Should academic research be relevant? And if so, how?Link opens in a new window

There is an increasing focus on achieving ‘impact’ in the UK higher education sector and beyond: academic research should make a difference in the world, and not just within the ‘ivory tower’ of academia. This is, perhaps, especially the case in the ‘applied sciences’, such as law, medicine and economics, with business schools having been ostensibly established for the purpose of educating managers to run businesses more effectively. Management research exists to serve this practical purpose, just as medical research exists to help prevent and treat illnesses.

But what exactly does ‘relevance’ mean? And should all management scholars dedicate themselves to producing research that is of practical use to managers – and nothing else? Or should we all contribute to addressing “grand challenges”? Does every piece of management research require the articulation of managerial implications? Should we all engage in “action research”, which deliberately seeks to produce meaningful change? In order to ‘maximize impact’, should we all communicate with the media, use social media, engage with managers at practitioner conferences, and abandon the seemingly esoteric and archaic traditional academic language and practices that are largely incomprehensible to non-academics?

The WBS School Socrates Club (which was established in 2017 to explore connections between management + organization studies and philosophy, and is part of the WBS Process, Practice and Institutions Research Programme) has put together a half-day workshop to debate the topic of “academic relevance” and its implications for our field. This hybrid event will feature four academics presenting and discussing their experiences and views on this topic, followed by a general discussion.

The provisional schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, November 5^th (WBS main building – room details tbc; MS Teams link to be provided)

09:45-10:00: Welcome and Introduction

10:00-10:30: Professor Hari Tsoukas (WBS) – “Educating practical theorists: How can we make management research critically relevant?” [in person]

10:30-11:00: Professor Jana Costas (European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)) – “Dramas of Dignity - Cleaners in the Corporate Underworld of Berlin” [online]

11:00-11:30: Professor Johanna Mair (Hertie School; Stanford University) – “Revisiting Relevance and Rigor: A Call for Impactful Research Based on Principles” [online]

11:30-12:00: Professor Robin Holt (University of Bristol) – “Holding knowledge in common: refusing the seduction of feeling relevant.” [in person]

12:00-12:30: Panel discussion

Note: A light lunch will be provided immediately following the event for those who have registered their attendance.

You can attend either in person or online - please make sure to register via this link.