Challenging trends in configuration research: Where are the configurations?

The configuration approach to the study of organizations is enjoying increasing popularity, in part, due to the methodological advances of qualitative comparative analysis. I argue that there are significant contrasts between earlier taxonomic clustering and typology approaches to configuration and the newer ones being pursued with the qualitative comparative analysis methodology. I compare the two approaches and their application, arguing that what is missing in many studies, old and new, often due to the lack of qualitative evidence, is "configuration itself"-that is, contrasting common, thematic, and rich characterizations that provide insight into how organizations function.