Teoría organizacional y estudios organizacionales: Dos denominaciones para un mismo campo de conocimiento

One of the major discussions in organizational studies concerns its object of study and its differences with other fields. A significant number of Latin-American authors argue that there is a difference between organizational studies and organizational theory, which is evident, among other aspects, in that each one has a particular object of study. This paper argues that, although the name “organizational studies” is more recent, it actually designates the same field of knowledge that has traditionally been known as “organizational theory”, whose objects of study are organizations. To develop this thesis, the text critically analyzes works that affirm the existence of differences between organizational theory and organizational studies. Then, citing documentary evidence, we present three arguments that seek to demonstrate that it is, in fact, a single field of knowledge. Finally, this work reflects on the importance of building a theoretical, epistemological and methodological multiplicity for the study of organizations.