oa De gedroomde verbondenheid van wetenschap en praktijk in de organisatiepsychologie

Dreaming of linking theory and practice in organizational psychology

Ben J.M. Emans, Gedrag & Organisatie, Volume 17, October 2004, nr. 5, pp. 310-326

The relationship between the worlds of scholars and practitioners in the field of organizational psychology is affected by the different objectives that both worlds state for theory construction. This paper argues that these differences – which involve issues addressed, concepts used, statements and underlying assumptions – may be large, but at the same time in no sense fundamental. Two research approaches for bridging the resulting gap between research theory and practice are discussed. The first approach is based on the postmodern/constructionist formula, the second on the formula of elicitation of the practitioners' tacit knowledge. The first approach is assessed as being helpful only to a limited extent as it tends to impede generalizing, whereas the second is found to constitute a fruitful approach as an addition to more traditional research approaches.