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The purpose of this paper is to introduce a dynamic and integrative epistemology as a substitute to normative epistemology.

A philosophical argument based on the critique of literature.

Normative epistemology implies that knowing leads to certainty, and it has to be objective and universal because it is an accurate representation of reality. Dynamic and integrative epistemology uphold that knowing leads to accumulating insights though information processing. Knowing is a unified but fourfold process of experiencing, understanding, judging and acting (Lonergan, 1990). It occurs at four levels of consciousness: the empirical, the intellectual, the evaluative and the pragmatic (Lonergan, 1990). Dynamic and integrative epistemology extends rationality, knowledge and intelligence to non-humans because institutions have substantive, structural, behavior and teleological dimensions and processes that enable them to process information, i.e. to know.

Translating a conceptual paper into practical action, organizational structuring or product design can be difficult.

Extending the concept of rationality to non-humans implies realizing that human abilities are limited and need to be augmented by proper institutional design and artificial tools.

The design of intelligent organizations, societies and artificial tools.

Normative epistemology which considers reason and faith, empirical (experience) and rational (understanding), positive (facts) and ideal (principles, representations or wishes), physical (objects) and “mental” (ideas or concepts), practice and theory, knowledge (episteme) and opinion (doxa), reflection and action as opposed and mutually exclusive can be replaced by a dynamic and integrative epistemology which puts emotional, intellectual, evaluative and pragmatic dimensions of human knowing in an order of succession through a unified but yet differentiated process which can be augmented by non-human “experts”.

Studies Ghazzali’s and Kant’s metaphysical epistemologies in comparative perspectives to bring out their consequences on the central issue of unification of knowledge. Addresses the problem posed by either of these epistemologies towards unifying knowledge. Shows the central issue of reality as a universal is to be premissed in unification, which is in turn explained to be the direct function of interaction and creative evolution from lower to higher levels of certainty. Shows the unification epistemology to be uniquely premissed in the Qur’anic roots of Oneness of God. Explains this concept substantively in analytical terms. Thus the concept of unification of knowledge means the circular continuity by evolution of the interactions and integration that occur by linkages between the purely a priori and the purely a posteriori domains. This is also meant to convey the phenomenon of epistemic‐ontic continuity of the process towards comprehension and the resulting materiality of forms that subsequently reinforce newer levels of comprehensions. Unification takes place in the plane of such interlinkages, complementarity and convergence or integration. Invokes the problem of unification of knowledge in the contrasting modes of all the three cases, namely Ghazzali, Kant and the unification epistemology, to address the issues of moral market transformation taken up in the midst of human sustainability. Discusses some contemporary issues relating to globalization, economic interlinkages and evolution for world development, in light of the topic of moral market transformation and sustainability. Studies both of these analytically in the unification epistemology paradigm in contrast to the consequences implicative of Ghazzali’s and Kant’s epistemologies.

Purpose – The author introduces the Eastern philosophy of wisdom, especially its epistemology of Yin-Yang Balancing as the Eastern cognitive frame, to shed light on the debates over the distinction and integration between research and practice as well as between qualitative and quantitative methods so as to solve the problems of relevance-rigor gap as well as complexity-simplicity gap. The author also applies the frame of Yin-Yang Balancing to the development of a novel method of case study.

Methodology/Approach – This is a conceptual article.

Central theme – The Eastern philosophy of wisdom is better at an open-minded exploration of open-ended issues by emphasizing relevance and complexity, while the Western philosophy of science is better at a closed-minded exploitation of close-ended issues by emphasizing rigor and simplicity. A geocentric integration of both Eastern and Western philosophies is needed.

Research and practical implications – Management research is far behind the need for theoretical insights into practical solutions largely due to the increasing gaps between relevance and rigor as well as between complex problems and simple solutions. The root cause of the two gaps lies in the overreliance on the Western philosophy of science, so a new light can be found in the Eastern philosophy of wisdom, and the ultimate solution is a geocentric integration of Eastern and Western philosophies. A novel method of case study can be built by applying the Eastern philosophy.

Originality/Value – The author highlights the urgent needs for the Eastern philosophy of wisdom and its integration with the Western philosophy of science toward a geocentric meta-paradigm. As a specific application of the geocentric meta-paradigm, the author proposes a novel method of case study called Yin-Yang Method.

To apply the Tawhidi epistemology in the automobile industry as the paradigm of the Islamic socio‐scientific order in terms of its inherent knowledge‐centered worldview.

The concepts of unity and unification of knowledge in a system‐wide sense are analytically developed in the framework of shuratic process or equivalently as the interactive, integrative and evolutionary process‐oriented methodology (IIE).

The analytical conceptualization is derived in the light of Qur'anic rules (ahkam) and recommended that policies, programs and instruments would jointly promote the development of mutual profitability and address the social milieu as well.

Tawhidi unification methodology of extensive participation and linkage can be applied widely.

Certain policy recommendations in the light of the shari'ah precepts of this case study can be made.

The purpose of this paper is to explain how to reduce transaction cost in corporate governance by subjecting it institutionally to ethics and values of interactive and consensual decision making with transparency gained from participation between managers and shareholders/stakeholders and the community at large. This is an epistemological problem in the Islamic approach to corporate governance. The paper brings these out in technical language and methodology.

An analytical epistemological and comparative study between mainstream and Islamic conceptions in corporate governance is used to develop the idea mentioned above. The analytical model used is of an ethico‐economic general equilibrium type with learning variables.

The Islamic theory of corporate governance under the rubric of its epistemology of unity of knowledge treated within a systems approach is found to reduce transaction cost and produce better management decisions.

The paper is mostly theoretical in nature but carries quantitative facts on the limitations of existing corporate governance practice at the accountancy level in the global scene.

The adoption of institutional modes to generate interactive, integrative and evolutionary frameworks of corporate decision making is derived from the content of the paper. Recent global incidents with WorldCom and Enron are cited to show how corporate governance has failed as an effective means of reducing the immense transaction costs that were engendered by the failure of these mega corporations.

The paper conveys an original idea that has not been taken up elsewhere. It reflects the systems approach to the study of behavior in a corporate setting within the epistemology of systemic unity of knowledge. Besides, in the Islamic comparison that the paper undertakes in contradistinction to the mainstream approach, the methodology of systemic unity of knowledge conveys an altogether new way of studying corporate governance in the related new institutional framework.

Governance network managers are charged with triggering and sustaining collaborative dynamics, but often struggle to do so because they come from and interact with hierarchical and competitive organizations and systems. Thus, an important step toward effectively managing governance networks is to clarify collaborative dynamics. While the recently proposed collaborative governance regime (CGR) model provides a good start, it lacks both the conceptual clarity and parsimony needed in a useful analytical tool. This theoretical chapter uses the logic model framework to assess and reorganize the CGR model and then amends it using Follett’s theory of integrative process to provide a parsimonious understanding of collaborative dynamics, as opposed to authoritative coordination or negotiated cooperation. Uniquely, Follett draws from political and organizational theory practically grounded in the study of civic and business groups to frame the manner in which integrative process permeates collaboration. We argue that the disposition, style of relating, and mode of association in her integrative method foster collaborative dynamics while avoiding the counterproductive characteristics of hierarchy and competition. We develop an alternative logic model for studying collaborative dynamics that clarifies and defines these dynamics for future operationalization and empirical study.

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to develop a discussion expounding the Islamic perspective of corporate governance as a special case of a broader decision‐making theory that uses the premise of Islamic socio‐scientific epistemology. Islamic epistemology is premised on the divine oneness of God. The worldly explanation of divine unity is done by means of specific laws and instruments that make the Islamic epistemology functionally viable in developing, implementing and inferring from the application of the epistemological rules to different issues. In the present case the issue is of corporate governance.

The development and conclusions of this discursive paper as a conceptual one point out the possible application of a process‐oriented epistemology of unity of knowledge to corporate governance. The underlying methodology of institutional discourse and integration with dynamic parameters is formalized.

The end results of the conceptual framework of this paper on corporate governance are contrasted with the approach to corporate governance in mainstream literature. Also the same Islamic theoretical and philosophical background of corporate governance is examined from the dual (mixed) Islamic economic and institutional perspective.

The practical implications of the Islamic idea of corporate governance are immense in studying transaction cost minimization in decision‐making environments. In this regard it is argued that the theory of Islamic corporate governance presents a discursive process, transparency and institutional participation that reduce transaction costs.

The paper contributes fresh knowledge in corporate governance theory in the light of two central issues. First, an organic preference formation is studied by a process model. Second, transaction cost is minimized while pursuing a discursive and participatory model of decision making in an environment governed by the systemic meaning of unity of knowledge as its episteme. Relevant institutional policies can be developed in the light of such systemic discursion under the episteme of unity of knowledge understood and applied in the systemic organic sense.

There are the interesting words of Myrdal in respect of the universality and commonness of what a scientific problem means:From then on more definitely I came to see that in reality there are no economic, sociological, psychological problems, but just problems and they are all mixed and composite. In research the only permissible demarcation is between relevant and irrelevant conditions. The problems are regularly also political and have moreover to be seen in historical perspective. (Myrdal, 1979, p. 106)

The purpose of this paper is to formalize a general equilibrium circular causation relationship model in the Islamic economic framework between wealth tax (Zakat), Islamic bank and the real economy.

Mathematical modeling along with explanation.

The integrative interrelationships can be formalized only under the assumption of unity of knowledge as derived from the foundation of oneness of the divine law (shari’ah) according to the Qur’an, Prophetic traditions (Sunnah) and social discourse.

A future work would be to empirically estimate the general equilibrium model.

A guidance to Islamic banks on the constructive utilization of Zakat fund for productive transformation in the real economy.

A general equilibrium model guided by the episteme of oneness of the divine law at work, hence unity of knowledge at work in real problems of ethics and economics according to the Islamic worldview.

Interdisciplinary research allows us to broaden our sights and expand our theories. Yet, such research surfaces a number of challenges. We highlight three issues – superficiality, lack of focus, and consilience - and discuss how they can be addressed in interdisciplinary research. In particular, we focus on the implications for interdisciplinary work with paradox scholarship. We explore how these issues can be navigated as scholars bring together different epistemologies, ontologies and methodologies within interdisciplinary research, and illustrate our key points by drawing on extant work in paradox theory and on examples from this double volume. Our paper contributes to paradox scholarship, and to organizational theory more broadly, by offering practices about how to implement interdisciplinary research while also advancing our understanding about available research methods.