ABSTRACT
A scientific theory is a parsimonious system of logically linked concepts located upstream and downstream of empirical observation. A scientific theory is a parsimonious system of logically linked concepts located upstream and downstream of empirical observation. In the conception of the organization as a system which is predetermined for the actors, whose explanatory strategy is based on the necessary category of causation, the theory is a system of assertions that express stable and broadly generalizable relationships. In the conception of the organization as a process of actions and decisions, based on an explanatory strategy that takes the historical and cultural relativity of social phenomena and their relationships into account, the theory is a system of predicates and general assertions understood and used as ideal-types. The internal critique of a system-centered theory takes the form of a falsification of certain of its assumptions that are considered to be crucial.
