Contribuições da história da ciência ao debate sobre metodologia qualitativa e quantitativa nos estudos organizacionais e administrativos

Abstract

This essay discusses the contributions of science to the debate about the qualitative and quantitative methodology in the organizational and administrative studies. It was found in the study that the theories concerning the administrative and organizational studies are fallible and demand constant improvement or replacement. The classical school of management was questioned and added of new paradigms with implications to the studies in management and organizations. This study field became pluralistic with conflict between paradigms and normal science, the questions concerning its research methodologies not being different. The history of science presents important lessons in showing that the scientific revolution was not accepted peacefully, but rather housed strained discussions and apparent contradictions. The approach between social and natural sciences made it possible the joint use of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, which are more and more present in the administrative and organizational research. The potentialities and limitations of both the methodologies have not been regarded as motives enough to exclude one or other method in the research practices and not even stop making use of the triangulation of methods. Those differentiations between the two methodologies should not feed a fierce opposition between social and natural sciences and not even stimulate the division between the qualitative and quantitative methodologies in the studies in management and organizations. On the contrary, it must be realized as a normal path already trailed by other more ancient areas of knowledge which also faced conflicts of epistemological, philosophical and paradigmatic nature.