Typologies
Definition
Typologies are a methodological approach used to classify and organize entities, cases, or phenomena into distinct types based on shared characteristics or patterns. They aim to simplify complexity by identifying meaningful categories that facilitate comparison, interpretation, and analysis. Typologies are often used to structure empirical observations, highlight diversity and similarities within a system, and support theory-building or decision-making, without implying strict boundaries or causal relationships. Typologies can be qualitative when they aim to characterize a diversity of types without quantification of the size of each type and quantitative when they aim to model a population with a limited number of types and a number of individuals for each type.
Sources
- Bailey, K. D. (1994). Typologies and Taxonomies: An Introduction to Classification Techniques. Sage.
- Doty, D. H., & Glick, W. H. (1994). Typologies as a unique form of theory building. Academy of Management Review, 19(2), 230–251.
Approaches
- Analyse