Running head: WHAT IS THEORY? 1

In a world dominated by practical considerations, there is often a reluctance to dismiss theory. In fact, my experience is that people think that theory gets in the way of practice. However, as Kurt Lewin pointed out (as cited in Morgan, Images of Organization, 1997, p. 376) "there is nothing so practical as a good theory". Morgan (1997) posits that "in any sustained endeavor, we are guided by implicit root images that generate theories of what we are doing" (p. 377). This notion has implications at all levels of management within organizations.

Similarly, Champoux (2006) defines theory as "a plausible explanation of a phenomenon" (p. 8). He further asserts that "people often describe theory as abstract, boring, and not associated with the real world" (p. 8). In a similar vain, Senge (1994) suggests that people see theory as having something to do with science; suggesting something cold, analytic, and impersonal. Senge vehemently rejects this notion. He counters, "nothing could be further from the truth. The process whereby scientists generate new theories is full of passion, imagination, and the excitement of seeing something new in the world" (p. 29).

Theories have contributed mightily to the collective understanding and knowledge of our society today. These contributions have conspired to heighten our leadership and performance capacity. To paraphrase Senge (1994), "theory-less" tools are not likely to add to your store of generalizeable knowledge. Without theories, a tool might work in a given situation, but may fail in another; without theory, we would not be able to discern these variations. Moreover, with no underlying theory, we may not always appreciate the limitations of a tool, or even its counterproductiveness if used inappropriately. In our rush for ready-made solutions that neither address the fundamental causes of a problem, nor stretch our thinking in important new directions, we are often inclined to dismiss theory because it is perceived as lacking efficacy.

Without theory as a guide, we would be clueless as a collective society in our efforts to understand the would around us. From a business perspective, many methodologies and practices are rooted in theory. For example, Theory X and Theory Y has raised our level of understanding of
WHAT IS THEORY? 2 personality types. This heightened understanding has helped to transform manager's approach to motivating and managing employees, hiring the "right" people, and communicating with others. Simply put, theory helps us to make sense out of otherwise complicated and complex situations and conditions. Given the rapidly changing nature of today's business landscape, the presence of theory helps us to better navigate through the complexities of changing workforce demographics, a global economy, and rapidly changing technology.

WHAT IS THEORY? 3
References

Champoux, J.E., (2006) Organizational Behavior.

Mason, OH: Southwestern

Morgan, G. (1997) Images of Organization

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

Senge, P. (1994) The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook

New York, NY: Doubleday Dell Publishing