The Art of Theory Building

The book will help to encourage young researchers to engage with the empirical material and use that encounter to take intellectual risks and think in novel ways. — Patrick Baert, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge,UK

The book is a masterclass in scholarly imagination. It is an important and timely contribution to the evolving craft of scholarly inquiry. — Shaker Zhara, Professor, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota,US

The book provides a comprehensive toolkit roadmap to help especially novice researchers navigate conceptual development, own voice discovery, and intellectual agency. — Siri Terjesen, Professor, College of Business, Florida Atlantic University,US

This book offers a fresh and engaging perspective on how to build theory, drawing on an international range of expert perspectives. It responds to the growing interest in how new knowledge is created within social sciences and introduces a Phenomenon–Theory–Context framework to enable researchers address these three key dimensions of theory building. The authors offer an eclectic toolbox to build theory and discuss the relevance of theory building in today’s world. This book will appeal to PhD students, early‑career researchers, and more senior academics wanting an innovative approach to tradition.

Romeo V. Turcan is a Professor at Aalborg University, Denmark, a life member at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, and an Adjunct Professor at Trinity College Dublin.

Michael Fast is Docent Emeritus at the University College North Jutland, Denmark.

Andy Lowe is a Fellow at the Grounded Theory Institute, USA.

Nikhilesh Dholakia is Professor Emeritus of Marketing and International Business at the University of Rhode Island, USA.