IMCA Research seminar - Karen Golden-Biddle - Questrom School of Business, Boston University

TITLE: Toward a Progression-Based Model of Theorizing in Qualitative Research

Karen Golden-Biddle, Questrom Professor in Management, emerita

April 2026

ABSTRACT

How do we creatively theorize through analyses that are neither linear nor consistent? To explore this question, we draw on the ideas of doubt and iterativity, both widely recognized as vital for producing insightful theorizing. Yet how researchers harness the generative power of doubt and engage in iteration to advance theorizing remains underdeveloped. Using coding—while acknowledging that it represents only one form of qualitative analysis—we bring these ideas together to articulate a progression-based model of theorizing. Rather than relying on an externally imposed template, this model is guided by a project’s internal logic. We will examine written accounts of analytic work to identify the “next needed” moves that meaningfully advance a study, developing a flexible, grounded approach that embraces adjustment, rethinking, and reorientation, all of which are central to creative theorizing.

Bio:

Karen Golden-Biddle is Professor of Management and Organizations, emerita at the Questrom School of Business at Boston University. She received her BA degree from Denison University and MBA and PhD degrees from Case Western Reserve University.

Professionally she is active in the Academy of Management, where she has been inducted as a Fellow.

Karen conducts research and teaches executive seminars in the areas of discovery and cultural change. She also conducts workshops for researchers in theorizing and writing up projects using qualitative methodology. She has published four books and authored more than sixty articles and book chapters in management journals such as the Academy of Management Journal and Organization Science.

Karen’s recently published book, The Untapped Power of Discovery (2024, Routledge/Taylor & Francis) helps leaders at all levels cultivate a practice of discovery, so essential for navigating change in this uncertain time.

Recognition for Karen’s scholarship includes the 2022 Award (Organizational Research Methods) for her paper on coding practices and iterativity, the 2013 Douglas McGregor Award (Journal of Applied Behavioral Science) for her paper on cultural change and organizational identity in mergers, and the Academy of Management’s Robert McDonald Award for the Advancement of Organizational Research Methodology for her study of constructing contribution in analyzing and writing qualitative research.

Her co-authored book, Composing Qualitative Research, has been used in doctoral programs in top business schools across the world, including Stanford, University of Michigan, Northwestern, Cambridge, INSEAD, and Columbia. Her current work focuses on: The critical role of the discovery process in creating successful cultural change; How seasoned insiders create and sustain cultural change that makes a positive difference within and beyond their organization.

Please find more information here: https://www.bu.edu/questrom/profiles/karen-golden-biddle/