Informality in organization and research: a review and a proposal <s> Type five: another kind of theory <s> A device for locking two concentrically positioned and axially displaceable members against displacement in one direction, characterized by a recess formed in one of said members and opening in the direction of the second member, and by locking elements located in said recess, said recess having a first part with a bottom portion positioned at a greater distance from said second member than the distance corresponding to the size of the locking elements in a direction transversally to the axial direction of said members, and a second part of said recess having a bottom portion decreasing its distance to said second member in the axial direction of said members and from the first mentioned bottom portion to a distance less than the distance corresponding to the size of the locking elements in said direction transversally to the axial direction of the members, whereby the locking elements are free from locking engagement between said elements, when located in said first part of recess and engaging said members for locking the members against displacement in at least one direction, when located in said second part of recess, and by an actuating element for displacing the locking elements between said parts of recess. <s> BIB001 </s> Informality in organization and research: a review and a proposal <s> Type five: another kind of theory <s> This paper outlines the breadth of approaches to conceptualization of the built environment that exist across a range of literature sets, including construction management, architectural design and organization theory. It considers the commensurability, or otherwise, of different theoretical perspectives based upon their grounding in different ontological and epistemological stances. It also considers the basis of models derived of empirical engagement with practice. In contemplating the relationship between theory and practice throughout the life cycle of the built environment, along with the range of involved stakeholders; and illustrated by reference to the example of the contemporary 'workplace'; an ambivalent approach to theorizing at the local level of involved actors is proposed. In this approach, conceptualization of the built environment is based not upon early exclusive either/or choices between different theories and models, but rather upon inclusive both/and considerations. However, this does not mean that all are considered as equally valid in the outcomes of decision-making, and the role of power and politics is acknowledged within the process of negotiation of a 'good' outcome. The potential, and the limitations, of this ambivalent approach are informed by a contemporary social science interpretation of the concept of phronesis, or practical wisdom, which has roots in Aristotelian philosophy. <s> BIB002 </s> Informality in organization and research: a review and a proposal <s> Type five: another kind of theory <s> The death of Peter Winch in 1997 sparked a revived interest in his work with this book arguing his work suffered misrepresentation in both recent literature and in contemporary critiques of his writing. Debates in philosophy and sociology about foundational questions of social ontology and methodology often claim to have adequately incorporated and moved beyond Winch's concerns. Re-establishing a Winchian voice, the authors examine how such contentions involve a failure to understand central themes in Winch's writings and that the issues which occupied him in his Idea of a Social Science and its Relation to Philosophy and later papers remain central to social studies. <s> BIB003
Management, like engineering, is not simply a descriptive discipline. Its theories are prescriptive, they are guides to doing things in the world  . It follows that these disciplines are best served by research which is also not just descriptive in nature.  identifies three kinds of inquiry: epistēmē, translated as 'science', with the implication that it is descriptive in nature; technē, translated as art, or technical skill; and phronēsis, translated as prudence, or practical wisdom, concerned with morals and political deliberation. Several modern approaches echo these distinctions, some in part, others more fully, including:  notion of artificial science; Argyris, Putnam & Smith's (1985) action science; constructive research BIB001 ; mode 2 research   or the direct application of phronēsis  BIB002 . As is apparent from the review of  , a function of theory is to distinguish between those phenomena that are of interest in the research (whether these are quantifiable variables, or more broadly defined aspects of the research setting) and those phenomena that are of no interest. The limitation of theory driven modes of research is that research reports written from particular theoretical standpoints will only partly reflect the methods used by members of an organizational setting to maintain and manage that setting. Where the researcher's theory is not also held by the other members of the setting, this can lead to a serious distortion in the reporting, such that members understandings are re-interpreted in order to fit the theory  . Even where the theory is accepted by members and used by them in the management of the setting, the research will inevitably be biased towards reporting theorized phenomena and overlooking those phenomena that are not accounted for in the theory. Some of these may be of key importance to the topic of the research. On the other hand, if theories in management are exercises in technē or phronēsis, then they are intended as prescriptions, rather than aids to better description. As  have shown, reports on theoretically based interventions can be made to meet the strong requirement of UA. This is because, within the context of such studies, theory can be made a topic of, rather than a resource for, the enquiry. This requires making and maintaining a clear distinction between the theory driven intervention and the UA investigation of the closely related phenomena of how it is carried out and how it is received. The nature and role of theory in technē and phronēsis is less clear.  , for instance, seems to treat both engineering and social research as exercises in technē, which he reduces to an exercise in logical choice, in line with decision theory. BIB001 might be seen as more closely following Aristotle's own formulation of technē. Argyris, Putnam & Smith's (1985) approach seems more akin to phronēsis, but nevertheless seeks to retain key elements of epistēmē, notably the logic of experimental method.  are less sanguine than any of these, cataloguing many of the problems attendant on the interface between science and the public domain, problems that largely fall under the domain of phronēsis. Following  , BIB003 might be making an argument for phronēsis, when they assert that the key logical relationships in the study of human organization are criterial, rather than causal.  directly adopts Aristotle's distinction, suggesting that phronēsis is the appropriateway to characterise social science, while Cairns (2008) spells out its significance for construction managment.