Philosophy of Management

Fall 2023

Presentation 3
Week-4

Title: Twenty years of philosophy of management. How has it shaped

the field

Presented by: Tayyab Ali Baig

Outline
• Overview
• Introduction
• Methodology
• Results
• Answer to the Research Questions
• Conclusion
Overview
• This article is a systematic literature review in the field of philosophy
• Outlines a five-step process that includes; question formulation,
locating studies, studies selection and evaluation, analysis and
synthesis and reporting.
• Highlights challenges pertaining to keywording analysis.
• Provides insights into different philosophical questions and
management aspects.
Introduction
• The journal claims that “it defines and develop the field of philosophy
of management.

• This study aims to analyze the content of journal and identify

philosophers and philosophical questions.

• This study aims to help the scholarly community to reflect on the

current shape.
Methodology
• This study is a systematic literature review.
• Out of meta-analysis and meta-synthesis, the later is used in this
study as the body of information to be analyzed in qualitiative.
• Operational Procedure: Content Analysis
• Combination of thematic and frequency analysis are used.
Methodology (Cont.)
• The used Denyer and Tranfield’s five step model (2009).

- Question Formulation
- Locating Studies
- Study Selection and Evaluation
- Analysis and Synthesis
- Reporting
Methodology (Cont.)

• Question Formulation

RQ1: Which philosphers are having are having the most impact in shaping this field?
RQ2: What philosophical questions ahs been asked of what aspects of management?

- Divided the questions into six clusters.

- Initially analyzed by reading the abstract and skim reading as keywords were not
icluded by springer before 2016.
- Pilot study resulted in the set of operational questions (See Table 1of the article).
Methodology (Cont.)
• Locating Studies

- 19 Volumes of a single journal.

- Excluded editorials & Book reviews.
- Interviews were added

• Study Selection and Evaluation

- For first 15 volumes, (Read abstracts and skimed articles for answering analysis
question.
- Volume 16 onwards (Keywords were used).
Methodology (Cont.)

• Analysis and Synthesis

- MS Excel is used for coding and frequency analysis.

- Due to low frequency of few keywords, cluster analysis was done.

Results
• 358 articles were analyzed.
• 40% of the articles focused on the work of philosophers as central
focus.
• 20% used non-philosophical method.
• 20% did not belong to specific ohilosophical sub-field.
• 69 articles contained meta-theoretical dicussion.
 Results (Cont.)
Author/s Argument/Question
Laurie and Cherry (2001) Why there is not a field of philosophy of
management?
Dearey (2002) System thinking is an example of full-fleg
philosophy of management
Platts and Harris (2011) Argues that process philosophy is best.
DIbben and Sheard (2012) Distingusihes philosophy of management
from organization studies and critical
management studies.
Block (2020) Instead of asking, asserts that there is a
field ‘philosophy of management’.
Suggestion
Philosophy of management should be
analytic and prescriptive / selves,
rationality, language.
System thinking is a governance level
approach to operational activity.
Should happen through conversation and
reflection between managers and
philosophers
Have deep debates of distinctivesness in
philosophical approach to management.
It actually observed the field of
philosophy of management.
Answer to the Research Questions 1
- 147 articles were found discussing the work of philosophers
- 95 philosophers as main inquiry
- Among them 67 were seen one time
- 13 were seen two times.
- 15 were seen more than two times.
- No single philosopher dominates the field.
Answer to the Research Questions 1
Answer to the Research Questions 2
Answer to the Research Questions 2
 Conclusion

- Where the discussion on Philosophy of Management Sciences is heading?

- Speical Issues to be devoted to the missing philosophers.

- Consider more topics to be a part of discission e.g. gender (studied as feminism and women in
management.