War as a Phenomenon of Inquiry in Management Studies

Abstract

We argue that war as a phenomenon deserves more focused attention in management. First, we highlight why war is an important and relevant area of inquiry for management scholars. We then integrate scattered conversations on war in management studies into a framework structured around three building blocks – (a) the nature of war from an organizational viewpoint, (b) the actors involved in war and (c) war's contextual factors. This framework provides a roadmap to identify pressing questions that management scholars can address, thus laying the foundations of a programmatic theory for analysing war as a specific area of inquiry. We especially emphasize the recursive relationship between war and management theory, demonstrating how they can mutually inform each other. Finally, we highlight empirical challenges and offer specific recommendations to guide future management research on war. Aiming to stimulate a new scholarly conversation, this paper contributes to establishing a forward-looking research agenda that can help management scholars problematize key issues in the analysis of war.