Business school and the pursuit of rigour, resonance and relevance
At the Academy of Management conference in Chicago last August — one of the world’s largest and most important annual gatherings of business school academics — one theme was prominent in numerous presentations: balancing rigour and relevance in research.
Among the hundreds of projects discussed in the space of a week, a number of impressive studies stood out. But many others appeared more than a little esoteric and theoretical. Research with practical applications — let alone a focus on addressing the most important issues facing society, such as climate change, poverty and inequality — was less evident.
That points to a broader debate about the role of business schools, their relationship to the world beyond universities, and the nature of academic governance and incentives around research.
