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THE HYPOTHETICO-DEDUCTIVE METHOD 29

keep. Salespersons might also indicate that they try to please and retain the cus-
tomers by communicating the delivery dates given to them by the factory.
Integration of the information obtained through the informal and formal inter-
viewing process has helped the manager to determine that a problem does exist.
It also helps the manager to formulate a conceptual model or theoretical
framework of all the factors contributing to the problem. In this case, there is
a network of connections among the following factors: delays by the factory in
delivering goods, the notification of later delivery dates that are not kept, the
promises of the salespersons to the customers (in hopes of retaining them) that
cannot be fulfilled, all of which contribute to customer dissatisfaction. From the
theoretical framework, which is a meaningful integration of all the information
gathered, several hypotheses can be generated and tested to determine if the
data support them. Concepts are then operationally defined so that they can
be measured. A research design is set up to decide on, among other issues,
how to collect further data, analyze and interpret them, and finally, to provide
an answer to the problem. The process of drawing from logical analysis an infer-
ence that purports to be conclusive is called deduction. Thus, the building
blocks of science provide the genesis for the hypothetico-deductive method of
scientific research, a discussion of which follows.

THE HYPOTHETICO-DEDUCTIVE METHOD

The Seven-Step Process in the Hypothetico-Deductive Method
The seven steps involved in the hypothetico-deductive method of research stem
from the building blocks discussed above, and are listed and discussed below.

1. Observation
2. Preliminary information gathering
3. Theory formulation
4. Hypothesizing
5. Further scientific data collection
6. Data analysis
7. Deduction

Observation
Observation is the first stage, in which one senses that certain changes are occur-
ring, or that some new behaviors, attitudes, and feelings are surfacing in one’s
environment (i.e., the workplace). When the observed phenomena are seen to
have potentially important consequences, one would proceed to the next step.
How does one observe phenomena and changes in the environment? The peo-
ple-oriented manager is always sensitive to and aware of what is happening in and
around the workplace. Changes in attitudes, behaviors, communication patterns