While many believe management research rarely influences real-world practice, our research published in the Journal of Management Studies reveals that impact is often indirect, subtle, and wide-ranging. Drawing on Habermas’s theory of knowledge and human interests, the authors propose a pluralist framework showing how management theory quietly shapes organizations and society—offering important insights for management scholars seeking meaningful impact. 

Rethinking Impact: More Than Meets the Eye 

Is management scholarship making a difference in how organizations function and adapt to challenges? For years, critics have argued that management research has little effect on actual practice outside the ivory tower. They see scholarly work as too theoretical, too focused on internal debates, or disconnected from society’s pressing issues—such as climate change or inequality. 

But are these assessments fair? Our recent research, now published in the Journal of Management Studies, challenges this view. We argue that to see the true influence of management research, we need to look beyond the search for direct, traceable impacts of individual research projects or published articles, and embrace a broader, more pluralistic perspective. 

How Does Impact Happen? 

Our investigation draws inspiration from Jürgen Habermas’s influential theory of knowledge and human interests. According to Habermas, knowledge pursues multiple purposes—some technical (solving problems), some practical (improving understanding and relationships), and some emancipatory (challenging assumptions and enabling greater autonomy). 

Applying this to management scholarship, we found that research doesn’t simply trickle down into practice in straightforward ways. Instead, the main ideas and frameworks from scholarly work are reproduced and adapted through theory-building and research within and between research programs—partly without direct citation, often without fanfare. They nonetheless shape how people think, talk, and act as such knowledge “seeps” into organizations and society through a network of intermediaries: management education, consulting, media, and public discourse. 

A New Framework: Pluralist Types of Impact 

In our paper, we propose a new, pluralist model highlighting three “programmatic” types of impact and four “hybrid” types that combine these motives in various ways. 

“Programmatic impact” emerges through theory-building within research programs. It revolves around Habermas’s three knowledge interests: 

• Technical impact: Providing actionable solutions for managers and organizations 

• Practical impact: Offering new ways to interpret organizational realities and relationships 

• Emancipatory impact: Empowering individuals or groups to challenge the status quo or question underlying assumptions 

“Hybrid impact” comes from theory-building between research programs. It intersects varying knowledge interests: 

• Caring impact: Sensitivity toward marginalization and oppression through deep-level self-understanding and contextual knowledge 

• Enlightened impact: Producing knowledge on the most efficient and scalable solution that reduces human suffering 

• Collaborative impact: Deep understanding of socio-cultural contexts for scalable and actionable interventions 

• Dialogical impact: Technical, practical, and emancipatory 

Why Does This Matter? 

With this broader lens, the impact of management research comes into clearer focus: 

For management scholars: By recognizing the diversity of impacts, scholars can aim for influence not only through technical “fixes” but by shaping scholarly conversations, problem definitions, and even social values. 

For practitioners: Even if you don’t read academic papers, many concepts and models in management education, consulting, and the media carry the ideas and assumptions of scholarly theory-building. 

Takeaways 

The value of management research isn’t always obvious or delivered as immediate actionable advice. Often, its most significant impacts happen indirectly, shaping thinking and doing in the long run. For those who want to drive positive change through management research, it is important to shepherd ideas and assumptions in theory-building within and between research programs, as these concepts can gradually make a real difference through their wider adoption and reproduction.