While the question of the nature of reality precedes the emergence of science as we now know it, the fundamental ontological questions have maintained their relevance even to the contem- porary scholar. The questions remain philosophical, evading any attempt at proving once and for all the rightness or wrongness of the diverse answers. However, as the diverse -isms have become more prolific, and seeded myriad epistemological and methodological options for con- ducting social science in general, and management research specifically, the underlying onto- logical questions have to a notable degree been ignored. The contribution aims of this article are to outline the ontological questions relevant for contemporary management scholar, argue for the need of reflectively answering them, and to highlight that adopting a bundled -ism po- sitioned on the continuum between the objectivist and subjectivist approaches does not yet guarantee a solid foundation for knowledge-creation efforts. Through emphasizing the need for increased awareness in regards to the six identified ontological questions, this article also joins the discussions about how to assess the validity of (especially qualitative) management research within and across diverse paradigms.