Realism and constructivism in strategy research: A critical realist response to Mir and Watson

Kai Man KWAN, Eric W.K. Tsang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

61 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Mir and Watson (2000) advocate that constructivism has the potential to inform strategy research. In their discussions, they compare constructivism with realism, and highlight certain alleged strengths of the former over the latter. Although their paper provides some insights, their version of constructivism is problematic and their understanding of realism is inaccurate. In this note we clarify some key issues concerning constructivism and realism. Moreover, we argue that Mir and Watson's insights can be accommodated within a critical realist framework.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1163-1168
Number of pages6
JournalStrategic Management Journal
Volume22
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2001

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Business and International Management
  • Strategy and Management

User-Defined Keywords

  • Constructivism
  • Epistemology
  • Philosophy of science
  • Realism
  • Relativism
  • Research
  • Strategy

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