MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION STUDIES AS SCIENCE

This paper addresses the status of knowledge in the field of managemen t and organization studies. It commends Habermas's theory of knowledge -constitutive interests as a way of enhancing the self-understanding o f this field. Challenging the idea of science as the generator of valu e-free knowledge, Habermas associates the production of scientific kno wledge with three types of cognitive interest: in prediction and contr ol, in mutual understanding, and in emancipation. Habermas's theory of cognitive interests is critically reviewed before demonstrating its r elevance for management and organization studies in general. The argum ent is also illustrated by more detailed reference to the subfield of operational research. It is argued that Habermas's understanding of kn owledge production has considerable value in problematizing the claims , and appreciating the emancipatory potential, of sciences guided by e ach of the three cognitive interests. There remains, however, the ques tion of how the insights of critical scientific analysis can be transl ated into emancipatory praxis. The discussion of critical social scien ce incorporates some reflections on this issue.