Rethinking Organizational Transformation and Theoretical Innovation: A Critical Review of Multidisciplinary Administration and the Art of Theorizing in Social Research

This critical review examines the intertwined evolution of organizational transformation and theory-building within contemporary social research and public administration. Faced with unprecedented global challenges characterized by complexity, uncertainty, and interdependence, traditional administrative models prove inadequate, necessitating integrative and multidisciplinary frameworks. Drawing upon key contributions from different studies, this study synthesizes empirical and theoretical developments that highlight the imperative of adaptive governance and reflective theorizing. It foregrounds the critical role of digital innovation, collaborative networks, and cross-sectoral leadership in fostering institutional resilience and responsiveness. Simultaneously, the review underscores the resurgence of theorizing as an intellectual practice central to advancing social knowledge, calling for the cultivation of higher-order thinking skills—abstraction, synthesis, and reflexivity—that enable researchers to engage creatively with complex social phenomena. By integrating meta-synthesis with comparative content analysis, this research illuminates the mutual reinforcement between administrative multidisciplinary approaches and epistemological innovation in social sciences. The study advocates for curricula, governance reforms, and research cultures that embrace complexity as a dynamic condition, promoting resilience, interdisciplinarity, and imagination as foundational pillars. Ultimately, it presents a framework for understanding the co-evolution of organizational management and social theory as essential for navigating the socio-political and technological challenges of the 21st century, thereby contributing to global discourses on knowledge production and institutional excellence.