Caution! This historiography makes wide turns: Historic turns and breaks in management and organization studies

Abstract

In enacting the three movements needed to make a ‘historic turn’ in Management and Organization Studies (MOS) this paper investigates the proposed concept of the ‘historical break’ – a point where MOS ceased to be historical in its research endeavours. By eschewing the methodological realism that dominates much of the history in management research in favour of directly engaging with a theory of History, the construction of a historical narrative is presented. This narrative may be read as a ‘history of the present’ and a potential explanation for the absence of engagement with history in MOS.

Keywords:

• business school
• historiography
• history
• management
• method
• theory