Paradigms of corporate growth: methodological foundations

Abstract

Objective: to define corporate growth paradigms and to identify their methodological foundations that serve as the basis for combining the theories, concepts and models of corporate growth into paradigms.Methods: the research methods of development of scientific knowledge developed under the direction post-neopositivist methodology of science, methodology of paradigms by Th. Kuhn, scientific research programs by I. Lakatos, evolution of knowledge by S. Toulmin, “methodological anarchism” by P. Feyerabend, methods of distinguishing between simple and complex, mechanical and organic systems, principles of self-organization and synergetics.Results: the efficiency of using the general scientific methodology of paradigms for the analysis of trends while studying the corporate growth causes and patterns is proved. Three key paradigms of corporate growth are defined: causal paradigm, paradigm of growth results, and process paradigm. It is shown that the basis for classifying a particular theory of growth to a particular paradigm are the basic general theoretical and methodological principles specific to each of the paradigms. The tendencies in the growth paradigms development are determined; at present the new, integrative paradigm of growth is formed, which includes theories and theoretical models exploring the processes of companies’ integration.Scientific novelty: for the first time in the practice of corporate growth research, the methodology was applied for the analysis of the scientific knowledge development as competition of paradigms; the structure of the growth paradigms was revealed and the tendency of the formation of a new paradigm of corporate growth and integration was formulated.Practical significance: the main provisions and conclusions can be used to analyze the trends of change and growth of specific organizations and to predict the directions of their development, as well as in the practice of management consulting.

Keywords

• экономическая теория
• парадигмы
• корпоративный рост
• модели организационного роста
• механистические и органические организации
• системный подход
• альянсы