Why sacrifice rigour for relevance? A proposal for combining laboratory and field research in strategic management

Abstract

Two of the most common objections to laboratory research in strategic management are presented and critically evaluated. Commonly accepted normative models of the research process in strategic management are based on the assumption that field research is appropriate in an emerging field and that laboratory research is only appropriate after sufficient field research has been done. The alternative normative model for research in strategic management presented in this paper involves the simultaneous use of laboratory and field methodologies.