Chapter 8: Management and Organizational History: Extending the State-of-the-Art to Historicist Interpretivism

Growing debate concerning the role of history in management and organization research is highlighted by calls for greater reliance on historical methodologies in scientific studies. In this chapter, we review the literature surrounding the “historic turn” taking place in management and organization fields of research and highlight the dualisms between historical approaches to theory building and typical organizational theory methodologies. Review of several strategies for improving the integration of history into scientific studies is presented along with a recommendation for greater reliance on genealogical methods in historical work. The genealogical method provides a unique, interpretive path analysis to uncover the origins of present phenomena. This approach highlights the contingent nature of the present by systematically tracing the effects of the past. In this way, history truly plays a critical role in understanding the complexities of current management and organizational problems.