In their 2013 book Theory Building in Applied Disciplines, Swanson and Chermack, 2013 set out to provide a practical, process-oriented approach to building theories. This innovative text provides clear guidelines for theory generation in applied disciplines. In light of the recent calls for increased theory building in Chinese human resource management research, this text will serve as a particularly useful resource for understanding, developing and advancing theories. One ambition of this work is to align scholarship and practice, to bridge the gap between conceptualizing and action. Both scholars and practitioners stand to benefit from each other's approaches, but this text is geared specifically toward practitioners working in the fields of practice. Theory building, as presented here, can and should be conducted outside the “bench-top”, laboratory-like settings of “pure” disciplines. Such theory-building work would help applied disciplines advance in logically and methodologically sound ways. For the nascent theory-building researchers in Chinese management, this text is a potential resource of step-by-step instruction in building theories.
Divided into three parts, the book is organized consistently and clearly so it can be used much like a process manual. Each chapter begins with an overview of the contents to come and concludes with a brief summary of the core elements presented. Chapters also follow a consistent pattern, and so it is easy to move from concept to concept, as well as to see how the different process-steps connect to each other. In (Part One)[a1], the authors provide an overview of theory. This material is targeted particularly at the practitioners in the audience – those for whom theory is a less comfortable domain. To scholars, this content may be less necessary, though the authors do provide emphasis on the practical applications of theory work. For example, they offer a review of the various philosophical approaches to theory, followed by a prescription for avoiding “lengthy philosophical debates”: attention to the purpose of theory building, observance of boundaries for the theory and promotion of cohesion in the process even though many choices are available (p. 20).
Part Two provides a deep dive into five phases of theory building: conceptualization, operationalization, confirmation, application and refinement. Each phase is outlined in its own chapter, and again, the chapters are structured systematically and consistently – working from definitions and contextualizing information to research approaches, through the steps of executing the phase and finally into criteria for assessing the product of that execution. Each chapter also includes a summary that recaps the process contained in the phase. Readers could use these chapters as references throughout the process – coming back to review the steps and quality criteria as they work through each phase in theory-building practice.
Part Three details two case examples and provides an assessment process for theory-building exercises. The final chapter sets out to entice the audience to engage in the process immediately, by reviewing and assessing existing theories and building a new theory. The cases offer real-world examples of theories in practice and the five phases of the theory-building process in action. Again, the authors provide concrete, easily digestible examples to support the processes they have outlined throughout the work. These examples guide the theory-building novice to see living applications of the concepts. For those more experienced, or for those reading the text over, the examples may also be informative. However, the process-oriented style of the book makes it a resource audiences will come back to time and again for guidance through the steps of developing theory.
An especially helpful technique throughout the text is the use of real-world, simplified and often humorous examples that serve to illustrate complex, weighty concepts. Inserts throughout each chapter offer simplified anecdotal illustrations, making the ideas easier to digest. Everything from imagined house layouts to song lyrics find their way into these examples, keeping the perspective fresh and the content intriguing. A risk with prescriptive “how-to” guidebooks is a pedantic or overbearing tone, but these authors fuse instruction with enjoyment.
Along with that accessible delivery style comes an emphasis on practicality – on taking from the real world to make the theoretical points more comprehensible. One striking example from the discussion of theory in Part One begins with a statement we all have probably heard many times: “Well, that's all very well in theory, but it doesn't work like that in practice or in the real world.” Swanson and Chermack, 2013 use this remark as a jumping-off point to make the compelling observation that theory is, at its most simplistic form, the articulation of our understanding of how things work in the real world. This definition drives home the connection between theory and practice.
As we experience something new in the world, we internalize that experience, formulate observations about it and connect those observations back to our established understanding of related phenomena we have encountered in the world. These ideas about what we see and how we understand those phenomena are our theories in practice. Fundamentally, theory creation is our mechanism for interpreting and making sense of the world. We are then able to adapt our behavior based on these theories in practice, based on where we perceive potential improvements in our interactions with the environment or within and among the phenomena of our experiences. Why is it important for practitioners to have a functional model for developing sound theory? So they can better analyze, understand and interact with their environment. Ultimately, sound theory development is the foundation of excellent practice.
Swanson and Chermack, 2013 are explicit about their intended audience for this book: both scholars and practitioners. They explore the stereotypes about these groups specifically to reinforce a central message of their work: that if they do not work together, neither side can be truly effective. On one hand, scholars may be most comfortable with the concept of developing theory since such observation and explanation of the processes at work around them are norms of their daily activities. On the other hand, practitioners may be most comfortable with the application of solutions, the actions required to resolve issues. Swanson and Chermack, 2013 work to bridge the gap between these two groups – to bring more practice to scholarship and more theory to practice.
In his recent editorial on Chinese human resource management (HRM) research, Wang (2012) has called for more focused theory building research around several critical Chinese organizational phenomena, specifically through indigenous methods. Swanson and Chermack's, 2013 work provides a framework for executing such research in theory development. Their process, though based on traditional methodologies, breaks free from limitation of overly specific fields of inquiry. This five-phase theory-building technique applies in any setting and provides a framework for organic growth of theories by those who live in and experience the phenomena under investigation. Rather than imposing organization development (OD) or HRM methods established to fit one context, this process works from the ground up, generating theories from within the lived experiences of those closest to them.
Truly, this is a resource for people working and studying in the field of practice. The book's primary objective is to provide a framework for executing the task of generating theory. For scholars, the effort to clarify realms of knowledge and explain how they work is a part of day to day operations, but the movement to action is less commonplace. For practitioners, action often precedes deep exploration of the underlying realm – the need for theory is more obscure. Swanson and Chermack, 2013 combine their expertise in both arenas to produce a highly useable and practical guide to generate theories.
