Management Research and Managerial Practice: A Complex and Controversial Relationship
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The relationship between management research and managerial practice is an issue that for many years has commanded attention from diverse parties such as business writers, students, and faculty members themselves. The results of the analyses of this relationship are controversial in that at least some members of some groups continue to hold different views. In their work, Pearce and Huang support the perspective that management research should inform managerial practice. However, they argue that the amount of "actionable research" (research that teachers can effectively use in their classrooms) that is being published in two prestigious journals ( Academy of Management Journal and Administrative Science Quarterly ) is declining. Pearce and Huang speculate as to why this is the case and propose solutions to deal with the issue. Herein, I speak to the context and framing of the Pearce and Huang study, offering an alternative definition of actionable research in the process of doing so. Using Pearce and Huang's results and the perspectives included here, I close with a set of recommendations about future work that might be completed as a foundation for continuing the dialogue about the relationship between management research and managerial practice. 2012 Academy of Management Learning & Education.
