TYPOLOGIES AS A UNIQUE FORM OF THEORY BUILDING - TOWARD IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING AND MODELING

Organizational typologies have proved to be a popular approach for thi nking about organizational structures and strategies. Authors developi ng typologies, however, have been criticized for developing simplistic classification systems instead of theories. Contrary to these critici sms, we argue that typologies meet the criteria of a theory. When typo logies are properly developed and fully specified, they are complex th eories that can be subjected to rigorous empirical testing using the q uantitative models we develop. We conclude by discussing the advantage s of typological theories and presenting guidelines to improve the dev elopment of typologies.