To summarize, in our study we used the taxonomy
shown in Figure 1 to examine three specific
questions: (1) How has the level of theory building
in empirical articles changed over time? (2)
How has the level of theory testing in empirical
articles changed over time? and (3) What are the
implications of those trends for the scholarly impact
of empirical articles? As noted at the outset,
AMJ is an appropriate outlet for examining such
questions because it has long emphasized theoretical
contribution. In fact, one could argue that
AMJ possesses an “organizational culture” that
gives special priority to theoretical concerns.
Schein (1985) described an organization’s culture
as existing simultaneously at three levels: assumptions
(i.e., taken-for-granted beliefs), values
(i.e., principles or standards with intrinsic
worth), and artifacts (i.e., visible and tangible
manifestations of those assumptions and values).