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Qualitative Research, Vol. 6, No. 4,
497-513 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1468794106068019
Abduction as the type of inference that characterizes the development of a grounded theory
Rudy Richardson
Netherlands Defense Academy, The Netherlands
Eric Hans Kramer
Netherlands Defense Academy, The Netherlands
In this article, abduction is introduced in relation to theorizing in grounded theory. Theoretical insights are inevitable cornerstones of the development of a grounded theory and abduction is worked out as a type of inference that characterizes this development. How abduction could be used in grounded theorizing is shown in a grounded theory research on ‘organizing doubt’, i.e. the way Dutch army units are formed with self-organizing capabilities that can be deployed during crisis operations. The authors show that two concepts from organizational theory that are central in this grounded theory’s analytical framework - i.e. ‘dynamic complexity’ and ‘self-organization’ - are developed and embedded in a substantive theory on ‘organizing doubt’ by abductive reasoning.
Key Words: abduction • grounded theory • organizational design • qualitative research • military organizations
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