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The relevance and impact of business schools: in search of a holistic view

The relevance and impact of business schools: in search of a holistic view
The relevance and impact of business schools: in search of a holistic view
The degree to which business schools are relevant and impactful for society has been disputed. Critics that engage in the so-called “relevance problem” have argued that business schools are preoccupied with academic rigour at the expense of practical relevance, resulting in a lack of societal impact. This systematic literature review synthesizes the fragmented body of knowledge pertaining to the relevance and impact of business schools. Appreciating the contributions of both research and education, this review offers a holistic view that acknowledges the multidimensional nature of business schools. Based on an analysis of 266 journal articles, we present the four main literature streams in this domain. We find limited evidence of cross-fertilisation between discussions of research and education. However, by acknowledging the contribution of applying a multidimensional lens to the study of business schools, we develop a holistic thematic framework that provides theoretical directions for the future. Using this, we demonstrate four avenues for advancing the business school literature. First, we emphasise the potential of an institutional logics perspective to viewing business schools. Second, we offer a novel proposal for understanding the bridge between research and education. Third, we emphasise the application of a value co-creation theoretical lens when considering how business schools engage with stakeholders in research and education. Finally, we propose an all-encompassing stakeholder-centric definition of relevant and impactful knowledge and advocate for this inclusive definition to conceptually bridge the fragmented discussions of research and education.
1460-8545
Redgrave, Samuel Douglas James
eabc662f-da1f-4df0-93d1-1dea8cb088b7
Grinevich, Vadim
01fc0c7c-fa59-4733-b7b8-4198d627b677
Chao, Dorrie
aebc8e44-7f1f-4201-8cf8-ae27b9018281
Redgrave, Samuel Douglas James
eabc662f-da1f-4df0-93d1-1dea8cb088b7
Grinevich, Vadim
01fc0c7c-fa59-4733-b7b8-4198d627b677
Chao, Dorrie
aebc8e44-7f1f-4201-8cf8-ae27b9018281

Redgrave, Samuel Douglas James, Grinevich, Vadim and Chao, Dorrie (2022) The relevance and impact of business schools: in search of a holistic view. International Journal of Management Reviews. (doi:10.1111/ijmr.12312).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The degree to which business schools are relevant and impactful for society has been disputed. Critics that engage in the so-called “relevance problem” have argued that business schools are preoccupied with academic rigour at the expense of practical relevance, resulting in a lack of societal impact. This systematic literature review synthesizes the fragmented body of knowledge pertaining to the relevance and impact of business schools. Appreciating the contributions of both research and education, this review offers a holistic view that acknowledges the multidimensional nature of business schools. Based on an analysis of 266 journal articles, we present the four main literature streams in this domain. We find limited evidence of cross-fertilisation between discussions of research and education. However, by acknowledging the contribution of applying a multidimensional lens to the study of business schools, we develop a holistic thematic framework that provides theoretical directions for the future. Using this, we demonstrate four avenues for advancing the business school literature. First, we emphasise the potential of an institutional logics perspective to viewing business schools. Second, we offer a novel proposal for understanding the bridge between research and education. Third, we emphasise the application of a value co-creation theoretical lens when considering how business schools engage with stakeholders in research and education. Finally, we propose an all-encompassing stakeholder-centric definition of relevant and impactful knowledge and advocate for this inclusive definition to conceptually bridge the fragmented discussions of research and education.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 26 July 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 19 August 2022
Published date: 19 August 2022
Additional Information: Funding Information: The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the ESRC South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership for funding this work. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. International Journal of Management Reviews published by British Academy of Management and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 469230
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/469230
ISSN: 1460-8545
PURE UUID: f4729454-9df3-4cf9-a054-f6b3231758c1
ORCID for Dorrie Chao: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4873-3644

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Date deposited: 09 Sep 2022 16:42
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 01:59

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Contributors

Author: Samuel Douglas James Redgrave
Author: Vadim Grinevich
Author: Dorrie Chao ORCID iD

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