THE THEORETICAL CONTRIBUTION OF
EMPIRICAL ARTICLES
One way that empirical articles can make theoretical
contributions is to test theory. The authors
of empirical articles that follow the hypotheticodeductive
model use theory to formulate hypotheses
before testing those hypotheses with observations
(Hempel, 1966; Popper, 1965). Platt (1964: 46)
described the importance of theory testing in quoting
the noted biologist W. A. H. Rushton, who
wrote, “A theory which cannot be mortally endangered
cannot be alive.” Indeed, one could argue
that theory testing is particularly important in management
because some of the most intuitive theories
introduced in the literature wind up being unsupported
by empirical research. Building on an
earlier review (Miner, 1984), Miner (2003) rated the
estimated scientific validity of 73 theories found in
the management literature. A set of organizational
behavior and strategic management scholars rated
the perceived importance of the theories to the
management literature, with the author rating the
estimated scientific validity of each theory. Of the
73 theories identified in the review, only 25 were
rated as high in scientific validity. Such results
illustrate the importance of theory testing, as such
testing can temper enthusiasm for appealing but
invalid models