Resumo

During graduation, students come across different epistemologies and try to use them to support the premises of their research. However, there is a lack of synthesis and clarity over the various possible epistemological choices in management science and there is the possibility of using a metaphor to explain those different epistemologies.

This article aims to use astrology signs as metaphors to explain the different epistemologies of management science. Our objective is to reflect on some management science epistemologies with the use of metaphors. Specifically, we (1) describe fourteen epistemologies of management science and their use in organizational research, (2) stimulate research reflexivity by helping researchers understand and choose their epistemological perspective, and (3) incentivize scholars to conduct good quality research based on solid epistemological choices.

There are just a few references that make a comprehensive review and explanation of those epistemologies (Catherine Cassell et al., 2018). Research articles, on the other hand, commonly assume their position by their methodological choices, without explaining their epistemological and ontological assumptions, even though researchers are asked to be coherent in their ontological and epistemological choices. Metaphors are a common approach to explaining complex ideas in the field of management, as they can help elicit meaning from familiar topics.

The metaphor of the zodiac signs proved to be useful in understanding the use of epistemology in science. Each of these epistemologies: Positivism, Pragmatism, Constructivism, Interpretivism, Critical Theory, Feminism, Postmodernism, Realism, Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Post Colonialism, Post-structuralism, Indigenous epistemology, and Black Knowledge is compared to a sign of the zodiac or other astrology symbol. We explain their main concepts, uses, and critics.

This article provided a comprehensive view of the different epistemological approaches to acquiring knowledge. We do this by presenting fourteen possible epistemologies and comparing them to astrological metaphors. Our contribution lies in offering insights into the variety of epistemological perspectives on management science, thereby aiding young scholars in navigating through different perspectives to generate theory.

Catherine Cassell, Cunliffe, A. L., & Grandy, G. (2018). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Business and Management Research Methods. In K. Smy (Ed.), Sage.