ABSTRACT
The three models considered here all involve work by the noted organizational theorist James March in some way. They include (1) A Behavioral Theory of the Firm (Cyert and March 1963, 1992), (2) a set of contributions dealing with organizational learning (March 1991; Levinthal and March 1993), and (3) the garbage can model (Cohen, March, and Olsen 1972; March and Olsen 1976). These theoretical contributions have been evaluated at 5.43, 5.20, and 4.38 respectively by the 71 organizational behavior scholars; all are rated at three stars as to their estimated validity (see Miner 2006b). The validity figures are substantially lower because much of the "research" reported represents case studies or computer simulations that are really more about theory development and less about theory testing. The behavioral theory of the firm has been found to be institutionalized, but none of the three theories has a practical usefulness above two stars. March characteristically has opposed applications and any normative formulations of his theories. These theories have not been found conducive to meta-analysis, largely because the research on them is not cumulative; in fact much of it is not really research in the normal sense of the term. March was primarily a theorist, and in this regard he has continued to excel over many years. However, this theorizing has been the major thrust of his work analyzing data, constructing computer models, and describing decisions (see Miner 2006a, Chapters 4 and 5).
