Introduction: Why historical methods in management?

The historic turn instigated a substantial change in the study of management and organizations. New ideas and concepts have been introduced and this has led to new theoretical approaches for the study of the past in management and organizations. Nevertheless, the methods to study and test these new approaches have not kept pace. We argue that a missing aspect of the development of the field since the historic turn has been the interrogation of old methods and the introduction of new approaches, particularly through inclusive and cross-disciplinary perspectives. The historic turn has helped shift our ontological and epistemological positions regarding the past. As a consequence, we need to revisit our methods to explore what the past means, how it is understood, what counts as relevant data or sources, and why it is important for the study of new and different forms of organization and management.