Reasoning in Organization Science

Prescriptions regarding organization-scientific methodology are typically founded on the researcher’s ability to approach perfect rationality. In a critical examination of the use of scientific reasoning (deduction, induction, abduction) in organizational research, we seek to replace this unrealistic premise with an alternative that incorporates a more realistic view of the cognitive capacity of the researcher. Towards this end, we construct a typology of descriptive, prescriptive, and normative criteria for the evaluation of organization-scientific reasoning practices. This typology addresses both cognitive limits as well as the diversity of research approaches and research designs in organizational research. We make the case for incorporating not only the computational but also the cognitive element into both the reporting and the evaluation of scientific reasoning.