Creating theory that is generative for scholarship and practice

Theorizing in management and organizational psychology that has a generative capacity challenges guiding assumptions, addresses fundamental questions, fosters reconsideration of existing knowledge, and stimulates new approaches to scholarship and/or practice (Gergen, 1994). Its generativity is shown in its use by others. Theorizing that has a generative capacity is crucial for true advances in understanding. While truly generative theorizing is very difficult to accomplish, it is a worthwhile aspiration. In this paper, we discuss foundational characteristics of generative theorizing and processes that interfere with and facilitate its development. Facilitating processes include cultivating both doubt and imagination, involvement in diverse communities, and working with multiple, perhaps contradictory, theoretical directions and assumptions. We provide examples of theorizing that has been generative for both scholarship and practice. Finally, we suggest implications for doctoral education.