定性比较分析法在管理学构型研究中的应用:述评与展望

The Application of Qualitative Comparative Analysis(QCA)in Configuration Research in Business Administration Field:Commentary and Future Directions

构型(configuration)视角在管理学研究领域方兴未艾,但由于方法局限,该视角在实证研究中进展缓慢。自Fiss(2007)提出可以用定性比较分析法(QCA)解决构型视角的实证研究难题后,该方法在国外管理学研究中得到迅速推广。与之相比,国内对此方法的应用还处于起步阶段,成果相对匮乏。本文通过对国内外管理学领域采用QCA方法的相关文献进行系统梳理,分析总结出此方法可帮助管理研究者解决的三类难题:探究引致同一结果的多种路径、处理多个前因间复杂的互动关系以及对分类方法做出深化和补充;并提炼出六大优势:对样本量和数据来源要求较低、便于应对前因复杂性、主张因果非对称性、无须对跨层变量进行特殊处理、降低现象复杂性和可完整解读案例。面对此方法应用中最受质疑的稳健性问题,本文归纳出了几种具体的应对策略。在总结QCA最新进展的基础上,本文还提出了深挖既往研究、开拓未来研究和时序研究三个维度的研究框架。

The configuration perspective in business management research is growing, but the lack of supportive research method slows it down. Since Fiss（2007）proposed to use the qualitative comparative analysis（QCA）to solve the problem of empirical research from the configuration perspective, the method has been widely used in management research overseas. Conversely, QCA is still in its initial stage with few achievements in China. Based on a systematic review of related literature adopting QCA in the management field at home and abroad, this paper summarizes that three major problems can be solved in management configuration research by QCA： exploring multiple routes resulting in the equifinality, dealing with complex interactions between antecedents and deepening ＆ supplementing classification. Secondly, this paper summarizes QCA＇s six advantages, including the low demand of quantity and sources of data, cause complexity, casual asymmetry, no need to deal with multilevel variables, the reduction in phenomenon complexity and complete case explanation. Facing the most questioned robustness in the application of QCA, this paper sums up a number of specific coping strategies. Finally, supported by the latest development of QCA, this paper proposes a three-dimensional research framework consisting of digging the past research, and cultivating the future research and time- series research.