Beyond theory? The workplace case study tradition in the 21st century

Workplace case studies have been valued by some for their ability to advance theory while others dismiss them as little more than descriptive stories. This paper presents a detailed content analysis of case study articles to assess the relative balance between theory, conceptual analysis and description. Drawing on a random sample of papers (n = 173) published in leading journals I find that fewer than one in seven are descriptive papers though fewer than one in ten are theory-oriented. Using three criteria I identify exemplars of theoretical and conceptual analysis and show how these may be used to advance the field.