Christian Seelos, from Stanford University, will present "Realist theorizing: Causal models as analytical scaffoldings"

Abstract: Organizational scholarship often revolves around discourses that use ambiguous terms that lack the characteristics of analytically potent concepts. Examples include terms like business models, social entrepreneurship, hybrid organizations, social innovation, system change, or grand challenges. In this seminar, I share insights from my scholarly journey that began in the natural sciences (molecular biology) and led me to study social phenomena. A central objective of this journey was to challenge and overcome the limitations of scholarly discourses. I reflect on adopting causal models as analytical scaffoldings for theorizing phenomena. I also discuss the implications of a realist philosophy of science for the validity of knowledge claims and their practical usefulness. Recent studies illustrate the learning journey of this style of theorizing, its characteristics, potential, and challenges.

This research seminar is organized with ERA Chair for Social Innovation.