IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i21p15233-d1266481.html

Harmonizing Science and Society: A Change Management Approach to Align Scientific Endeavors with Societal Needs

Author

Listed:
  • Jason A. Hubbart

    (School of Natural Resources, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA)

Abstract

The pursuit of scientific knowledge has long been humanity’s most potent tool for comprehending the natural world and driving technological advancements. However, a persistent paradox exists within the scientific enterprise: the occasional disconnect, be it slight or complete, between scientific inquiry and tangible societal impact. This misalignment can occur from differences between what may be esoteric scientific priorities and the immediate practical needs of society. Misalignment can be problematic because many global challenges, such as climate change, infectious diseases, and resource scarcity, demand research that informs actionable strategies that more immediately benefit society. The gap between scientific outcomes and societal needs is sometimes broadened via ineffective communication, sensationalized media portrayal of research, and a lack of collaboration. This article is written to (a) articulate a method to ensure that scientific outcomes align with societal needs (in cases where alignment is important) and (b) inspire discussion about the purposefulness of scientific research. An organizational change leadership approach, rooted in business management principles, is presented that can be applied to scientific research to bridge this gap and unlock science’s transformative and tangible potential. This novel approach involves crafting a clear vision, practicing effective communication, empowering researchers, shifting success metrics, and cultivating a research enterprise culture that values societal engagement. An example application is provided to catalyze transformative change in the mining industry. By adopting a change management method, researchers can ensure their work addresses real-world needs, garners stakeholder buy-in, and enhances societal acceptance of scientific endeavors.

Suggested Citation

  • Jason A. Hubbart, 2023. "Harmonizing Science and Society: A Change Management Approach to Align Scientific Endeavors with Societal Needs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-13, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:21:p:15233-:d:1266481
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/21/15233/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/21/15233/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Amy Carrad & Anne-Maree Parrish & Heather Yeatman, 2021. "Building Public Health Capacity through Organizational Change in the Sport System: A Multiple-Case Study within Australian Gymnastics," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-20, June.
    2. Jason A. Hubbart & Elliott Kellner & Fritz Petersen, 2022. "A 22-Site Comparison of Land-Use Practices, E-coli and Enterococci Concentrations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-21, October.
    3. Roan Alexander Snyman, 2022. "Games of Truth in the Age of Transparency: International Organisations and the Construction of Corruption," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(1), pages 83-96, November.
    4. Irene Ramos-Vielba & Pablo D’Este & Richard Woolley & Nabil Amara, 2018. "Introduction to a special section: Balancing scientific and societal impact—A challenging agenda for academic research," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 45(6), pages 749-751.
    5. Jason A. Hubbart, 2021. "Improving Best Management Practice Decisions in Mixed Land Use and/or Municipal Watersheds: Should Approaches Be Standardized?," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-11, December.
    6. Kunle Akingbola & Sean Edmund Rogers & Alina Baluch, 2019. "Change Management in Nonprofit Organizations," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-030-14774-7, January.
    7. Jason A. Hubbart, 2023. "Organizational Change: The Challenge of Change Aversion," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-9, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Aditya Kumar Divyam & Lokesh Jasrai & Vishwas Gupta, 2025. "Corporate social responsibility influencing sustainability within the retail industry: a bibliometric analysis using R," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 22(4), pages 995-1022, December.

    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. Jun-Yi Zheng & Li-Xia Luan & Mei Sun, 2022. "Does the National Fitness Policy Promote National Health?—An Empirical Study from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-20, July.
    2. Stefan P L de Jong & Corina Balaban & Maria Nedeva, 2022. "From ‘productive interactions’ to ‘enabling conditions’: The role of organizations in generating societal impact of academic research [One Size Does Not Fit All! New Perspectives on the University in the Social Knowledge Economy]," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 49(4), pages 643-645.
    3. Orych Maciej & Patora-Wysocka Zofia, 2025. "The Impact of Organizational Learning on Dealing with Crisis Situations in a Logistics Company: Toward Organizational Change," Journal of Intercultural Management, Paradigm, vol. 17(4), pages 80-116.
    4. Begho, Toritseju & Asmare, Fissha & Glenk, Klaus, 2026. "An Assessment of Scottish Farmers’ Orientation Toward Change and Its Association with Future Behavioural Intentions," 100th Annual Conference, March 23-25, 2026, Wadham College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK 397869, Agricultural Economics Society (AES).
    5. Ilona Lipowska & Marcin Lipowski & Dariusz Dudek & Radosław Mącik, 2024. "Switching Behavior in the Polish Energy Market—The Importance of Resistance to Change," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-14, January.
    6. Jappe, Arlette, 2023. "Mergers between universities and governmental research organizations in the Netherlands and Denmark. Institutional platforms for agricultural transformations," SocArXiv 35kfa, Center for Open Science.
    7. Jonna Brenninkmeijer, 2022. "Achieving societal and academic impacts of research: A comparison of networks, values, and strategies [University Research Funding and Publication Performance - an International Comparison]," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 49(5), pages 728-738.
    8. Jason A. Hubbart & Hodjat Ghadimi, 2023. "Regional Wealth Data Acquisition and Modeling: Innovations Needed for Advancement in Sustainable Wealth in Energy-Rich Regions," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, December.
    9. Seyed Ashkan Zarghami, 2024. "The Labyrinth of Corruption in the Construction Industry: A System Dynamics Model Based on 40 Years of Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 195(2), pages 335-352, November.
    10. Nikita Singh & Syanda Alpheous Mthuli, 2021. "The Big Picture of Non-Profit Organisational Sustainability: a Qualitative System Dynamics Approach," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 229-249, June.
    11. Debmalya Mukherjee & Saumyaranjan Sahoo & Satish Kumar, 2023. "Two Decades of International Business and International Management Scholarship on Africa: A Review and Future Directions," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 63(6), pages 863-909, December.
    12. Maria Bårdsen Hesjedal & Heidrun Åm, 2023. "Making sense of transdisciplinarity: Interpreting science policy in a biotechnology centre," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 50(2), pages 219-229.
    13. Gaggia, Francesca & De Feudis, Mauro & Pagliarini, Elia & Trenti, William & Di Gioia, Diana & Vittori Antisari, Livia, 2026. "Water quality of artificial canals used for agricultural purposes affected by urban and agricultural activities through a chemical and microbial perspective," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    14. Bourazzouq, Driss, 2023. "Management of digital transformations in law firms a process marked by ambidexterity," Thesis Commons 72r6n_v1, Center for Open Science.
    15. Susanna Geidne & Aurélie Van Hoye, 2021. "Health Promotion in Sport, through Sport, as an Outcome of Sport, or Health-Promoting Sport—What Is the Difference?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-3, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:21:p:15233-:d:1266481. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask MDPI Indexing Manager to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.