Question

In your company’s management development program, there was a heated discussion between some people who claimed, “theory is impractical and thus no good,” and others who claimed, “Good theory is the most practical approach to problems. “What position would you take and why?

Answer 1

I would take the position that good theory is the most practical approach to problems. In my opinion it is the best approach to predict the phenomena going around us with the help of theories instead of waiting them to occur. With the help of a good theory we can predict the things that may occur in a short time with the help of certain variables. According to definition, theory is a set of systematically interrelated concepts, definitions and propositions that are advanced to explain and predict phenomena. We cannot say that theory is impractical. There can be some complex theories which are impractical, but the theories are the generalizations we make about the variables and the relationships among them and hence it is practical. There is scientific facts that to support these assumptions. Understanding of these theories will help us to make right decisions at the right time identifying what may happen in future based on the current situation. In my opinion it would be wise to get into a more reliable conclusion by thoroughly analyzing the variables with the help of a good theory instead of rejecting them as impractical.