TY - JOUR
T1 - Critical Essay: Organizational cognitive neuroscience drives theoretical progress, or: The curious case of the straw man murder
T2 - organizational cognitive neuroscience drives theoretical progress, or: The curious case of the straw man murder
AU - Butler, Michael J.R.
AU - Lee, Nick
AU - Senior, Carl
PY - 2017/10/1
Y1 - 2017/10/1
N2 - In this critical essay, we respond to Lindebaum’s (2016) argument that neuroscientific methodologies and data have been accepted prematurely in proposing novel management theory. We acknowledge that building new management theories requires firm foundations. We also find his distinction between demand and supply side forces helpful as an analytical framework identifying the momentum for the contemporary production of management theory. Nevertheless, some of the arguments Lindebaum (2016) puts forward, on closer inspection, can be contested, especially those related to the supply side of organizational cognitive neuroscience (OCN) research: fMRI data, motherhood statements and ethical concerns. We put forward a more positive case for OCN methodologies and data, as well as clarifying exactly what OCN really means, and its consequences for the development of strong management theory.
AB - In this critical essay, we respond to Lindebaum’s (2016) argument that neuroscientific methodologies and data have been accepted prematurely in proposing novel management theory. We acknowledge that building new management theories requires firm foundations. We also find his distinction between demand and supply side forces helpful as an analytical framework identifying the momentum for the contemporary production of management theory. Nevertheless, some of the arguments Lindebaum (2016) puts forward, on closer inspection, can be contested, especially those related to the supply side of organizational cognitive neuroscience (OCN) research: fMRI data, motherhood statements and ethical concerns. We put forward a more positive case for OCN methodologies and data, as well as clarifying exactly what OCN really means, and its consequences for the development of strong management theory.
KW - management
KW - methodology
KW - organizational cognitive neuroscience
KW - practice
KW - theory
UR - http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0018726716684381
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85027703117&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0018726716684381
DO - 10.1177/0018726716684381
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85027703117
SN - 0018-7267
VL - 70
SP - 1171
EP - 1190
JO - Human Relations
JF - Human Relations
IS - 10
ER -