RESEARCH METHODOLOGY IN MANAGEMENT: CURRENT PRACTICES, TRENDS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH.

Abstract

This study is a comparison of the strategies employed in management research in two periods, 1995–97 and 1985–87. Through a content analysis of articles from the Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and the Journal of Management, we examined the use of research methods for addressing issues of “triangulation” and validity, including internal, external, construct, and statistical conclusion validity. Results indicate some potentially important trends in reports of research strategies as well as decreases in the internal, external, and construct validity of studies.