AOM Scholars On… Measuring Real World Impact of Scholarly Research

Every day, academic research is produced to inform the world’s biggest issues, from informing business decisions to shaping policy and worker/workplace behavior. Some critics suggest many academics focus on esoteric areas with little relevance to society. 

So, how are academic scholars turning their insights and career work into solutions for society’s problems?

AOM Scholars share their expertise, experience, and research-based insights on the positive impact that can be made by scholarly research and feature discussions regarding: 

• Academic influence and the quest to promote public good 
• How scholars and academics can translate research into tangible change 
• Aligning with field practitioners 
• Barriers for academics in providing social change
• The future of academia and fostering a culture of change
• Use cases from SMEs (may include research impacting the following areas):
  • Economic development
  • Benefitting society and the environment
  • International business and trade

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Panel Moderator

Jean Bartunek, Boston College

Jean Bartunek is a professor of management and organization at the Carroll School of Management, Boston College. She is a past president of the Academy of Management, and received AOM's Career Achievement Award for Distinguished Service in 2009. She is also a past Dean of the Fellows of the Academy of Management, as well as a Fellow of the British Academy of Management and the Center for Evidence-Based Management.

Jean has served as an associate editor for the Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Learning & Education, and the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. Her most recent edited book is titled: Social Scientists Confronting Global Crises (Routledge; 2022)

Her research centers on academic-practitioner relationships and organizational change. Jean's notable published AOM research includes:

• Academy of Management Discoveries: Academics’ Practice Is Consequential
• Academy of Management Perspective: Too Close or Optimally Positioned? The Value of Personally Relevant Research
• Academy of Management Learning & Education: Theory (What Is It Good For?)
• Academy of Management Proceedings: The Dynamics of Team Implementation of New Organizational Schemata During Strategic Change

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Panelists

Usha Haley is the W. Frank Barton Distinguished Chair in International Business, and professor of management at Wichita State University. She is also Director, Center for International Business Advancement and elected Chair, World Trade Council of Wichita. 

Her most recent book is titled: Impact & the Management Researcher

Usha’s research explores international management and management education, social issues and measurement of scholarly impact. Her research has been covered in the major international media including the Economist, Wall Street Journal, NPR’s Marketplace, and The New York Times. 

Usha’s notable published AOM research includes:

• Academy of Management Learning & Education: Special Issue on “Learning and Education Strategies for Scholarly Impact: Influencing Regulation, Policy and Society through Research”
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• Measuring and achieving scholarly impact:  A report from the Academy of Management’s Practice Theme Committee
• Academy of Management Proceedings: Perceived Value of Research: Pluralistic Meanings of Scholarly Impact
  
• Academy of Management Proceedings: Impact and Usefulness: The Influence of Management Research on Public Policy and Society
  

Carol Kulik, University of South Australia

Carol Kulik is a Bradley Distinguished Professor of Human Resource Management at the University of South Australia (UniSA Business) and a senior researcher at UniSA’s Center for Workplace Excellence. She is also a past president of the Academy of Management.  Her book, Human Resources for the non-HR Manager, makes research on human resource management accessible to line managers with no formal training in human resources.  

Carol's research focuses on the effective management of workforce diversity, with a particular emphasis on gender and age. Her notable published AOM research includes:

• Academy of Management Review: 2019 Presidential Address – Management Scholars, End Users, and the Power of Thinking Small
• Academy of Management Journal: Engage Me: The Mature-Age Worker and Stereotype Threat
• Academy of Management Journal: Aging Populations and Management
• Academy of Management Learning & Education: Common Goals and Golden Opportunities: Evaluations of Diversity Education in Academic and Organizational Settings