Matthew Brannan
Critical Essay: Meta-analysis: A critical realist critique and alternative
Brannan, Matthew; Fleetwood, Steve; Mahoney, Joseph; Vincent, Steve
Abstract
Meta-analysis has proved increasingly popular in management and organization studies as a way of combining existing empirical quantitative research to generate a statistical estimate of how strongly variables are associated. Whilst a number of studies identify technical, procedural and practical limitations of meta-analyses, none have yet tackled the meta-theoretical flaws in this approach. We deploy critical realist meta-theory to argue that the individual quantitative studies, upon which meta-analysis relies, lack explanatory power because they are rooted in quasi-empiricist meta-theory. This problem, we argue, is carried over in meta-analyses. We then propose a ‘critical realist synthesis’ as a potential alternative to the use of meta-analysis in organization studies and social science more widely.
Citation
Brannan, M., Fleetwood, S., Mahoney, J., & Vincent, S. (2017). Critical Essay: Meta-analysis: A critical realist critique and alternative. Human Relations, 70(1), 11-39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726716674063
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Nov 23, 2016 |
Online Publication Date | Nov 11, 2016 |
Publication Date | Jan 1, 2017 |
Deposit Date | Jan 25, 2017 |
Publicly Available Date | Jan 25, 2017 |
Journal | Human Relations |
Print ISSN | 0018-7267 |
Electronic ISSN | 1741-282X |
Publisher | SAGE Publications |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 70 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 11-39 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726716674063 |
Keywords | aetiology, critical realism, epistemology, meta-analysis, meta-theory, ontology, open and closed systems, tendencies |
Public URL | https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/900425 |
Publisher URL | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726716674063 |
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