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researches it has been demonstrated that in organizations where the dominant kind of power
exercised is coercive, the orientation of most of its members toward the organization is negative.
Such a generalization would provide a base from which to predict the kind of power exercised
in an organization if the level of involvement by the members was known or vice versa.

As a theory gives rise to derivations-which enable one to describe, explain, or predict-
the formulations may be found inadequate in any number of ways. Thus, theory points the
way for further problem solving (further discovery) and eventually perhaps to refined theory.
This is the heuristic function, providing a conceptual framework for further discovery and
refinement. Thus, theory provides a base for further research and the extension of the state
of knowledge.

Philosophy, Theory, Hypothesis, Research and Practice
To the authors there is a logical relationship, although not necessarily a linear one, among the
terms philosophy, theory, hypothesis, research, and practice. Many persons have difficulty
clarifying their thinking about these terms, and this is a factor in their confusion in understand-
ing the meaning of theory.

The focus of philosophy is on the overarching problems of reality, knowledge,
values, and the interrelationships that are involved. Furthermore, many ideas are not subject
to empirical examination. For example: What is the nature of reality? What is the source of
truth? Therefore, in a sense, one’s philosophy is one’s unconfirmed belief system or values.

A theory can be viewed as a set of relevant, internally consistent postulates about
a particular observable phenomenon, along with definitions to enable the user to move
from the abstract to the real in order to describe, explain, predict, or advance knowledge.
Because theorizing is a human endeavor, the development of a theory, or the willingness to
consider the postulates of an already existing theory, is conditioned by one’s belief system
or philosophy. To illustrate, if an administrator believed that people were inherently lazy
and seek to avoid responsibility, he or she would have great difficulty accepting a theory
of supervision that bad key postulates providing that the employees would set workloads
and standards of performance.

Hypothesis, a conjectural statement of the relation between two or more variables,
is the link between theory and research or practice. A hypothesis is an if-then statement.
The logical basis for the statement of conjectural relation is theory: a hypothesis is a deriva-
tion from theory.