Coping with Recurring Issues in BtoB research : The Sisyphus effect? Or a "rolling stone" Syndrome?

Theory would have it, according to some, that scientific disciplines follow cycles involving phases of soul-searching and radical reformulation of their scientific foundations. This article puts under scrutiny the example of the IMP Group and its evolution in this regard. On the basis of findings - including, for example, the main IMP scientific underpinnings, and an analysis of bibliometric surveys - the underlying specifics of IMP as a research community are discussed, as well as the possible future development of the community. Whilst the IMP community would seem to a large degree to escape the questioning of scientific foundations, it can be seen, however, to be questioning over time fairly systematically its identity, its modus operendi, its style, and the brand it represents, but also how these elements influence its position in today's academic world. Indeed, in the case of IMP the building of a specific theoretical background and the progressive shaping of a research community – the social and the scientific - appear as two totally non-dissociable, intimately interlinked, phenomena. Conclusions tend towards optimism rather than what could be on the surface perceived as pessimism. The robustness and plasticity of the community's theoretical foundations lend themselves to a "rolling stone" effect, where researchers have the latitude and possibility of proposing incremental adjustments to the framework, building and improving on it.