Approaching the Conceptual Leap in Qualitative Research Malvina Klag and Ann Langley HEC Montréal, 3000, Chemin de la Côte-Ste-Catherine, Montréal, QC, Canada H3T 2A7 Corresponding author email: ann.langley@hec.ca This paper reviews the literature on an important but mysterious phenomenon in qualitative research methodology: the conceptual leap that generates abstract theoreti- cal ideas from empirical data. Drawing on epistemological, prescriptive and reflexive writings, conceptual leaps are described as constituted by both ‘seeing’ and ‘articulat- ing’, as grounded in abductive reasoning, and as part of an ongoing dialectical process. Methods for approaching conceptual leaps and the conditions for their realization are discussed in the context of four dialectic tensions: between deliberation and serendipity, between engagement and detachment, between knowing and not knowing, and between self-expression and social connection. The literature review suggests that conceptual leaping is best portrayed as a form of bricolage,drawing resources from the different poles of the four dialectics. Moreover, written and verbal communication play impor- tant roles in enabling synthesis. The paper concludes by calling for greater openness and legitimacy for reflexive accounts, as well as further research into the process of discovery in qualitative research. Introduction The fact that we cannot explain the magic in qualitative method does not mean we ought not to think about it, to discuss it, and to argue about it. (May 1994) Typical presentations of method in qualitative studies follow the norms of academic prose, tending to emphasize the ‘disciplined pursuit and analysis of data’ (Golden-Biddle and Locke 1993, p. 604). Ref- erences to ‘magic’ (see above) would hardly be seen as legitimate.Yet, as recognized by many qualitative researchers (Carlsen and Dutton 2011; Glaser and Strauss 1967; Langley 1999; Locke et al. 2008), there is almost always an element of difficult-to- codify insight in developing theoretical contributions from qualitative research: a shady area of methodol- ogy to which no failsafe recipe can guarantee access. It is precisely our capacity to penetrate that gray zone that will make or break any qualitative study. Our rich data and carefully executed analysis will be as naught if we cannot somehow make it speak, i.e. find a way to achieve those all-important ‘conceptual leaps’ that can enrich understanding. In this paper, we aim to elucidate the notion of the conceptual leap in ‘discovery-oriented’ qualitative research (Locke 2011) where conceptual insight of some kind is expected to ‘emerge’ from data. Our position is that, although no one has managed to develop a method of deterministically producing a conceptual leap, there are many ways of attempting to stimulate it or approach it, and that there is value in reviewing these, integrating them and making them as explicit as possible. Three types of literature were used to develop this review. First, we drew on epistemological and conceptual contributions discussing the nature of conceptual leaps in qualitative research. Second, we The authors would like to thank three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on an earlier version of this paper. The authors are also grateful to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for its finan- cial support. International Journal of Management Reviews,Vol. *, *–* (2012) DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2370.2012.00349.x © 2012 The Authors International Journal of Management Reviews © 2012 British Academy of Management and Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA