Evolution of Quantitative Research Methods in Strategic Management

Abstract

This chapter discusses general trends in quantitative research methods since the early 1980s. It then highlights five contemporaneous issues with respect to the application of quantitative methods within the field—including the tension of simultaneously seeking causal identification and examining meaningful strategy questions. Taking the perspective that a key goal of quantitative strategy research is to aid decision-makers by providing rigorous evidence-based strategic management insights, the chapter proposes practices that, if embraced, will advance the rigor and impact of future quantitative research. A central consideration is addressing issues of causal identification through a cumulative body of research and the importance that research designs play in this consideration. In concluding, the chapter acknowledges significant advances in quantitative methods in the field while noting directions in which the field should continue to evolve.