New Frontiers in Management Research: The Case for Industrial Archeology

Management scholars traditionally rely on the review of journals and empirical data for information used in research projects and in the classroom. However, there is also a vast amount of material that remains virtually untapped by many management researchers the artifacts, pictures, and remains of industrial and commercial organizations. Industrial archeologists specialize in studying organizational life, particularly, the life of manufacturing facilities, by examining of empirical data, as well as pictures, records, internal and external correspondence, other printed materials, and artifacts. This article delineates how management scholars can also take advantage of the wealth of secondary material that exists by integrating an industrial archeological perspective into their teaching and research programs. NEW FRONTIERS IN MANAGEMENT RESEARCH: THE CASE FOR INDUSTRIAL ARCHEOLOGY The majority of published management research relies primarily on empirical data as information sources. However, a number of researchers have called for the integration of qualitative methods to add richness to explanations and measure constructs elusive to extant quantitative approaches (Jick, 1979; Kekale, 2001; Parnell & Bell, 1991). Within the industrial archeological framework, additional avenues of inquiry, including the ruins, photographs, documents, and artifacts of old industrial and commercial sites, have not yet been fully utilized by most scholars. In many cases, these sources can augment traditional approaches and build more effective research networks. Borrowing from this perspective, this paper offers such alternatives to supplement traditional management research information assimilation. Industrial archeology examines ruins from the past, but specifically, the remains of old buildings, artifacts, and other related industrial and technologically specific sites. Potential study areas include old mills, textile and steel plants, canals, bridges, coalmines, and railroads. Typically, this area of study has been reserved for archeologists, engineers, architects, historians, and artists. Unfortunately, management scholars have been slow to integrate this mode if inquiry. However, this area can serve as an exciting and insightful supplement to many research streams, providing rich descriptions and realms of understanding that can often be difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate through quantitative forms of inquiry.