Zusammen mit dem LMU Center for Advanced Management Studies (LMU CAMS) lädt die Professur für International Management zu einem Gastvortrag von Prof. Dr. Rebecca Piekkari (Aalto Universität) ein. Prof. Piekkari ist eine führende Expertin in qualitativer Managementforschung.
Abstract: Comparison is a fundamental form of scientific reasoning but it is rarely discussed in these terms in management research. A narrow range of comparative designs are used in qualitative management research, potentially limiting the theoretical advances that can be made. We introduce an alternative approach to comparisons – ‘thick comparisons’ – and identify possible research designs for these kinds of studies. We argue that this is a missed opportunity for theorizing and propose a new agenda for the use of comparative reasoning in qualitative management research. We problematize the nature of comparisons and critique the dominant logic of comparison in management. Our alternative logic of comparison is based on an analysis of multidisciplinary dialogue on new ways of approaching comparisons from anthropology, sociology, political science, literature and education. Thick comparison generates theory by means of a dynamic interplay between the differences as well as similarities of comparative units. This stands in sharp contrast to the dominant logic termed ‘controlled comparison’, which focuses on establishing regularities and similarities between units. We do not argue for abandoning the dominant logic altogether but rather advocate greater plurality of approaches to comparison. Thickening comparisons is a powerful tool for theorizing about change, context and differences.
Der Vortrag richtet sich an alle Mitglieder der LMU Munich School of Management, insbesondere an Promovierende mit Interesse an qualitativer Forschung.