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WhitePaperAVisionofResponsibleResearchinBusinessandManagement:StrivingforcredibleandusefulknowledgeDraftfortargetedconsultation,30November2016(notforpublicdistribution)

CommunityforResponsibleResearchinBusinessandManagement12

EXECUTIVESUMMARYThispaperpresentsavisionofafuture“Vision2030”inwhichbusinessschoolsandscholarsworldwidehavesuccessfullytransformedtheirresearchtowardresponsiblescience3–definedasresearchthatproducescredibleandreliableknowledgewitheitherdirectorindirectusefulnessforaddressingproblemsimportanttobothbusinessandsociety.4Thisvisionisbasedonthebeliefthatbusinessisameansforabetterworld.Thepaperbeginswithasetofprinciplestosupportresponsibleresearch.Then,thepaperoutlinespossibleactionsbydifferentstakeholderstohelpbusinessschoolsandscholarsthatwishtorealizethisvision.Thepaperfurtherexplainstheimpetusfortheproposalbydescribingthecurrentbusinessresearchecosystemandassociatedproblems,drawingonpublishedworkandaDelphisurveyofscholarswhohavewrittenaboutdifferentaspectsofthecurrentresearchchallenges.Themajorchallengeofthecurrentresearchecosystemisthatthepriorityofpublishingintoptierjournalsover-shadowsconsiderationsofbothresearchqualityandsocietalrelevance.Thepaperendswithadiscussionofthe“donothing”optionthatperpetuatesthestatusquo,andacalltoactionfordirectingresearchtowardachievinghumanity'shighestaspirations.Thepaperinvitesdiscussionanddebateonthepossibilityandnecessityofcreatinga“responsibleresearch”ecosystemsothatbusinessandmanagementresearchcanbecomeaforceofchangeforabetterworld.ThisWhitePaperstartsusonajourneytowardasubstantiverethinkingofbusinessandmanagementresearchand,morebroadly,aboutitsevolvingrolesandexpectationsin1TheCommunityforResponsibleResearchinBusinessandManagement(cRRBM)isagroupofscholarsdedicatedtotheadvancementofresponsiblescience–asdefinedinthewhitepaper–inbusinessandmanagementschoolsworldwide.AuthorsofthiswhitepaperarefoundingmembersofcRRBM.Theirnameswithaffiliationsappearattheendofthispaper.Correspondenceemailis:atsui@nd.edu.Thewebsitecrrbm.orgisunderconstruction.2AlthoughtheauthorsarelargelybasedinNorthAmericaandEurope,webelievetheconcernsaddressedinthiswhitepaperhavebroadapplication,astheresearchcommunityinbusinessandmanagement,anditsstandardsforevaluatingresearch,becomeincreasinglyglobal.However,mostoftheauthorshavebeenconnectedandcontributedtoasystemthatisultimatelyflawed.So,thepaperactsasawarningtootherpartsoftheworld-pleasedon'tdotoyourselveswhatwedidtoourselves."3Responsibleorsociallyresponsiblescience(usedinterchangeably)isawell-knownconceptinthephilosophyofsciencecircle(Brown,2013;Kourany,2010,2013).Thebasicargumentisthatbeyondproducingreliableknowledge,scienceshouldbemoresociallyengagedandsociallyresponsiblethanisadvocatedbythevalue-freeideal(Tsui,2016).Responsibleresearchandresponsiblesciencearesynomousideasinthispaper.4Theword‘reliable’referstoresultsthatcanbereproducedinotherstudiesorbyotherresearchers.Theword‘credible’referstoknowledgebasedoncarefullyexecutedresearcheitherquantitativelyorqualitatively,orboth.

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society.Ouraudiencegoesbeyondthehighereducationcommunity,andweinvitebroadparticipationinthisdiscussion.Whilescholars,editors,universitypresidents,deans,professionalassociations,accrediting,fundingagenciesandthepublic(throughthemedia)havefaultedelementsofthecurrentbusinessresearchecosystem,Vision2030portraysapromisingfutureandadvocatesprinciplesthatunderpinitsultimatesuccess.VISION2030In2030,businessandmanagementschoolsworldwidearetheenvyofothersocialsciencedisciplinesintheuniversities.Researchistimelyandcuttingedge,producingwell-groundedknowledgeonpressingproblems.Bothschoolsandscholarsarecommittedtotheprinciplesofresponsibleresearch,whichareembeddedinthecorecurriculumofdoctoraleducation.Researchhashelpedorganizationsandcommunitiesofallkindstodevelopeffectivesystemsleadingtohigheconomicperformance,greatinnovations,positiveemployeeandcustomerwellbeing,acleanenvironment,andstrongcommunities.Policymakersroutinelyseektheguidanceofbusinessacademicsindevelopingpoliciesthatpromotevibrantsocio-economicsystemsfortheirconstituents.Manyschoolshaveafocusedareaofresearchwheretheyexcelandarecentersofexcellencearoundtheirchosenareasoffocus.Manyschoolshavecontributedvaluableknowledgetosupporthumanity’shighestaspirations,e.g.,povertyalleviation;accesstofood,cleanwater,andeducation;agreenenvironment,genderandsocialequality;economicgrowthandfairwealthdistribution.Businessleadersandgovernmentofficialsarefrequentguestsinbusinessandmanagementschools,seekingadviceonpoliciesandofferingsupportforresearchonissuesthatneedunderstanding.Businessandmanagementresearchisamodelof“responsibleresearch”afteramajortransformationthatbeganin2017.A.BACKGROUND

Businessandmanagementresearchershaveauniquecapacitytoguidetheactionsoforganizationalleaderstocreateaprosperousandsustainablefuture.Researchisacoreactivityofmostuniversity-basedbusinessandmanagementschools.5Yetboththequalityandrelevanceofresearchinbusinessschoolshasbeenunderattackformorethantwodecades.6Theseattackscanbesummarizedintermsoftwocoreissues.Thefirstconcernsthequalityofresearch,withthepotentialtothreatentheintegrityofscience.Thesystemofincentivesthatencouragespublicationsinasmallsetofelitejournalsandvaluesnoveltyforitsownsakehasfueledunreliableresearchfindingsandlittlecumulation.Thesecond

5Werecognizethenuanceddifferencebetweenbusinessandmanagementschoolswiththelatterlessweddedtoacapitalistmodelandmorefocusedonpublicandthirdsectorbodiesandothermarketmechanisms.Inthispaper,weusethetwotermsinterchangeablybecausea)weseetheresearchissuesasconsistentbetweentheseschoolsandb)becausethereisgooddegreeofcorrelationbetweenthem,especiallyintermsofvisionandproductportfolios.6Forexample,DonHambrick’s(1994)presidentialaddressatthe1993AcademyofManagementannualmeetingisoftencitedasthebeginningofthisconversationinthemanagementfield.

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coreissueisthewideninggapbetweenresearchandpractice,withbusinessresearchincreasinglydivorcedfromtherealworld.Becauseresearchisevaluatedprimarilyonthebasisofitsimpactonsubsequentresearchratherthanonitsabilitytoaddressrealworldproblems,itslinktopracticeismuted.7Thetwocoreproblemsareinter-connected,asthesocietalrelevanceofresearchdependsonreliableknowledge.Relevanceismootwhenqualityisindoubt.Responsibleresearchisaboutbothreliableandusefulknowledge.

Researchinbusinessschoolsiscostly,andbusinessschoolsfacecompetitionfromlow-costalternativeeducationprovidersthatarenotburdenedbytheexpenseofresearch.8Resourceproviders,includingstudents,donors,legislators,andfundingagencies,deservetounderstandhowbusinessresearchprovidesabenefittosociety.Webelieveitistimetoreorienttheresearchecosystemwiththeaimtoproducemoreactionableandreliableknowledgeforbetterbusinessandmanagementpracticesandultimatelyabetterworldwithasustainablefuture.Itistimetoreclaimthehighgroundforbusinessandmanagementresearch.ThisWhitePaperstartsusonajourneytowardasubstantiverethinkingofbusinessandmanagementresearchand,morebroadly,aboutitsevolvingrolesandexpectationsinsociety.Ouraudiencegoesbeyondthehighereducationcommunity,andweinvitebroadparticipationinthisdiscussion.Whilescholars,editors,universitypresidents,deans,professionalassociations,accreditingassociations,fundingagencies,andthepublic(e.g.,media)havefaultedelementsofthecurrentbusinessresearchecosystem,Vision2030portraysapromisingfutureandadvocatesprinciplesthatunderpinitsultimatesuccess.B.PRINCIPLESOFRESPONSIBLERESEARCHIn2030,thebusinessandmanagementresearchcommunityisbuildingasoundbodyofknowledgethatservessociety.Todevelopasharedpurpose,manybusinessandmanagementschoolshaveadoptedthesevenguidingprinciplesofresponsibleresearch.Principle1–ServicetoSociety:Businessresearchaimstodevelopknowledgethatbenefitsbusinessandthebroadersociety,locallyandglobally,fortheultimatepurposeofcreatingabetterworld.

Implication:Researchshouldaimbothtosystematizeknowledgeofbestpractices,currentandpast,andtoguidepracticebycreatingknowledgebasedoncurrentandfuturescenarios.Businesseducationmustnotfocusonlyonknowledgeofthepast,becausebusinessstudentsneedknowledge,skills,andvaluesrelevanttoboth

7Manyarticleshavebeenwrittenreflectingonandcriticizingtheproblemsofboththequalityandrelevanceofresearchinthebusinessdisciplines.Apartiallistofsucharticles(AppendixA)isavailableonwww.crrbm.org.8Onestudy(Terwiesch&Ulrich,2014),onthecostofMBAeducation,estimatedthatanA-journalarticlecostsabout$400,000ofinvestmentinfacultytimeandresearchsupport.https://mackinstitute.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Terwiesch_Ulrich_Threat-and-Opportunity-of-MOOCs-for-MBA-Programs.pdf

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managinginthecurrentcontextanddealingwithemergingchanges.Principle2–StakeholderInvolvement:Businessandmanagementschoolsvaluetheinvolvementofstakeholderswhoplaycriticalrolesatvariousstagesofthescientificprocess,fromselectingproblemstostudytocreatingimpactonpractice.

Implication:Theresearchecosystemconsistsofmanyparticipantsincludingtheresearcherswhoserveastheproducersofknowledgeandtheevaluatorsofresearchoutputs.Otherstakeholdersincludejournaleditors,tenureandpromotioncommitteemembers,schoolleadership,directorsofPhDprograms,accreditationagencies,fundingorganizations,rankingpublishers,andbusinessleadersandstudentsasbeneficiariesofknowledge.Businessandmanagementschoolscanbenefitfrom“co-creation”ofknowledgewithbusinessesandotherorganizationssuchasNGOs,governments,andsocialenterprises.

Principle3–ImpactonStakeholders:Businessandmanagementschoolsmeasureandrewardresearchthathasapositiveimpactondiversestakeholders,especiallyrecognizingtheimportanceforbusinessandsociety.

Implication:Businessandmanagementschoolsrecognizethatthepublicationitselfisnottheoutcomeortheendgoal,butastepinthejourneytoscholarlyand/orsocietalimpact.Assessingimpactmayrequiremultiplepapers,disseminationoffindingstonon-academiccircles,andtrackingwhethercompanies,communitiesorpolicymakersbenefitfromthisprogramofresearch.Impactalsoincludesteachingofthefindingsfromevidence-basedresponsiblescienceinundergraduate,masters,doctoral,andexecutiveeducationprograms.Promotionandtenurerequirementsreflectthisrequirementtoinstitutionalizeimpactonsociety.

Principle4–ValuingBothBasicandAppliedContributions:Businessschooldeans,journaleditors,andotherstakeholdersrespectandrecognizecontributionsinboththeoreticalandappliedresearch.

Implication:Theoriesareimportanttoguideourcollectiveunderstandingofphenomenaandpatterns,addressingissuessuchascompensationandgovernance(economics,finance,management)orcustomerserviceandfulfillment(marketing,operations,informationsystems).Integratingtheory-andpractice-ledproblemsinbusinessschoolresearchwillenhanceitsutilityforstakeholderswhosupportthisresearch.

Principle5–ValueofPluralityandMultidisciplinaryCollaboration:Businessschooldeans,seniorleadership,journaleditors,fundingagenciesandaccreditationagenciesvaluediversityinresearchthemes,methods,formsofscholarship,typesofinquiry,andespeciallyinterdisciplinarycollaborativeresearchtoreflectthepluralityandcomplexityofsocietalproblems.

Implication:Businessandmanagementresearchsupportspluralisminitstheories,

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groundedindifferentassumptionsabouthumannature,amultiplicityofsocialrealities,andalternativemodelsofbusinessanditsroleinsociety.Idea-rich,in-depthethnographicstudiesofcorporatepracticesyieldingreflectiveandimaginativethinkingthatmaycontributetonewtheorizingisasvaluableasquantitativestudies.Intheglobalcontext,businessandmanagementresearchvaluesboth“global”and“local”knowledgedevelopment.Duetothecomplexityofproblemsinbusinessandsociety,stakeholdersvalueandrewardinterdisciplinaryresearchnotonlywithinbusinessdisciplinesbutacrossbusinessandothersocialsciencedisciplinesaswellasengineering,medicine,education,orhumanities.

Principle6-ReliableKnowledge:Businessresearchimplementssoundscientificmethodsandprocesses.

Implication:Therobustnessofempiricalworkinbusinessresearchshouldtakeintoaccountemergingpracticesingoodscience.Forexample,researchpracticesthatvaluereplication,falsification,andreproducibilityshouldbeencouraged.Journalsandprofessionalassociationsadoptpracticessuchasopendataandsoftwarecoderepositories,conflictofinterestdisclosures,disclosureofdatause,andtransparencyofsampleconstructionandmeasures,amongothers.Similarexpectationsapplytoin-depth,ethnographicfieldstudies.Theexpectationofdatatransparencymightreducethevolumeofstudiesgenerated,butcouldimprovethequalityandcomprehensivenessofstudiesbydiscouragingdataslicingandotherquestionablepractices.Mathematicalmodelsarecalibratedusingrealdataandassumptionsareultimatelyvalidatedusingempiricalevidence.

Principle7–BroadDissemination:Businessandmanagementschoolsvaluediverseformsofknowledgedisseminationthatcollectivelyadvancebasicknowledgeandpractice.

Implication:Thedigitizationoftheglobaleconomyhassuggestednewformsofdisseminationofresearchfindings,includingsocialmedia.Businessschoolshaveopportunitiestoimprovethevisibilityofongoingresearchthroughopenmodelsofpublishing,aswellasdrawinginsightsinsimpleandpowerfulwaystoinfluencethetargetaudienceorstakeholdercommunities.Atthesametime,were-affirmthecentralityofrigorouspeerreviewforbuildingreliableknowledge.

C.POSSIBLEACTIONSTOWARDVISION2030Actingontheseprinciplesrequireschangingincentivesystemsatalllevels:individualfaculty,journals,andschools.Proclaimingprinciplesisnotsufficient:weneedtochangetheecosystemofresearchsothatindividualresearchersarerewardedformakingprogresstowardtheachievementofourhighergoals.Thus,torealizeVision2030andtopursueresponsibleresearchwillrequireconcurrentandcoordinatedactionsacrossallrelevantstakeholdergroupswiththecommongoalofvaluingrigorousscholarshipresultinginactionableknowledge.Wesuggestafewpossibleactionsbythekeystakeholdersoftheresearchfunctionofbusinessschools.

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1.JournalEditorsandPublishers

a.Encourageandpublishresearchthataddressesproblemsimportanttobusinessandsociety,problemsthatarecomplexandspandisciplinaryboundaries.

b.Emphasizeresearchcontext,importantphenomena,andtheirimplicationsforimpactonbroaderstakeholdercommunities,whiledevelopinggeneralizabletheoriesandinsights.

c.Publishreplications,negativefindings,andnonsignificantfindingsforrobustknowledgethatchallengespositiveortheory-supportingfindings.

d.Formamutuallysupportivecommunityofeditorstopledgeacommitmenttothepracticeofresponsiblescienceintheirjournals.

2.ScholarlyAssociationLeaders

a.Reinforceprofessionalcommitment,amongbothcurrentandnewmembers,toahigheraimofservicetosocietyandhumanity.

b.Identifyandsharewithmembersthegrandchallengesinbusinessandsocietyandinprofessionalpracticesasopportunitiesforresearchwithimpact.

c.Strengthenandactivelypromoteappliedandimpactfulresearchintheirmissionstatements.

d.Encourageandpromoteinter-disciplinaryresearch.3.UniversityLeaders,Deans,AssociateDeans,DepartmentHeads,SeniorScholars

a.Developavisionandastrategytoencouragefacultytoworkonresearchthatwouldmakeapositivedifferenceinpracticeandinsociety.

b.Designpromotionandtenurecriteriathatvalueresearchofferingreliableincrementalknowledgeaswellasriskygroundbreakingresearchwithpotentialorimmediatescholarlyandsocietalimpact.

c.Expandthemetricsforassessingresearchcontributionsatthedepartmentandschoollevelstoincludebothscholarlyandprofessional-practicalimpact.

d.RevampthePhDprogrambyprovidingtrainingonresponsibleresearchtonewgenerationsofbusinessandmanagementsocialscientists.

4.BusinessSchoolAssociationsandAccreditingAgencies

a. Includepolitical,cultural,business,societalandpedagogicimpactofresearchinassessmentstandards.

b. Convenedeansandacademicleaderstodiscussresponsibleresearchandtheproposedprinciples.

c. Collectanddisseminatebusinesseducationintelligenceonschoolbasedresponsibleresearchtoassistbenchmarkingbyschools.

d. Documentandsharethebestpracticesinresponsibleresearch.e. Workwithleadingdeans,scholars,employers,andprospectivestudentsto

persuadethebusinessschoolrankingpublisherstoincludebothscholarlyandappliedjournalsinevaluatingresearchqualityandimpact.

5.FundingAgenciesandGovernment

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a. Broadenthecriteriaforfundingdecisionstoincludeanticipatedsocietalimpactinadditiontointellectualmerit.9

b. Governmentorpublicfundingorganizationsexpandthecriteriaforassessingresearchaccomplishmentbyincludingthecriterionofsocietalimpact.10

c. Fundingagencies,public(e.g.,NSF,EU)orprivate(e.g.,Ford,Templeton),canissuecallsforresearchorprovidegrantsontopicsthatrelatetothegrandchallengesinbusinessandsociety.

6.Scholars

a. Committopursuescholarshipthatcontributestoreliableknowledge,protectstheintegrityofscience,andgivesprioritytoproblemsthatarerelevantforbusinessandimportanttosociety.

b. Engageinresponsiblereviewofotherscientists’manuscriptsusingrelevantepistemiccriteriatoevaluatethequalityoftheworkandrelevantsocialcriteriatoassessthepotentialsocialimpactofthefindings.

c. Whenevaluatingandrewardingthescientificaccomplishmentsofindividualscholars,engageinactualevaluationoftheimportanceoftheideasandqualityoftheknowledgeproduced,donotrelyonlyonproxies(i.e.,readthematerialsanddonotjustcountthenumberofarticlesinadefinedsetofjournals).

d. Followtheprinciplesofresponsiblescienceinallscholarlyactivitiesintheirrolesasauthors,reviewers,editors,educators,andevaluationcommitteemembers.

7.OtherExternalStakeholders(businesses,socialorganizations,alumni,students,society)

a. Asrecipientsofknowledgefromresearch,membersofsocietyinbothcommercialandnon-commercialsectorscansharetheirchallengesaspotentialsubjectsortopicsofbusinessandmanagementresearch.

b. Articulateandsensitizeresearcherstothechallengesfacedbyorganizations,andassistinframingimportantresearchproblemsthataredirectlyrelevanttobusinessandsociety.

c. Sharedataandallowaccesstodatacollectionsites,whichfacilitatecollectionofreliableempiricalevidencetosolvesocietalandorganizationalproblems.

d. Provideexamplesofbestpracticesinbusinessandmanagementandopentheirorganizationstosupportresponsiblescienceforthebettermentofsocieties.

8.CoordinatedCommitmentMechanisms9TheU.S.NationalScienceFoundationhasadded“broaderimpactscriterion”initsreviewofproposals.https://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/special/broaderimpacts/10TheUKResearchExcellenceFramework(2014)placed20%weightonsocietalimpactinassessinguniversitiesresearchprograms.http://www.ref.ac.uk/pubs/2011-01/.TheUKSternReport(2016)(https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/541338/ind-16-9-ref-stern-review.pdf)callsforabroadeningoftherdefinitionofimpacttoembracepublicengagement,cultureandpedagogyaswellasthetraditionalemphasisonpolicyandapplications.ItadvisesthatimpactandresearchenvironmentbecombinedinthenextREFassessmenttoform35%oftheweighting.

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Thesuccessoftheactionsofeachstakeholderwillrequirethesupportofsimilarlyorientedactionsbyallstakeholders.Coordinatedactionswithafocusonresponsiblescienceinbusinessandmanagementwillhaveagreaterpromiseofsuccess.Belowwesuggestafewexamplesofsuchcoordinatedcommitmentmechanisms.

a.Commitmentto“responsibleresearch”byallscholar-scientistsThecoreresponsibilityfortheproductionofrelevantoractionableknowledgerestswiththecommunityofscholar-scientistsworkinginbusinessandmanagementschoolsaswellasalliedsocialsciencedisciplinessuchaseconomics,sociology,psychology,education,communications,anthropology,orpoliticalscience.Theirpersonalcommitmenttoengageinresponsiblescienceiscentraltothetransformationofresearchfromthecurrentfocusonpublicationsandcareerstoafocusonknowledgeaimingforsocialimpact.Weseekcommitmentfromresearchscholarstoupholdresponsiblescience,byjoiningthe“CommunityforResponsibleResearchinBusinessandManagement(CRRBM)”.ThewebsiteforCRRBMwillhostthiswhitepaper,apagetopledgesupporttothesevenprinciplesofresponsibleresearchandaninteractivesectiontoshareideasandexchangeresources.Thevisionistoadvancethelong-termgoaloftransformingbusinessandmanagementresearchtowardbothrigorinscholarshipandrelevancetopractice.

b.Commitmentto“responsibleresearch”byleadingbusinessschoolsaroundtheworld

Weseethepowerofagroupofleadingbusinessschoolsaroundtheworldcommittedtotheprinciplesofresponsiblescience.Whentopschoolsserveasrolemodels,otherschoolswillfollow.Thetopschoolshaveboththedutyandthestatustoleadtheefforttoincreasethesocietalrelevanceoftheirresearch.Theseleadingbusinessschoolscanpartnerwithaccreditationagenciestosharebestpracticesinfacultydevelopmentandevaluationaswellasdoctoraleducationthatwilladvanceresponsiblescience.Weseethepotentialofaconsortiumofleadingbusinessschoolsthatpledgetosharebestpracticesusingtheplatformofdeans’conferencesorganizedbytheaccreditationagenciesaroundtheworld.

c.Commitmentto“responsibleresearch”byprofessionalassociationsofalldisciplines

Thevalueoftheleadershipofprofessionalassociationsofthedisciplinesofthebusinessandmanagementschools,includingaccounting,finance,informationsystems,humanresourcemanagement,marketing,strategy,supplychainandoperationsmanagement,tosupporttheprinciplesof“responsibleresearch”cannotbeoverestimated.Suchsocietiescanpublishjointguidelinesforresponsiblesciencesuchasmetricsformeasuringresearchqualitythatdonotrelyonjournals’impactfactoraloneandmetricsformeasuringsocietalimpactwithoutintrudingintotheacademicfreedomofscholars.Theycanpromotethevalueofservicetosociety,includingdiscoveringknowledgeusefulforpractice.Theycanencouragetheirjournalstopublishresearchonimportantsocietalproblemslikethe“grandchallenges”thathaveguidedengineeringandhealthsciencesresearchoverthepastdecade.Theycanjointlyencouragebusinessschoolstoreducethesiloofdisciplinaryjournalpreferenceandrewardresearchthatcrossesdisciplinaryboundaries.

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D.THECURRENTBUSINESSSCHOOLRESEARCHECOSYSTEMWhyistheaboveproposalnecessary?Whatledtothedesiretointroduceresponsibleresearchinbusinessschools?Theimpetusforourproposalcamefromwitnessingabroadcrisisofcredibilityinsciencetoday.Thiscrisishastwoparts.Thefirstisthequestionofrelevance,whichisthemainfocusofthispaper.Thesecondisthequestionofintegrity.Thecredibilityoftheknowledgepublishedinjournalsisindoubt.Withouttheassuranceofcredibleresearchfindings,thequestionofrelevanceisirrelevant.Below,wefirstbrieflydiscusstheintegrityproblemfollowedbytherelevanceproblem.1.Researchcredibilityincrisis,ageneralprobleminscienceFromfundingagenciesandlegislatorstocitizensonthestreet,theintegrityofthescientificenterpriseisundersiege.AwidelyreportedstudypublishedinScience(LaCour&Green,2014)claimedthatpublicopinion on controversial issues could be changed through face-to-facecanvassing.Withinweeksthearticlehadtoberetractedwhenotherinvestigatorsdiscoveredthatthedatahadbeenfabricatedbyoneoftheauthors.Otherproblemsarisefromthescientificpublicationprocessitself.Anarticletitled“Whymostpublishedresearchfindingsarefalse”(Ioannidis,2005)describeshowstandardpracticesinresearchcreateabiastowardexaggeratedfindingsthatareoften,essentially,flukes.Becausejournalsfavorpositivefindingsoverreplicationsornullresults,flukesareregularlypublishedandfailtobedislodged.Thus,amorerecentstudy(OpenScienceCollaboration,2015)aimingtoreproducethefindingsof100articlespublishedinelitepsychologyjournalsreportedthatmostofthesefindingsfailedtoreplicate.Inevitably,otherresearchersclaimedthatthereplicationsthemselveswereflawed.Inlightofthesecontroversies,thepublichasreasontoquestionhowmuchcredibilitytogivetothepublishedrecord.Theseproblemsareespeciallyperniciousinfieldswherescienceguidespractice,suchasmedicine.AccordingtotheeditoroftheBritishMedicalJournal(Crowe,2016),“Drugswithharmsareusedandpatientsareunawareofthoseharms.Devicesthatshouldn’tbeonthemarketareonthemarket.Soyes,wedoknowthatpatientsareharmed,andweknowthatthehealthsystemsareharmedasaresultofpoorscience.”Thescienceinbusinessschoolshasbeencriticizedforthesegeneraltrendsalso.Scholarshavedocumentedtheprevalenceofquestionableresearchpracticesandfoundmanyconclusionsinthepublishedworkarenottobetrusted.Ironically,thismaybeablessingindisguise.Likemedicine,prescribingpracticesbasedonbadresearchcandomoreharmthangood.Thankfully,effortsareunderwayinthenaturalandsocialsciences,aswellasinthebusinessdisciplines,topromotereplicablescienceandtorestoreintegritytotheprocessofscientificpublication.112.Businessschoolresearchintheuniversity

11Alistofsuchefforts“Initativestochangethestatusquo”(AppendixB)isavailableonwww.crrbm.org.Forexample,StrategicManagementJournal(Bettis,etal.,2016)willpublishreplicationstudies,ManagementandOrganizationReview(Lewin,etal.,2016)willofferpreapprovalforstudies,drawingonthemodelofregisteredreportsinthenaturalandsocialsciences.

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Professionalschoolsinuniversitieshaveamissionofprovidingeducationguidedbyresearch.Schoolsoflaw,medicine,socialwork,engineering,education,andotherprofessionalschoolsbothdrawonandcontributetoresearchinthenaturalandsocialsciences.Academicsinschoolsofeducation,forinstance,relyonresearchincognitiveanddevelopmentalpsychologytodevelopandevaluateeducationalpractices.Aspartofthebroaderuniversity,professionalschoolsserveasabridgebetweenscienceandpractice.Graduatesofschoolsofeducationandsocialworkaretrainedforspecificprofessions.Lawandmedicalschoolsequiptheirgraduateswiththeskillstopassrigorouscertificationexamsbeforegoingintopractice.Businessschoolsaredistinctivebecausetheirconstituenciesarebroadanddiffuse.Countlesspeoplegointobusinesswithnospecializedtraining.“Business”canmeananythingfromasmallretailshoptoamultinationalcorporation.Therangeofideasthatcanberesearchedandtaughtinbusinessschoolsiscorrespondinglyvast.Businessschoolgraduatescangoontoworkinestablishedbusinesses,starttheirownenterprise,orworkinfinance,consulting,orotherdomains,includingpublicserviceandthenon-profitsector.Asaresult,thequestionofthe“relevance”ofbusinessschoolresearchisaconundrum. Intheearlydays,fellowacademicsviewedbusinessschoolresearchastooappliedinitsorientation,andtheysawbusinessschoolsasessentiallyvocationaltrainingcenters.ThisledtothefamousGordonandHowellreportin1959,fundedbytheFordandCarnegieFoundations,abouttheneedtoimprovethescientificrigorofbusinessschoolresearch.Businessschoolsbegantohireeconomists,psychologists,andsociologiststoimprovethescientificrigoroftheirstudies.Subsequently,concernsforrigoroftenovertookquestionsofrelevance.Businessscholarsareencouragedtoaimtheirworkatthemostscientificallyrigorousjournals,especiallythosereceivingthegreatestnumberofcitations,whichcomeprimarilyfrompeeracademicjournals.Further,mostbusinessandmanagementresearchersarenotdependentonresearchgrantstiedtosocietalimpact.Thiscreatesanexaggeratedemphasisoncitation-basedmetricsasthegoldstandardforresearchquality.12Books,chaptersandreports,whichwerenotasamenabletothesemetrics,areoftendevaluedrelativetoarticlesinArankedscientificjournals.EmphasisoncitationbasedmetricsandAjournalsreinforcesthesolefocusontheacademicaudienceandfeedsthetendencyofscientisticwritingstyleandselectionoftopics.Suchjournalarticlesareofteninaccessibletopractitioners,andpeopleinbusinessoftenfindbusinessschoolresearchtobetooobscuretobeputintopractice.Yetbusinessschoolresearchhasthepotentialtoserveasacredible,neutralsourcethatcaninformsolutionstothepressingbusinessorsocialissuesofourtimeandtosuggestpracticesthatgenerateprosperity.Itcanoccupy“Pasteur’squadrant”:basicresearchinspiredbyuse.

12Ithasbeenpointedoutinthescientificcommunitiesthatthequalityofthejournaldoesnotimplythequalityofthepaperspublishedinit(seeSanFranciscoDeclarationofResearchAssessment.2012,http://www.ascb.org/dora/),thus,journalquality(e.g.,citationrateofthejournal)shouldnotbeusedasasurrogateforthequalityofindividualarticlesorindividualscientists’contributions.Itisfurtherrecognizedthatcitationscanbemanipulatedandmaynotbetherightmeasureofjournalquality(Davis,2014).

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3.Diagnosingtheproblem–insightsfromaDelphistudyIfbusinessschoolresearchhassuchgreatpotential,thenwhyisitspromisenotfulfilled?Foramoresystematicdiagnosis,wecarefullyreadthepublishedworkdiscussingbusinessschool’sresearchproblem,andconductedaDelphisurveyofscholars,deans,representativesofaccreditationbodies,andasampleofinternationalauthorswhohavewrittenaboutthisproblem.Thirty-twoparticipantsrespondedtofouropen-endedquestionsandtwenty-sevenofthese32completedasecondroundofastructuredsurveyconsistingofstatementssynthesizedfromtheresponsestotheopen-endedquestionsinthefirstround.13Theresultsidentifiedgapsbetweenwhereweareandwhereweshouldbeacrossseveraldomains.

a.Whatarethemajorissuesinourcurrentresearch?ThecurrentmostpressingproblemsidentifiedintheDelphistudyaftertworoundsofsurveyarethree:(1)Currentresearchdoesnotproduceknowledgerelevantforbusinesspractices.(2)AstrongorientationtowardA-rankedjournalsdistortsincentivestowardsanarrowfocusandexcludesmanyimportantpapersthatarepublishedinlesser-rankedjournals.(3)Anoveremphasisontheory(whichironicallydiscouragesthedevelopmentofnewtheories)leadstoafocusonformmorethansubstance;biasagainstnegativefindings;andlessvalueplacedoninter-disciplinary,problem-solvingresearchandnon-mainstreamtopics.Contentsoftextbookslagbehindthecurrentchallengesofallstakeholders.Thisdiagnosisconfirmsourcurrentknowledge,butitcertainlydoesnotfitalldisciplinesandallscholarsinthebusinessschool.Forexample,somefinanceresearchhasrevolutionizedfinancialpractice(albeitnotalwayswithapositiveimpactonsociety),contributionsinoperationsmanagementhavehelpedvastlyimprovebusinessefficiencyandeffectiveness,andtherearefacultymembersinalldisciplinesworkingonproblemswithimmediatepolicyaspirations.Buttoomanyresearchersinbusinessschoolswritethenext“metoo”papers,whileresearchonimportantpracticaltopicsinappliedoutletsdonotgetthesamevaluationaspapersintopjournals.Afailingacrossallthebusinessdisciplinesisthatwehavenotexplicitlyrecognizedthatthegoalofdoingresearchistomakebusinessandsocietybetter,ratherthansimplypublishinginsomewhere“good”orsomewherethat“counts”.

b.Whobenefitsfromourresearch?Currently,researchprimarilybenefitstheresearcherswhodoit(forcareeradvancement)andthosewhoreadit,whichconsistsprimarilyofotherscholars.Articlesarerecognizedforbeinginterestingornovelratherthanprovidingactionableinsights.Thereislowprioritygiventohowresearchcouldbenefitbusinessandthebroadersociety,includingemployees,customers,andcommunities.13ThefullDelphireport(AppendixC)isavailableonwww.crrbm.org.

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c.Whatkindsoftopicsarewestudying?Moreoftenthannot,thechoiceoftopicsisdrivenlargelybythepriorliteratureanditsgaps,regardlessoftheimportanceofthetopictotheworldatlarge.Topicsarealsooftenguidedbytheavailabilityofdatasuitableforanalysisandpublication.Thisoftenlimitsresearchtoorganizationsthatarerequiredtodiscloseinformationonaregularbasis,inparticular,exchange-listedcorporations.Yetithasbeenobservedthatpublicfirmsareondecline,andmostoftheworld’seconomiesdonothaveastockexchange,andmanyofthosethatdohavecreatedthemonlywithinthepastthreedecades.Experimentalresearchoftenfavorstopicsthatcanbestudiedinalabusingundergraduatestudents.Finally,businessschoolresearchoftentakestheformof“bite-sizedchunks”thatcanbeconductedinafewmonthsandconveyedinashortarticle.Booksareoftennotvaluedbypersonnelevaluationcommittees.Large-scaleprojectsareseldompursued.

d.WhattopicsSHOULDbusinessschoolresearchfocuson?TheDelphirespondentsexpressedsignificantconsensusonadelimitedsetofbigtopicsframedas“grandchallenges”.Thefivetopicsreceivingthegreatestassentincluded,orderedfromafocusonthefirmtothesociety:

1. Understandingthebroaderimpactoffirmsonsociety,beyondthecreationofshareholdervalue.

2. Understandingthechangingnatureofworkandtheworkforce,aswellasthechangingnatureofconsumersandtheirroleinco-creatingvalue.

3. Examiningthesocialsustainabilityofworkorganizations,includingtheimpactofworkandorganizationsonthehealthandwellbeingofemployees,customers,andsociety.

4. Enhancingenvironmentalsustainability,managingtheuseofnaturalresources,reducingnegativeenvironmentalimpact.

5. Alleviatingpoverty,creatinggreaterprosperity,andreducingeconomicinequality,bothlocallyandglobally.

TheabovetopicsmayreflectthedisciplinarybackgroundrepresentedbytherespondentsbuttheyalignwellwiththeUnitedNation’sSustainableDevelopmentGoals,andtheWorldEconomicForum’sGlobalRisksreports(2014to2016)identifyingincomedisparity,unemploymentandunderemployment,assetbubbles,andfailureoffinancialinstitutionsasthemajoreconomicrisks.Recenteffortsinmanagement,especiallytheSpecialResearchForumonGrandChallengesinManagement,serveasanexemplarforbusinessschoolresearchtacklingsocietallyrelevantproblems.144.TheunderlyingresearchecosystemanditsequilibriumWhyistheresuchagapbetweenwhatbusinessschoolresearchcoulddoandwhatitactuallydoes?TheinsightsgainedfromtheDelphistudyhelpusidentifypointsofleverage14GrandChallengesinManagementappearsintheDecember2016issue(volume59,issue6)oftheAcademyofManagementJournal.AlsoseeintroductiontotheforumbyGeorge,Howard-Grenvillle,Joshi,andTihanyi(2016).

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andprovideamapoftheacademiccareersystemandtheincentivesitprovidesaroundresearch.Therelevantactors,theirprioritiesandinter-relationshipsamongtheactorsconstitutetheresearchecosystem.Theactorsincluderesearchers;journals,editorsandtheireditorialboards;facultyevaluationcommitteesandseniorfacultyateachschool;deans,provostsandpresidents;fundingagencieslikeNSF,NIH,orprivatefoundations;schooloruniversityrankingpublisherssuchasBusinessWeekandFinancialTimes;andbusinessschoolassociationssuchasEFMD,AACSB,CEEMAN,AMBA.Wemustalsoincludepractitionersandpolicymakersaspartoftheecosystem.Theyarethe“consumers”ofourproducts(knowledgefromresearch)andservices(teachingandconsulting).Withinthissystem,thejournalarticleistheessentialunitofcurrency.Facultymembersareevaluatedonthebasisoftheirpublicationsinasmallsetofelitejournals,definedby“impactfactor”(despitedoubtonitsvalueasanaccuratemeasureofquality)oritsappearanceonagreedlistsoftopjournals(e.g.,theFinancialTimes50,whichalsohasconcernsonthepoliticalnatureofjournalselection).Schoolsthemselvesareevaluatedinpartontheirfaculty’srecordofpublicationinthesejournals.Prospectivefacultymembers,inturn,weighjobopportunitiesonthebasisofschools’reputations,basedinpartonpublicationrecords.Thus,thosewhowanttoberewardedorienttheirworktowardtheperceivedstandardsofelitejournaleditorsandreviewers.Thesestandards,inturn,reflectthevaluesofeditorialboardmembers,whotendtobeaccomplishedscholarswhohavebeensuccessfulinthecurrentsystembasedontheirpublicationsinthelistofelitejournals.Takentogether,wehaveachievedequilibriumwhereonesetofactionssupportsanothersetofactionsinareciprocalandmutuallyreinforcingway.However,thisequilibriumreflectsthelocalisolationofacademicsandacleardisconnectfromthesocietyembeddingtheresearchecosystem.Thelocalizedequilibriumhasledtoquestionsonbothscientificcredibilityandthesocietalvalueoftheresearch.Itshouldbeapparentthatsystemicchangeinthisequilibriumisdifficult,asanychangewillrequirecoordinatedactionsbykeyactorsinalltherelevantdecisionposts:deansandevaluationcommittees;journaleditorsandboards;fundingagencies;andaccreditationbodies.Noneofthemcandoitalone.Supposethatavisionarydeandecidedtoencourageadifferent,more“responsible”kindofworkthatwasnotcurrentlyrewardedbyelitejournals.Facultymightthenaimtheirpublicationsatlesserjournals(orevenbooks!),whichwouldharmtheschool’sreputation,makingitdifficulttohiretopscholarsandperhapsharmingtheschool’saccreditationandfunding.Orsupposethatavisionaryeditorofanelitejournalsoughttobreakawayfromthepackandpublishmoreresponsibleresearch.S/heislikelytofindthatboththeassociateeditorsandtheeditorialboardarenotenthusiasticaboutabandoningthestandardsinwhichtheyhavebeentrained(suchascontributiontotheory,sophisticatedstatistics,novelty).Evenifaneditorweresuccessfulinreplacingtheentireteamwithmoremalleablescholars,theresultisalmostcertaintobeadeclineinimpactandreputationofthejournalanditsremovalfromtheelitelist.Orimaginethatanaccreditingbodysoughttoradicallychangeitsstandards,withouttheparticipationoffaculty,deans,andjournaleditors.Muchthesameproblemarises,andit’seasytoimaginethatanewaccreditorwouldquicklyarisetotakeitsplace.Systemicchangerequirescoordinatedaction.Withoutit,independentstakeholderattemptswilllikelyfail.

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E.CONCLUSION:SCIENCEFORABETTERWORLDThecurrentsystemisfallingshortoffulfillingourcollectivepotential.But,wearenotsuggestingthatweshouldstoppublishinginthetopjournals,norshouldwemutecontributionstotheory.Wearesayingthattopjournalsarenottheonlyvenuethroughwhichtoshareourimportantdiscoveriesandshouldnotbeouronlyaspiration.Thegoalforresearchersandtheirinstitutionsshouldbesocietalimpact,notsimplypublicationsinasmallsetofjournalswithlimitedreadership.Thereareotherappropriateoutletslikebooks,specialtyorappliedjournals,andtheincreasinglyimportantInternetplatforms.Theresultsofresearchareimportantinputintothecurriculumandarethebasisforinformingpublicpoliciesandadvisingpractice.Ourcurrentecosystemisreinforcingresearchthatisnarrow,outdatedandinsulatedfromtherealworld.Weencourageincreasingthediversityoftopics,methods,disciplinaryperspectives,assumptions,contexts,anddisseminationmethods.Diversityshouldbeacentralpartofourresearchvision,withsocietalimpactasacentralgoalofresponsibleresearch.Theresearcheco-systemhasawebofinter-relatedplayers.Eachhasaroletoplayinencouragingandsupportingeffortstomovethecurrentcitation-basedpublication-orientedecosystemtoonethatsupportstheprinciplesassociatedwithresponsibleresearch.ComplementaryandcoordinatedactionsinvolvingallplayersintheecosystemarenecessarytoreachVision2030.1.Consequencesofa“do-nothing”optionDoingnothingandlettingthingsevolveontheirnaturalcourseiscertainlyanoption.ThisoptiondescribeshowthingshaveprogressedinthepasttwodecadesorsomemayevenarguesincetheGordonandHowellreportin1959.Butshouldwecontinuetoinvestinanactivitywithlimitedsubstantivereturns?Businessandmanagementresearchisextremelycostly.If50%ofthefacultyofatypicalresearchschooldevotes50%oftheirtimetoresearch,thenabout25%oftheschool’sbudgetisspentonresearch.Withincreasingcompetitionforresources,therewillbeincreasingpressuretodemonstratethesocietalvalueofresearchtoresourceproviders,orbusinessschoolswillruntheriskoflosinglegitimacy.LifeinbusinessschoolswillbecomemoreandmorestressfulasfacultyresearcherscontinuetocompetetopublishintheAjournals.Findingsuchresearchworktobebothstressfulanddemeaning,businessschoolsmaybegintolosetalentstotheirnon-university-basedcompetitors.Thistalentexithasalreadybegun,withscoresofacademicsjoininghitechstartups,whichofferthepromisetochangetheworld.Youngtalentsaspiringtomakeadifferenceintheworldandfindingmeaningintheirlifemaynotbeattractedtobusinessschoolsifnothingisdonetochangetheresearchculture.2.ThechangingcontextofbusinessandmanagementschoolsThemacrobusinessenvironmentischangingmorerapidlythanacademicscholarshaveshownawarenessof.Thereareunprecedentedtechnologicalchanges:theubiquityofecommerce,increasinguseofartificialintelligenceandroboticstoreplacehumandecision-makingandtasksinmanyfieldsincludingmanufacturing,electronics,healthcare,andeducation.Forthebusinessschool,thereisdecreasingenrollment,escalatingtuition,

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decliningbudgetsupport,increasingcallforaccountabilityandtransparency,risinguseofMOOCs,alongwithglobalcompetitionamongover14,000businessschoolsworldwide.Thisispreciselythetimewhenweneedtostepbackandreflectontheroleofbusinessschoolsatlarge,andspecificallytheroleandpotentialimpactofresearchinthebusinessschools.Whatmustwedotoensurethatweareusingourresourcesandtalentseffectivelytoaddressthepressingproblemsconfrontingbusinessandsocietyinthetwenty-firstcentury?Engaginginresponsibleresearchinthemannerdescribedinthispaperisnotonlyimportantforboththeepistemicandsocialgoalsofsciencebutmoreimportantlyfortheflourishingofthebusinessesandsocietythatbusinessschoolsserve.Businessschoolsholdauniquepositiontocreatearesearch-basedpathtoabetterfuture.3.ACalltoAction:“Responsibleresearchforbetterbusinessandabetterworld”Atthedawnofthe21stcentury,theworldisfacingimmenselychallengingtensionsinallaspectsofsociety:economic,political,technological,social,andenvironmental.TheUnitedNations(2015)haspledgedtoendpoverty,protecttheplanet,andensureprosperityinthenextfifteenyearsthroughimplementing17sustainablegoalsbyits195memberstates.15In2008,theNationalAcademyofEngineeringidentified14grandchallengesforengineeringintheareasofeducation,artificialintelligence,healthcare,cleanwater,energy,urbaninfrastructure,cyberspacesecurity,andmore.16Leadersingovernment,businessandcivilsocietieshaveidentifiedamyriadofsimilarchallenges.Businessandmanagementresearchcandomuchtocontributetomeetingthesechallengesbydiscoveringmanagementprocessesandsystemstoimprovecollectiveworkattheorganizationalandnationallevels.Thesecouldincludetheresponsibleuseoffinancialresources,accountingmethodsforassessingsocietalimpacts,innovativeproductsandservicestomeettheneedsofthebottomofthepyramid,sustainablemarketingandsupplychain,logisticstoreachcurrentlyinaccessibleregions,attentiontobothwealthcreationandwealthdistribuition,tonameafew.Contributingtoabetterworldistheultimategoalofscience.Scienceinbusinessandmanagementcanandmustliveuptoitsobligationandrealizeitspotentialthroughengaginginresponsibleresearchthatwehumblypropose. Weinvitewidespreaddebateanddialogueontheideasdiscussedinthiswhitepaper.

15PleasegototheSDGwebsite(http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/)forthelistof17goals,suggestionsonimplementationactions,calendar,andwhateachpersoncandotohelpintheachievementofthesegoals.16PleaserefertotheAcademyofEngineeringwebsitefordetailsonthesegrandchallengesforengineeringinthe21stcentury:http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/challenges.aspx

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George,G.,Howard-Grenville,J.,Joshi,A.,Tihanyi,L.(2016).Understandingandtacklinggrandchallengesthroughmanagementresearch.AcademyofManagementJournal,59(6).

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CommunityforResponsibleResearchinBusinessandManagement1. RashadAbdel-Khalik(accounting),UniversityofIllinois,Urbana-Champaign,U.S.A.;2. FranklinAllen(finance),ImperialCollege,U.K.;3. MatsAlvesson(management),LundUniversity,Sweden;4. MaryJoBitner(marketing),ArizonaStateUniversity;U.S.A.;

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5. IngmarBjorkman(dean,management),AaltoUniversity,Finland;6. HongbinCai(dean,appliedeconomics),PekingUniversity,China;7. JerryDavis(management),UniversityofMichigan,U.S.A.;8. ThomasDyllick(sustainablemanagement),UniversityofSt.Gallen,Switzerland;9. GerryGeorge(dean,entrepreneurship),SingaporeManagementUniversity,Singapore;10. WilliamGlick(management),RiceUniversity,U.S.A.;11. UlrichHommel(finance),EBSbusinessschool,Germany;12. XiongwenLu(dean,marketing),FudanUniversity,China;13. PeterMcKiernan(strategy),UniversityofStrathclyde,Scotland;14. KatrinMuff(sustainablemanagement),BusinessSchoolofLausanne,Switzerland;15. SergueiNetessine(technologyandopeationsmanagement),INSEAD,Singapore;16. MaureenO’Hara(finance),CornellUniversity,U.S.A.;17. DavidReibstein(marketing),UniversityofPennsylvania,U.S.A.;18. IraSolomon(dean,accounting),TulaneUniversity,U.S.A.;19. ChrisTang(operationsmanagement),UniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles,U.S.A.;20. HowardThomas(strategy),SingaporeManagementUniversity,Singapore;21. AnneS.Tsui(management),UniversityofNotreDame,U.S.A.;22. XiaoboWu(dean,entrepreneurship),ZhejiangUniversity,China;23. BernardYeung(dean,strategy),NationalUniversityofSingapore,Singapore;24. SriZaheer(dean,entrepreneurship),UniversityofMinnesota,U.S.A.Supportedby:25. JonasHaertle(head),UnitedNationsGlobalCompactPRME;26. DanLeClair(executivevicepresident),AACSB,U.S.A.;27. MatthewWood(directorofoperations),EFMD,Belgium