Conceptual Modeling as a Toolbox for Grounded Theorists

Abstract

Conceptual modeling is proposed as a set of analytic procedures that further the grounded theory approach to theory-discovery and development. The compatibility between grounded theory and conceptual modeling is discussed, and data from a short ethnographic study of a hair salon are used to illustrate the roles of conceptual modeling in the early stages of theory discovery. The major focus of conceptual modeling is on three simultaneous, explicit, continuing respecification dialogues: the nature and dimensionalization of concepts, the relative importance of concepts, and the nature of relationships among concepts. We argue that this focus facilitates the discovery and development of conceptually dense theories.