IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jomstd/v46y2009i3p516-533.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Why the Rigour–Relevance Gap in Management Research Is Unbridgeable

Author

Listed:
  • Alfred Kieser
  • Lars Leiner

Abstract

In this paper we discuss, on the basis of system theory, the rigour–relevance gap in management research and the proposal to overcome it. From a system theory perspective, social systems are self‐referential or autopoietic, which means that communication elements of one system, such as science, cannot be authentically integrated into communication of other systems, such as the system of a business organization. Social systems can only irritate – provoke – each other, i.e. alter conditions in such a way that other systems are forced to respond. Because of the differences between management science and practice it is impossible to assess relevance of research output within the system of science. On the basis of our analysis we show that neither action research nor Mode 2 research nor recent approaches to collaborative research can succeed in producing research that is rigorous as well as relevant. Researchers and practitioners cannot collaboratively produce research, they can only irritate each other. However, sometimes irritations or provocations turn out inspiring.

Suggested Citation

  • Alfred Kieser & Lars Leiner, 2009. "Why the Rigour–Relevance Gap in Management Research Is Unbridgeable," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(3), pages 516-533, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:46:y:2009:i:3:p:516-533
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2009.00831.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2009.00831.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2009.00831.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Richard L. Daft & Arie Y. Lewin, 1990. "Can Organization Studies Begin to Break Out of the Normal Science Straitjacket? An Editorial Essay," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 1(1), pages 1-9, February.
    2. Michael Gibbons, 2000. "Mode 2 society and the emergence of context-sensitive science," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 27(3), pages 159-163, June.
    3. Herbert A. Simon, 1967. "The BUSINESS SCHOOL A PROBLEM IN ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 4(1), pages 1-16, February.
    4. Stefan Tengblad, 2006. "Is there a ‘New Managerial Work’? A Comparison with Henry Mintzberg's Classic Study 30 Years Later," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(7), pages 1437-1461, November.
    5. Buckley, M. Ronald & Ferris, Gerald R. & Bernardin, H. John & Harvey, Michael G., 1998. "The disconnect between the science and practice of management," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 31-38.
    6. James G. March & Robert I. Sutton, 1997. "Crossroads---Organizational Performance as a Dependent Variable," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 8(6), pages 698-706, December.
    7. Barnes, Tina & Pashby, Ian & Gibbons, Anne, 2002. "Effective University - Industry Interaction:: A Multi-case Evaluation of Collaborative R&D Projects," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 272-285, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pandey, Poonam & Pansera, Mario, 2020. "Bringing Laxmi and Saraswati together: Nano-scientists and academic entrepreneurship in India," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    2. Michelle Harbour & Jacques-Bernard Gauthier, 2020. "Complex polysemy and reflexivity in organizational research," Working Papers hal-01543416, HAL.
    3. Zwartkruis, Joyce V. & Berg, Holger & Hof, Andries F. & Kok, Marcel T.J., 2020. "Agricultural nature conservation in the Netherlands: Three lenses on transition pathways," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    4. Rana Muhammad Shahid Yaqub & Nazim Hussain & Shanayyara Mahmood & Zahra Farooq, 2021. "Linking Compensation, Employee Engagement, Employee Loyalty And Organizational Performance: The Mediating Role Of Organization Commitment," Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 10(3), pages 17-32, September.
    5. Puliga, Gloria & Urbinati, Andrea & Franchin, Enrico Maria & Castegnaro, Stefano, 2023. "Investigating the drivers of failure of research-industry collaborations in open innovation contexts," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    6. Alfred Kieser, 2007. "Entwicklung von Organisationstheorien als Zeitgeistphänomen," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 59(6), pages 678-705, September.
    7. Danuta DiskienÄ— & Virginijus TamaÅ¡eviÄ ius & AgnÄ— KalvaitytÄ—, 2018. "MANAGERIAL ROLES IN SMEs AND THEIR EFFECT ON PERCEIVED MANAGERIAL EFFECTIVENESS IN LITHUANIA," Organizations and Markets in Emerging Economies, Faculty of Economics, Vilnius University, vol. 9(1).
    8. Czarniawska, Barbara, 2016. "Performativity of social sciences as seen by an organization scholar," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 315-318.
    9. C.M.M. Chin & E.H. Yap & A.C. Spowage, 2011. "Project Management Methodology for University-Industry Collaborative Projects," REVISTA DE MANAGEMENT COMPARAT INTERNATIONAL/REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 12(5), pages 901-918, December.
    10. Ulrich Hommel & Ben Woods, 2021. "Squeezing the Middle: the Consequences of Quality Oversight in Management Education," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 12(1), pages 96-114, March.
    11. Hall, Matthew, 2010. "Accounting information and managerial work," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 28539, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Bat Batjargal, 2000. "Entrepreneurial Versatility, Resources and Firm Performance in Russia: A Panel Study," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series 351, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.
    13. Luks, Fred & Siebenhuner, Bernd, 2007. "Transdisciplinarity for social learning? The contribution of the German socio-ecological research initiative to sustainability governance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2-3), pages 418-426, August.
    14. Luis Filipe Lages & Ana Catarina Leal, 2004. "Determinants of expected short-term export performance improvement: an empirical study of industrial exporters," Nova SBE Working Paper Series wp463, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics.
    15. Saeedeh Ahmadi & Saeed Khanagha & Luca Berchicci & Justin J. P. Jansen, 2017. "Are Managers Motivated to Explore in the Face of a New Technological Change? The Role of Regulatory Focus, Fit, and Complexity of Decision‐Making," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 209-237, March.
    16. Misbah Haque & Imran Ali, 2016. "Uncertain Environment and Organizational Performance: The Mediating Role of Organizational Innovation," Asian Social Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(9), pages 124-124, September.
    17. Vathsala Wickramasinghe & Khaleel Malik, 2018. "University–Industry Collaboration in Sri Lanka — A Developing Country Perspective," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(04), pages 1-28, August.
    18. Annita Nugent & Ho Fai Chan & Uwe Dulleck, 2022. "Government funding of university-industry collaboration: exploring the impact of targeted funding on university patent activity," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(1), pages 29-73, January.
    19. Holwerda, Jacob A., 2021. "Big data? Big deal: Searching for big data’s performance effects in HR," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 64(4), pages 391-399.
    20. Chiara Oppi & Cristina Campanale & Lino Cinquini, 2021. "Il problema dell?ambiguit? nei sistemi di misurazione della performance nel settore pubblico: un?analisi della letteratura internazionale," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2021(2), pages 11-38.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:46:y:2009:i:3:p:516-533. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0022-2380 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.