Generating Knowledge That Drives Change

To achieve relevance, researchers need to work with and learn from practitioners, and they need to spend time in organizations gathering data, which demonstrates the usefulness of research when it focuses on organizational effectiveness and change.

Abstract

Executive Overview Organizations are operating in a constantly changing environment and need research that can help them adapt to these changes. This has created an opportunity for scholars to do research that will be valued and used if it is relevant. We argue that to achieve relevance, researchers need to work with and learn from practitioners, and they need to spend time in organizations gathering data. Examples are provided that demonstrate the usefulness of research when it focuses on organizational effectiveness and change. A strong case is also made for studying outlier organizations and for research that draws expertise from multiple areas of study.