1. What is a (good) theoryin OP?Prof. J. Navarro, Dep. Psicologa Social, 2014

2. What is a Theory(Bacharach, 1989)'A theory is a statement of relations among concepts within aset of boundary assumptions and constraints' (p. 496)' (..) the purpose of theoretical statements is twofold: toorganize (parsimoniously) and to communicate (clearly).' (p.496)'The primary goal of a theory is to answer the questions ofhow, when, and why, unlike the goal of description, which is toanswer the question of what.' (p. 498)Prof. J. Navarro, Dep. Psicologa Social, 2014 3. What theory is not, theorizing is(Weick, 1995) Theory is not some references, data, a list, adiagram or some hypothesis (as was proposed bySutton & Stow, 1995). But, theorizing consist on different aproximationssuch as doing references, having data, making alist, drawing a diagram or proposing somehypothesis.Prof. J. Navarro, Dep. Psicologa Social, 2014 4. Approximate theories (Merton, 1967)1. General orientations in which broad frameworks specify types ofvariables people should take into account, without any specificationof reiationships among these variables.2. Analysis of concepts in which concepts are specified, clarified, anddefined but not interrelated.3. Post-factum interpretation in which ad hoc hypotheses are derivedfrom a single observation, with no effort to explore alternativeexplanations or new observations.4. Empirical generalization in which an isolated propositionsummarizes the relationship between two variables, but furtherinterrelations are not attempted.Prof. J. Navarro, Dep. Psicologa Social, 2014 5. The process of theorizing(Weick, 1995) Theory work can take a variety of forms, ... because theory itself is a continuum (rather than adichotomy). ...because most verbally expressed theory leaves tacitsome key portions of the originating insight. So, what we need to know is more about the context inwhich the theory lives. This is the process oftheorizing.Prof. J. Navarro, Dep. Psicologa Social, 2014 6. The process of theorizing(Weick, 1995) The process of theorizing consist of activities likeabstracting, generalizing, relating, selecting,explaining, synthesizing, and idealizing. These ongoing activities sumarize progress, givedirection, and serve as placemakers. They arevestiges of theorizing process but are not theoriesthemselves.Prof. J. Navarro, Dep. Psicologa Social, 2014 7. Theories in OB(Whetten, 1989)A theory must contain four essential elements:1) answers to what the constructs are2) how and why they are related3) answers to who the constructs apply to and4) where and when they are applicable.Prof. J. Navarro, Dep. Psicologa Social, 2014 8. Criteria for the assessment of anytheoryProf. J. Navarro, Dep. Psicologa Social, 2014 Falsifiability Utility 9. Criteria for the assessment of anytheory (Bacharach, 1989)Prof. J. Navarro, Dep. Psicologa Social, 2014 10. What is a (good) theory 1/2Klein & Zedeck (2004), Kozlowski (2009), Weick (1995) It explains and establishes principles for how a phenomenonworks. It is not just a graph with boxes and arrows. It goes beyond. It integrates the literature, providing insights aboutcommonalities that can be exploited in future research. It identifies areas of disagreement and contradiction, findingways to bridge them or pointing toward ways to competitivelytest them. It synthesizes different domains, creating novel predictionsfrom their combination.Prof. J. Navarro, Dep. Psicologa Social, 2014 11. What is a (good) theory 2/2Klein & Zedeck (2004), Kozlowski (2009), Weick (1995) It shapes research as investigators translate principlesor propositions into hypotheses that are examined in aparticular context. It generates many such research opportunities. It is not tested all at once. Rather, it takes anaccumulation of evidence across many evaluations tomap support for the theory. It generates many midrange theories that can beevaluated with data.Prof. J. Navarro, Dep. Psicologa Social, 2014