PhD Course – Phenomenon-Driven Theory Development

General Information

Module: Phenomenon-Driven Theory Development
Presented by: Prof. Robert W. Gregory
UniVZ: tba
Courses of study: PhD students
Type of teaching and learning: Seminar
Language: English
Administrative questions: Louisa Peters
Content related questions: Prof. Robert W. Gregory
Syllabus

Prior registration required! Registration is possible from April 15th until May 15th, 2024 or until the course is full. The number of participants is limited to 15. If you would like to attend the seminar, please register via the form on this page (available from April 15th onwards). Registration is first-come-first-served.

SCHEDULE SUMMER TERM 2024

Lectures
26.08.2024	09:00 - 17:00	OEC 1.134
27.08.2024	09:00 - 17:00	OEC 1.134

Attendance: Physical attendance in the classroom is required for in-person classes and attendance (participation) will be part of the grade.

Course Description

Background
Generating new theory is among the most challenging, and most rewarding, of academic endeavors. Theory not only helps distinguish academic scholarship from journalism and consulting, it also helps establish the identity and boundary of an academic discipline. A significant starting point for theorizing is oftentimes the researcher’s intellectual dwelling with the phenomenon under study. Phenomenon-based theorizing is a powerful way of developing theories relevant to explain novel yet poorly understood phenomena (Fisher et al. 2021; Gregory & Henfridsson, 2021; Van de Ven, 2007).

Objective
The objective of the course is to familiarize the student with theory development in management and business technology research. The focus is on methods and practices that help the researcher to develop theories that are novel, insightful, and logical.

Learning Objectives
By the end of the module, the student should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of theory::

What theory is, what theory is not
Boundary conditions
Perspectives of theory
Nature of theory
Levels of theory
“good” theory

Demonstrate an understanding of theorizing:

Reasoning
Perspectives of theorizing
“Good” theorizing
Variance theorizing
Process theorizing

Demonstrate an understanding of writing theory papers:

Positioning theory papers
Making theory accessible
Psychology of writing theory papers
Theoretical contribution
Problematization

Course Registration

If you would like to attend the seminar, please register via the form below.
Registration Phenomenon-Driven Theory Development