The upsides and downsides of thought experiments in I‐O/OB

Abstract

Summary Conducting thought experiments prior to conducting a pilot study followed by a field experiment or correlational study have proven invaluable to the author for selecting an issue worthy of study, generating testable hypotheses, ways of manipulating the independent variable, selecting/developing a reliable dependent variable, thinking through a doable procedure, and coming up with ways to persuade senior managers to approve the proposed studies/experiments. Nevertheless, arguments are presented as to why thought experiments are at best the beginning rather than the endpoint in the research process.