Mapping the Impact Pathways: How Management Research

Can Be Relevant?

Hazhir Rahmandad

Post-doctoral Associate MIT

Problem:Our Research Is Not Relevant

• A personal experience: AOM 2003• Accepted but not often discussed

– Scott & Shore 1979. Why Sociology Does Not Apply?– Hambrick 1994: What if the Academy Actually

Mattered?

• The side effects are more important than the desired effects:– Ferraro, Pfeffer, & Sutton 2004: Economics

Assumptions– Mintzberg 2005. Managers, not MBAs

How to address the problem?• Writing for practitioners:

– Popular management books– Journals for executives– Translating articles into understandable language

• Working with practitioners:– Action research– Project-based teaching

• Setting up institutions:– Professional chapters– Practice contribution awards

The problem persists Maybe we should first understand it better

Proposed Approach

• Define relevance

• Understand how that relates to day-to-day

activities: mapping impact pathways

• Understand the significance of different

pathways

• Use this model to talk about policy for

improvement

Defining Relevance

I define research to be relevant if it leads to:

“Changing how things get done, through anticipated channels”

The Research-Action link

Action (how, how much)

Research Activity

?

Example: Use of Computers

Computer Use

TechnologicalCapabilities

Available

Individual Abilityto Use

Computer Use

TechnologicalCapabilities

Available

Individual Abilityto Use

User Manuals,Courses, etc

Interfaces

Software,Algorithms

Hardware

SoftwareEngineering

HardwareEngineering

Example: Use of Computers

Computer Use

TechnologicalCapabilities

Available

Individual Abilityto Use

User Manuals,Courses, etc

Interfaces

Software,Algorithms

Hardware

ComputerScience

ElectricalEngineering

MaterialScience

SoftwareEngineering

HardwareEngineeringPhysics

Chemistry

Mathematics

Example: Use of Computers

Carriers of Knowledge ActionBasic Research

Linking Research and Action

Computer Use

TechnologicalCapabilities

Available

Individual Abilityto Use

User Manuals,Courses, etc

Interfaces

Software,Algorithms

Hardware

ComputerScience

ElectricalEngineering

MaterialScience

SoftwareEngineering

HardwareEngineeringPhysics

Chemistry

Mathematics

Mechanisms for Research Impacting Action

• Research creates knowledge and concepts that when understood well, change decision-making– Typical channels for carrying them include

teaching, books, scientific papers, etc

• Research results are embedded in artifacts and processes that change action directly– Typical pathways include technology, tools,

processes of decision-making etc

Carriers of Knowledge ActionResearch

Management Research Link to Action

The impact is through understanding of theories in previous stage

The impact doesn’t require detailed understanding of the previous stage

ManagementResearch

Teaching

Books

Papers

Consulting

Artifacts andProcesses

Individual's ExplicitKnowledge

OrganizationalStructure, Incentives

and Processes

Physical BuildingArchitecture

OrganizationDesign

Decision and Actionin Organizations

Impact of Knowledge Carriers

The Effectiveness of Carrier

Un

it C

ost

of C

arr

ier

Low High

Low

Hig

h

Paper

Book

Teaching

Consulting

Games

Interfaces

Organizational Innovations

Color codes represent relative attention given to the carrier in academic circles

Why resources go to low-impact carriers?

Some Hypotheses:

• Cognitive biases:– Pathways requiring understanding are more

tangible

• Path dependence in incentive structures– Papers have become the main carrier

• Complexity of design of high-impact carriers– The concepts are rarely generalizable enough

Missing Piece: Design

• Design mindset– Management Tools and Processes– Games and simulators– Interfaces– Organizational design

Creating artifacts and processes that embed and carry the knowledge and act as change agents, often through carriers that don’t require complete understanding of the previous stage:

Examples of Design Activity

• Brain-storming as a process

• Games– General: e.g. Beer Game– Specific: e.g. www.wtri.com

• Software (e.g. data-mining, SCM, Finance)

• Interface design

• Organizational Innovations (e.g. PRTM work)

Some Potential Academic Areas

• User interfaces• Individual learning environments• Coordination and decision-making systems• Design of incentive structures and feedback

mechanisms• Information processing systems• Tools and processes for group work• Tools for public policy intervention• Tools for organizational change

Why Design Needs Academia?

• The social design field is in infancy and the markets are not developed

• Intellectual property is not well-established, therefore R&D returns are not appropriable

Why Academia Needs Design?

• Relevance

• Testing theories in Action

• Guiding the focus of theory building (a pragmatic philosophy of science)

Technology has been essential to the growth of science

Opportunities

• Open field with lots of opportunities

• Increasing awareness => funding

• Connection to industry and

therefore flexibility

• Socially valuable contributions

Challenges• Academic Incentives:

–Hard to find a job

–Hard to publish

–Hard to get tenure

• Lack of appropriate training

• Multi-disciplinary