Meta-theoretical Controversies in Studying Organizational Culture

To understand the contemporary state of organizational culture theory and research, it is necessary to grapple with some of the major intellectual disputes that have swept through the humanities and social sciences in recent years. Some researchers choose to study a single cultural context, in great detail and depth. In effect, these researchers heed Blake’s advice and see the world in a grain of sand; they study culture with a sample size of one context. Other researchers react with disdain to such case studies, and prefer to study many cultures, even if that means understanding less about each one. Such differences in research strategies occur because cultural researchers make radically different assumptions regarding fundamental issues.