Pragmatic critical realism: Could this methodological approach expand our understanding of employment relations?

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Mearns, Susan Lesley

Affiliations: Newcastle University Business School, Room 4, 5th Floor Ridley Building, Claremont Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK. E-mail: Lesley.mearns@ncl.ac.uk

Abstract: Objective: This paper seeks to highlight the need for employment relations academics and researchers to expand their use of research methodologies in order for them to enable the advancement of theoretical debate within their discipline. It focuses on the contribution that pragmatical critical realism has made to the field of perception and argues that it would add value to the subject of employment relations. Methods: It is a theoretically centred review of pragmatical critical realism and the possible contribution this methodology would make to the field of employment relations. Conclusions: The paper concludes that the employment relationship does not take place in a vacuum rather it is focussed on the interaction between imperfect individuals. Therefore, their interactions are moulded by emotions which can not be explored thoroughly or even acknowledged through a positivists' rigorous but limited acknowledgment of what constitutes 'knowledge' and development of theory. While not rejecting the contribution that quantitative data or positivism have made to the field, the study concludes that pragmatic critical realism has a lot to offer the development of the area and its theoretical foundations.

Keywords: Pragmatic critical realism, research methodology, positivism, employment relations

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2011-1139

Journal: Work, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 359-367, 2011