Theory Gaps in Research: Purpose and Consequences
This paper examines the role of theory in academic research, particularly at the dissertation level, and explains what constitutes a "theory gap." Drawing on Kaplan's (1964) conception of theory as a sense-making framework, the paper argues that theory provides order, direction, and replicability to a study. It then identifies a theory gap in Bharadwaj, El Sawy, Pavlou, and Venkatraman's (2013) study on IT and business strategy, noting that the researchers fail to ground their claims in an explicit theoretical framework. The paper concludes by examining the practical consequences of such a gap, including loss of contextual clarity, methodological imprecision, and weakened conclusions.
- The Purpose of Theory in Research: Defines theory and its role in dissertation research
- Identifying the Theory Gap: Locates theory gap in a 2013 IT strategy study
- Practical Consequences of the Theory Gap: Explains how theory gaps undermine research validity
- References: Cited sources supporting the paper's argument
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper uses concrete analogies — a camera frame, a map, a tethered web — to make the abstract concept of theoretical frameworks accessible and memorable.
- It moves logically from definition to application to consequence, giving the argument a clear and purposeful three-part structure.
- The identification of the theory gap is specific and grounded in a real published study, which lends credibility to the critique and illustrates the concept in context.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied theoretical critique: it does not merely define a concept but applies it evaluatively to a real piece of published scholarship. This technique — defining a standard, locating its absence, and explaining the resulting harm — is a foundational move in research methods writing and literature review work at the graduate level.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized into three functional sections. The first defines theory and explains its role in dissertation research. The second identifies a specific theory gap in a 2013 MIS Quarterly article on digital business strategy. The third explains the practical consequences of theory gaps for research validity and methodology. The argument builds cumulatively, with each section depending on the one before it.
The Purpose of Theory in Research
The purpose of theory is to supply, at the outset of research, a general idea or framework regarding a specific phenomenon and why or how it occurs or behaves: it is a "way of making sense" of phenomena (Kaplan, 1964). A theory is simply an attempt to explain something that is being researched. It acts as a lens through which the researcher views the study and interprets the findings — or it is similar to a camera aimed at the world, capturing a reflection of light within four borders. That frame is the theory. Theory does more than simply "catch" facts, however; it allows one to develop generalized statements regarding the cause and/or effect of that which is being studied.
The purpose of theory in a PhD dissertation is therefore to set guideposts by which the study can proceed. It is important because, without a theory, a study can quickly become lost and unfocused, adopting various perspectives — or none — at the same time. Theory provides order to the dissertation and helps explain to the reader the approach the researcher is taking. It also allows other researchers to better understand how the author of the study intended to proceed: it functions like a map that others can choose to follow should they wish to replicate the study. Finally, theory offers a perspective or explanation of events and findings that can be contested or challenged by another researcher using the same or a different theory, depending upon its application. In general, theory seeks the best, most accurate, most useful, and most illuminating explanation of the phenomenon being examined within the research.
Identifying the Theory Gap
A theory gap in the study by Bharadwaj, El Sawy, Pavlou, and Venkatraman (2013) exists in the section where the researchers discuss the use of information technology (IT) in business strategy. The researchers assert that IT can be instrumental in transformational leadership, as leaders utilize it to streamline their businesses into a more effective environment — one that eliminates repetitive tasks IT could handle well, thereby freeing up workers' time. The theory gap arises because no single theory is identified as the starting point from which the researchers begin. As a result, their approach is somewhat vague: the reader is left to suspect that it is based on "hunch" or "instinct" when it should, at minimum, be grounded in a solid theory that explains why the researchers believe IT could be valuable to transformational leadership.
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