Peeling the Research Onion: Philosophy, Approaches, and Strategic Design
Date: 03rd March, 2026 | Time: 16:30 – 18:00 CET | Location: Microsoft Teams
Beyond the “How”: Discovering the “Why” of Your Research.
Many researchers jump straight to interviews or surveys without realizing that their choice of tools is dictated by their worldview. To produce a Level 8 thesis, you must go deeper than just “methods.” You must master Methodology.
In this session of the Pathway To DBA/PhD series, we introduce the Research Onion—a world-renowned framework used to peel back the layers of academic inquiry. We move from the surface-level data to the core philosophical assumptions that define how truth is discovered in business, management, and sustainability.
What We Will Cover:
I. Methodology vs. Methods
Understand the critical distinction between your overall research strategy (Methodology) and the specific tools you use to collect data (Methods).
II. The Outer Layers: Research Philosophy
We deconstruct the four pillars of academic thought and their underlying assumptions (Ontology, Epistemology, and Axiology):
- Positivism: The search for objective, measurable laws.
- Interpretivism: Understanding the subjective world of human experience.
- Pragmatism: Focusing on “what works” to solve practical business problems.
- Critical Realism: Looking beneath the surface to find the hidden structures of reality.
III. The Path of Logic: Research Approaches
How do you develop your theory? We explore the three main logical pathways:
- Deductive: Testing existing theories with new data.
- Inductive: Building new theories from your observations.
- Abductive: Navigating incomplete data to find the most likely explanation.
The Executive Outcome:
Who Should Attend?
