The Population Ecology Programme in Organisation Studies: Problems Caused by Unwarranted Theory Transfer

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OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)39-51
Seitenumfang13
FachzeitschriftPhilosophy of Management
Jahrgang6
Ausgabenummer3
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 1 Sept. 2008

Abstract

Economics and social sciences in general have a long tradition of using theories, models, concepts, and so forth borrowed from the natural sciences to describe and explain the properties and behaviours of economic and social entities. However, unwarranted application of theoretical elements from the natural sciences in the economic/social domain can have adverse consequences for organisations, their employees and society in general. Focusing on biology and organisation studies, we discuss the general problems that may arise when theoretical elements from natural science are applied in the economic/social domain. We examine one particular case, the organisational ecology research programme, and we argue that organisational ecology rests on the metaphorical, rather than literal, use of the notion of evolution. We conclude by showing how the use of the evolutionary metaphor in organisation theory can have adverse consequences for both managerial practice and society in general.

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The Population Ecology Programme in Organisation Studies: Problems Caused by Unwarranted Theory Transfer. / Scholz, Markus; Reydon, Thomas A.C.
in: Philosophy of Management, Jahrgang 6, Nr. 3, 01.09.2008, S. 39-51.

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Scholz M, Reydon TAC. The Population Ecology Programme in Organisation Studies: Problems Caused by Unwarranted Theory Transfer. Philosophy of Management. 2008 Sep 1;6(3):39-51. doi: 10.5840/pom20086319
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