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Pragmatic Constructivism (Synopsis)

Pragmatic Constructivism combines several of the most useful aspects of Pragmatism and Social Constructivism and informed my philosophical stance in my PhD dissertation.

Pragmatic Constructivism (‘PC’, formerly called Constructivist Pragmatism) emerged in the 1970s, primarily through social science scholars affiliated with Aalborg University in Denmark. The founders sought to develop a research paradigm that would bridge the gap between knowing and doing (i.e. leveraging knowledge for action) (Nørreklit et al., 2006: 42). The term Pragmatic Constructivism was chosen due to its emphasis on action, actors, actorship, and reality construction, together with its connection “to concepts of intention, innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership” while distinguishing itself from Social Constructivism (ibid.).

To the best of my knowledge, I am the first researcher to use this perspective in entrepreneurship research. I think it is especially relevant to research in the field of entrepreneurship and encourage other researchers in this field to consider using it. I selected it as the primary philosophical perspective for my PhD dissertation for:

- consistency of its explicit purpose of research (“Successful action is the aim of applying Pragmatic Constructivism” (Nørreklit et al., 2017: 8)) with the logic of enquiry (an abductive approach) and axiology (usefulness) used in my dissertation and that of Pragmatism (guiding purposive action for successful outcomes);

- its ontological perspective that supports action guidance and that distinguishes ‘the world’ from (socially constructed) ‘reality’ in a way that the researcher posits is applicable to the they dynamic environment of entrepreneurship and the field of entrepreneurship research;

- its epistemological perspective that also supports action guidance through its learning theory of truth; and,

- consistency with the theory of Bounded Rationality, a synopsis of which is published in a separate paper on this website.

PC provides a framework for investigating, understanding, and theorizing about how actors (e.g. venture capital investment managers, entrepreneurs, and eCFOs – key actors in the phenomena investigated in my dissertation and other research and coaching practice) construct their relationship with a dynamic world (i.e. their ‘reality’) in an integrated way that guides their purposive action or functioning with an enhanced likelihood of success. The principal elements of the PC framework are actors, a model of actors’ co-authored reality, and an integrative theory of truth (Nørreklit et al., 2017: 3-4).

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of PC is its theory & approach to reality construction: this ontology integrates a relational complex of four dimensions and associated concepts. The four dimensions are facts, possibilities, values, and communication. Each dimension is necessary (but not sufficient) and the integration of all dimensions is necessary and sufficient for enabling social actors to construct and influence their reality. Each of the four dimensions is explained in the full article. This framework was designed with action research in mind, to help actors understand and control the conditions necessary and sufficient for their actions to succeed - hence, the connection to Pragmatism. Therefore, it seems relevant for entrepreneurship research.

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