Perspective—Discovery Within Validation Logic: Deliberately Surfacing, Complementing, and Substituting Abductive Reasoning in Hypothetico-Deductive Inquiry

Abstract

We propose a more explicit role for abductive reasoning, or the development of initial explanation, in hypothetico-deductive (H-D) inquiry. We begin by describing the roots of abduction in pragmatism and its role in exploration and discovery. Recognizing that pragmatism treats abductive reasoning as inevitable, we argue that it can also be a deliberate form of reasoning in scientific inquiry, articulating the unique place it can have in hypothetico-deductive theorizing. We explain the opportunities from surfacing abductive reasoning in H-D where it already exists; from explicitly acknowledging abductive reasoning as a complement in building logical chains in H-D; and from using abductive reasoning as a substitute for H-D logic when a body of knowledge exhibits inconsistent, contradictory, or discrepant results. We elaborate strategies for data search and selection, data production and compilation, and analytical corroboration. Our overall argument is that the deliberate use of abductive reasoning in hypothetico-deductive projects has distinct advantages stemming from an explicitly tight connection between data and theory. We end by explaining the benefits of actively recognizing the role of abductive reasoning in organizational and management theorizing. The article was written and prepared by the U.S. goverenment employee(s) on official time and is therefore in the public domain.

Can Creating Shared Value (CSV) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) Collaborate for a Better World? Insights from East Asia

“…Thus, we chose this potential approach in order to first identify the conceptually fuzzy phenomenon of CSV in Asia, and then how and to what extent the new concept of CSV can be accepted and integrated in the Asian market-we seek to offer a potential collaborative relationship or roadmap between CSV and SDGs. Our investigation does not rely on a generalization of the outcome: Instead, the aim is to focus squarely on discovering a new model and new phenomena as a substitute to theory-testing approaches, since the body of knowledge and ideas is scarce and inconsistent [72]. Importantly though, we acknowledge the concerns surrounding the methodological rigor with respect to this unique abduction research [57,72].…”

“…Our investigation does not rely on a generalization of the outcome: Instead, the aim is to focus squarely on discovering a new model and new phenomena as a substitute to theory-testing approaches, since the body of knowledge and ideas is scarce and inconsistent [72]. Importantly though, we acknowledge the concerns surrounding the methodological rigor with respect to this unique abduction research [57,72]. To tackle this point, we follow the proposal of Muller's suggestion, and provide an extended discussion aimed at fleshing out potential mechanisms of CSV-SDGs relationships for future studies and practices.…”

“…Hyundai Motors also mentions CSV with respect to the concepts of philanthropy and local community [92] (pp. [68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75]. We observe that Korean businesses use CSV in close relation to their products and services, such as "CSV through ICT innovation" by SK Telecom [93] (pp.…”

L’abduction comme mode d’inférence et méthode de recherche : de l’origine à aujourd’hui

“…L'abduction se heurte également à la domination des critères de scientificité issus du positivisme des Lumières, c'est-à-dire du mode d'évaluation fondé sur la congruence de la mesure, la distance du chercheur et sur la congruence de ce qui est prévu entre les hypothèses formulées et les données observées. Comme le rappellent Behfar et Okhuysen (2018) ainsi que Tsoukas (1989), l'explication des faits « anormaux » ou des « surprises » ne peut être soutenue limitant les contributions à des causalités linéaires. L'abduction permet une incursion dans les phénomènes réels qui s'inscrivent dans des systèmes ouverts dont la finalité ne sera jamais totalement circonscrite (Barton, Stephens, & Haslet, 2009).…”

“…L'abduction permet une incursion dans les phénomènes réels qui s'inscrivent dans des systèmes ouverts dont la finalité ne sera jamais totalement circonscrite (Barton, Stephens, & Haslet, 2009). Behfar et Okhuysen (2018) et Dougherty (2017) interpellent les chercheurs et les éditeurs de revues à dépasser ces critères, comme les recherches inductives ont dû le faire, pour acquérir un droit de citer dans les grandes revues scientifiques.…”