Formal Research vs. Business Proposal

In his 2007 article, Jeffrey Pfeffer identified a “preoccupation with theory and an interest in novelty”, (p. 1338), as a significant problem plaguing formal research in business schools. Describing this phenomenon as a “quest for ‘what’s new’ rather than ‘what’s true’, (p. 1339), Pfeffer argues, that competition in business schools has produced uniformity and stifled innovation. Pfeffer notes that rather than build upon the evidence-based knowledge that has furthered other disciplines, the pressure to publish in ranked journals has forced researchers to disdain work that informs professionals. Researchers prefer to concentrate on idiosyncrasies of previously published theoretical work that has little effect on real underlying processes in the business world noting that “superficial aspects are imitated that have little effect on underlying processes”, (p. 1341). Additionally while research in academia focuses on what works, it neglects what doesn’t work, when knowing what doesn’t work can be as important as knowing what does, (p. 1338).

Buckley, Ferris, Bernardin, and Harvey, (1988, p.36), identified the same problem when they stated that teaching in business schools has become more theoretical and less applied. Buckley et al. also stated that “HRM practitioners are relatively familiar with research performed in this area, but they fail to see many practical applications in it”, (p. 32), when analyzing the results of a survey they gave to 113 human
Both articles postulate that corporations and universities need to become more adept at forming partnerships so that the research generated at business schools focuses more on real world applications and is therefore directed to a broader audience. Buckley et al., (1988, p. 31), explicitly stated that there is a “lack of follow through in developing business-university partner relationships”, while Pfeffer states that management has failed to follow evidence based practice resulting from academic professional practice relationships that exist in other disciplines noting, “the closer connection with professional practice – not from occasional lecture or executive program but from coproduction of teaching and research and more regular interactions – are features that I see, at least to a somewhat greater extent, in engineering, medicine, and education.” (p. 1342).

According to Bezerman & Moore, (2009), “researchers have found that people rely on a number or simplifying strategies, or rules of thumb, when making decisions”, (p. 6). Managers in business situations rely upon heuristics as well when adopting solutions. In the real world, a business proposal must be viewed, above all things, as feasible. An idea that hasn’t been successfully implemented previously in another setting has little chance for serious
consideration by a firm. Generally corporations seek to implement strategies that correct observed problems or strategies that gain a competitive advantage. These strategies can be surveyed internally, documented, and then presented in a business proposal. They inevitably choose practical real-world applications that have been tried by other firms and have been proven successful for implementation. More often than not these applications do not come from research by academic researchers as their works appear to be predominantly directed towards a scholarly audience. Although they may be influenced by academic research, real-world solutions are more likely to come from books and journals marketed towards business managers. These books and journals may actually even be written by the same academicians engaging in formal research who are merely directing their research towards a difference audience.

References:

Bazerman, M. H., & Moore, D. A. (2009). Judgment in Managerial Decision Making (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley and Sons.

Buckley, M.R., Ferris, G.R., Bernadin, J. & Harvey, M.G. (1998). The disconnect between the science and practice of management. Business Horizons, 41(2), 31-38. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.

Pfeffer, Jeffrey (2007). A modest proposal: how we might change the process and product of managerial research. Academy of Management Review, 50(6), 1334-1345. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.