Causality Test of Management Theory-Problems of Positivism and Implications from Critical Realism

Positivism is the "self-evident" philosophical foundation of the vast majority of management studies. After analyses of the causality nature in positivism, management ontology and initiatives of management researchers, it is concluded that under the current philosophical foundation management theory the "jungle" phenomenon will last for long. Critical realism, based on the stratified ontology, can make up for the deficiency of causality tests in the empirical studies. Making this causal interpretation model into actionable steps and combining the model with the mainstream management research methods can provide implications for a more rigorous test of the causal relationships in management theory.