The first two points on our theory-testing axis
represent low levels of theory testing. Empirical
articles that follow the inductive model do not include
a priori hypotheses as a starting point, instead
emphasizing the creation of propositions that
can be tested in future studies. Such articles may
draw on existing theory to trigger research questions
or guide the categorizing of observations (Glaser
& Strauss, 1967; Locke, 2002; Suddaby, 2006),
as Weick observed when noting that his theorizing
on wildland firefighting was done “with a head full
of theories” (2007: 16). However, the data that are
gathered are not used to explicitly test those theories
(Eisenhardt, 1989b; Glaser & Strauss, 1967;
Locke, 2002; Suddaby, 2006). Empirical articles
that follow the hypothetico-deductive model may
also be low in theory testing when they advance a
priori hypotheses that are rooted only in logical
speculation. Theory testing may be absent from
such articles simply because no existing theory is
relevant to the relationships of interest—giving the