Lecturer: Dr. David Kirsch, Association Professor, University of Maryland
Seminar 1:
Introduction to Abduction: What is it, and why do we need it?
March 27, 2025
2:30-4: 45 pm
Location: Building 11 - 902, Waseda Campus
Abduction is a form of logical inference that goes beyond deduction and induction, allowing researchers to generate novel hypotheses and theories. In this seminar, we will explore the philosophical foundations of abduction and examine its evolution in scientific reasoning. We will discuss how abduction differs from deduction and induction and why it is an appropriate response to the inferential challenges faced when conducting large-scale, empirical research in entrepreneurship and strategic management. In particular, the seminar will highlight the unique ability of abductive reasoning to “explain” the complex and surprising phenomena we observe. We will examine how abduction enables researchers to generate new ideas and develop theories that are both relevant and scientifically rigorous. This seminar will serve as the foundation for a second seminar on practical applications of abduction.
Recommended readings:
1. Douven, I. (2022). The Art of Abduction. MIT Press. Chapters Intro, 1 and 2.
2. Pillai, S. D., Goldfarb, B., & Kirsch, D. (2024). Lovely and likely: Using historical methods to improve inference to the best explanation in strategy. Strategic Management Journal, 45(8), 1539–1566.
3. Goldfarb, B., & King, A.A. (2016). "Scientific apophenia in strategic management research: Significance tests & mistaken inference." Strategic Management Journal, 37(1): 167–176.
4. Swedberg, R. (2023). "Two Ways of Looking at Theory, Exemplified by The Dynamics of Bureaucracy by Peter M. Blau." Journal of Organizational Sociology 1(2): 223–49.
Seminar 2:
Using Abduction: A Guide to Sincere and Competent Testimony
March 28, 2025
10:00 am - 12:15 pm
Location: Building 11 - 902, Waseda Campus
Building on the theoretical foundation established in the first seminar, this seminar will focus on how strategy and entrepreneurship scholars can conduct and report abductive research. We will present case studies of successful abductive research, focusing on (a) working with data (techniques for data compilation from archival sources and the use of mixed methods), (b) using historical methods (narratives as explanations, hermeneutics, contextualization and source criticism), (c) causal mechanism triangulation (generation of alternative explanations and adjudicating between explanations with analysis), and finally, (d) moving from explanations to theory. Additionally, we will address common challenges in abductive research, such as managing researcher bias and ensuring methodological rigor.
Recommended readings:
1. Braguinsky, S., & Hounshell, D.A. (2016). "History and nanoeconomics in strategy and industry evolution research: Lessons from the Meiji-era Japanese cotton spinning industry." Strategic Management Journal, 37(1): 45-65.
2. Pillai, S.D. et al. (2025). “From Hypothesis Testing Towards Inference to Best Explanation: Testimonial Structure for Abductive Studies in Strategy.” Working Paper.
3. Kim, S., Agarwal, R., & Goldfarb, B. (2023). "Creating Competencies for Radical Technologies: Revisiting Incumbent-Entrant Dynamics in the Bionic Prosthetic Industry." Available at SSRN 4024471.
4. Graebner, M.E., Knott, A.M., Lieberman, M.B., & Mitchell, W. (2023). "Empirical inquiry without hypotheses: A question‐driven, phenomenon‐based approach to strategic management research." Strategic Management Journal, 44(1): 3-10.
Pre-event scholarly workshop by Dr. David Kirsch
March 27, 2025
11:50 am - 13:30 pm
Location: Building 11 - 902, Waseda Campus
Dr. Kirsch is going to present one of his ongoing projects before the abduction seminar. Anyone interested in Dr. Kirsch's scholarly workshop can join this event. Please note that the contents might not be highly relevant to the abduction seminar, which follows this scholarly workshop.
Title: Resurfacing uncertainty and knowledge repurposing: How did lithium-ion batteries scale to electric vehicle applications?
Abstract: Studies of industry emergence have often generated insights from empirical contexts with a one-to-one correspondence between a technology and its downstream market. In parallel, studies of general-purpose technologies (GPTs) have documented the economic impact and versatility of technologies with broad downstream applications, although these studies often abstract away from the endogenous and gradual process through which a single technology underpins multiple downstream markets. This study leverages the applicability of lithium-ion batteries in multiple downstream markets: consumer electronics, electric vehicles, space missions, and utility grids. Using a longitudinal multi-level single-case analysis, this study proposes a conceptual framework about the role of actors’ strategic behavior in identifying different downstream markets, tackling application-specific uncertainties that resurface in each market, and repurposing different knowledge bases at the technology-application nexus.