT FILE: Copyright of Academy of Management Proceedings is the property of Academy of Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. Martinsons, M. G., Davison, R. M., & Ou, C. X. (2015). Developing a New Theory of Knowledge Sharing: Documenting and Reflecting on a Messy Process. In S. Taneja (Ed.), Academy of Management Proceedings (Academy of Management Proceedings; Vol. 2015, No. 1). https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2015.11328abstract.