I like Larry's question and his search, and agree with George Graen on the issue of 'asking too much of theory' and I want to add a further perspective from my position as an educator in Australia who must rely heavily on texts 'from overseas' for my classes. To address the issue, I have long since adopted a strategy to make up for the problem Larry raises, which means that I specifically state (at the opening of classes and then frequently after that) as follows -
"The work we will be using was undertaken in specific (confined) contexts and has no 'a priori' claim to be relevant or appropriate to the contexts and conditions you (as managers/educators) will be operating in. A key task for you - therefore - is to constnatly assess the concepts in regard to their possible helpfulness for your workplace/learning needs."
To resolve this issue more generally and address Larry's question in a longer time frame indicates the need for a 'sideways' shift in the way all authors express their theories - and users of such research, then introduce and suggest applications - of almost any concept of human behaviour.
This 'shift' will require authors/researchers to begin by declaring that "In the context where this research was conducted, we found . . . . . . and, it may/or may not apply anywhere else."
Dr ELyssebeth Leigh