Printed Program cover
Session Type: PDW Workshop
Program Session: 353 | Submission: 10409 | Sponsor(s): (PTC, MED, MC, OMT)
Scheduled: Saturday, Aug 11 2018 12:45PM - 3:45PM at Sheraton Grand Chicago in Chicago Ballroom IX
 
Translating Theory into Practice: Identifying and Formulating Effective Strategies
Translating Theory-Practice
Practice

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Organizer: Melanie P. Cohen, Institute for Creative Management.org
Organizer: Geoffery Seaver, National Defense U.
Presenter: Krzysztof Dembek, U. of Melbourne
Presenter: Stefan Krummaker, Queen Mary U. of London
Participant: Amitabh Anand, Professional
Participant: Christof Backhaus, Aston Business School
Participant: Dharm Prakash Sharma Bhawuk, U. of Hawaii at Manoa
Participant: Dan Bumblauskas, U. of Northern Iowa
Participant: Nicole M. Coomber, U. of Maryland
Participant: Robert B. Davison, U. of Kansas
Participant: Vaughn P. Donovan, -
Participant: Luis Flores, Northern Illinois U.
Participant: Kathryn Goldman Schuyler, Alliant Intl U. / Coherent Change
Participant: Usha C.V. Haley, Wichita State U.
Participant: Gigi Johnson, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Participant: Rob Koonce, Creighton U.
Participant: Ted London, U. of Michigan
Participant: Farley Simon Nobre, Federal U. of Parana
Participant: Jesse E. Olsen, U. of Melbourne
Participant: Fedor Ovchinnikov, Institute for Evolutionary Leadership
Participant: Julie JP Palmer, Webster U.
Participant: Tyrone Pitsis, Durham U.
Participant: Paulo Jose Prochno, U. of Maryland
Participant: Marian Ruderman, Center for Creative Leadership
Participant: A Carol Rusaw, George Mason U.
Participant: Holger Schiele, U. of Twente
Participant: Robert M. Sheehan, U. of Maryland
An important and overarching question facing management theorists, educators, and practitioners today is the relationship between theory (scholarship) and practice. Others, such as Roger Martin (The Design of Business) have asserted that management practices are created as “business innovators” move from solving a business issue (mystery) to creating business heuristics and algorithms that can be used by managers to solve business problems. These heuristics and algorithms become “standard” management practices. Management theory focuses on the creation of prescriptions for solving mysteries (Design Thinking) and moving solutions through the knowledge funnel to create management practices. Others might argue that management theory is the result of social scientists observing practicing managers. Some might argue that management theory does not provide prescription for the practice of management. This Professional Development Workshop (PDW) is the continuation of a line of research from prior Academy of Management Conferences and Meetings. It will build on several very successfully PDWs: 1) Translating Scholarship into Practice: How can the Results of Scholarship be Translated into Action by Practitioners? that was conducted at the 2014 AOM Conference, 2) Translating Scholarship into Practice: Using the World Café Technique to explore the gap between scholars and practitioners? that was conducted at the 2015 AOM Conference, 3) Translating Scholarship Into Practice: Which Comes First: Theory or Practice? Scholarship into Practice that was conducted at the 2016 AOM Conference, and 4) Translating Scholarship into Practice: Further Reflections on the Future of Management Theory and Practice that was conducted at the 2017 AOM Conference. This PDW will provide academics, educators, and practitioners an opportunity to discuss and reflect critically on recent strategies (e.g., to increase the relevance and usability of the AOM’s publications) to close the gap between theory (scholarship, scholars) and practice (practitioners). We will discuss ways and means for closing the gap between management theory and management practice that include strategies for using information technology such as social media technologies to link scholars and practitioners. We approach the theory-practice gap from several perspectives, including that of the researcher, educator, practitioner, and consultant working in the public and private sectors. The invited PDW participants and other participants are experts from around the world who will interactively explore strategies for closing the theory-practice gap. This exploration will be accomplished using a modified Action- Oriented Strategy Mapping technique to identify strategic issues and formulate effective strategies (Bryson, Ackerman, Edan, and Finn, p. 469), which is a structured conversational process created to help participants to identify and organize possible issues, options, and assertions with the intention of creating goals, strategies, and actions to move forward. Participants will discuss the results of several previous Academy of Management Professional Development Workshop conducted by the organizers. They will be given the opportunity to reflect on this previous work. Participants will frame and reframe the theory- practice discussion with a table host for about 30 minutes. Participants will work in small teams to create an Oval Map that frames the possible options, issues, and goals for resolving or dissolving the theory-practice gap. At the end of the allotted time period, each participant will move to a new table, with a new table host, and an Oval Map created by a previous team. Table hosts will provide each new team of participants with a short review of the work accomplished by the prior teams and ask each new team to build on this prior work. Several results are expected through the use of the modified Action-Oriented Strategy Mapping technique: (1) help to explore assumptions, unresolved issues and sticking points related to the gap between theory and practice; (2) foster innovative ideas and suggestions; (3) learn and share people’s ideas; (4) provide an interactive platform for participants to engage and share the ideas; (5) build a sense of community, participation and ownership; (6) start a two- way dialogue between scholars and practitioners; (7) create and grow internal networks for continued conversation between scholars and practitioners; and, (8) offer a professional development experience in the use of this modified Action-Oriented Strategy Mapping technique. The results of this exercise will be put together in a working paper and shared with participants at the next Academy of Management conference which will ultimately lead toward a reflective activity at the Academy of Management Conference in 2019. Academics and practitioners will help to provide validation of past results.
Building on several very successfully PDWs held annually since 2014, this PDW will provide academics, educators, and practitioners an opportunity to discuss and reflect critically on recent strategies (e.g., to increase the relevance and usability of the AOM’s publications) to close the gap between theory (scholarship, scholars) and practice (practitioners).
  
KEY TO SYMBOLS Teaching-oriented Teaching-oriented   Practice-oriented Practice-oriented   International-oriented International-oriented   Theme-oriented Theme-oriented   Research-oriented Research-oriented   Teaching-oriented Diversity-oriented
Selected as a Best Paper Selected as a Best Paper