Tackling the Relevance of Management Research as a Scholarly Enterprise

The relevance of scholarly research is a central concern in the field of organizations and management, leading to an ever-growing body of literature. However, the same challenges and solutions seem to be repeated periodically with little progress made. In this review, we address this dissatisfying state of affairs and suggest directions to move the conversation forward. First, we present the different discussions and perspectives prominent in the literature. We build our critique based on two repetitive themes others have noted: the fragmentated nature of the conversations and the simplistic treatment of relevance within them. Next, we add to this critique with insights from peripheral perspectives in the literature, specifically on the nature of social science and on management education. Then, using our review and critique as a starting point, we propose three potential ways of redefining relevance that integrate the fragmented perspectives in a meaningful way. These three proposals help inform a more comprehensive understanding of the relevance of management research.