An actionable research is pertinent to the students of management. These studies can put into exercise by the managers theoretically as well as instrumentally so as to be able to guide upcoming action. It is imperative that such research has the ability to deliver a certain degree of understanding and information that can be practically applied by a manager with the given task environment.
The trend towards actionable research has dropped in the latest past and there are numerous explanations which are accredited for the same. It is so believed that during the second last decade of the 20th century the leading management journals had influential editors as their heads and they were authoritative and independent in decision making and did not depend solely on their reviewers for any kind of decision regarding selection of research for publication. The tendency has upturned now and the contemporary editors count blindly on the reviewers for decision regarding publication. These reviewers do not inspire and promote actionable research and hence the inclination towards doing the same has gone down suggestively.
There is another cause that has brought in withdrawal from taking up actionable research and that is the strife that is there amongst the different academicians and the journal editors for the very usable term called ”citation counts”. This term gives preference to contemporary approaches and concepts in order to bring in the attention of the other academicians and scholars. However, for the practicing managers it doesn’t come to much use and hence is more than often not opted by them for citation
It is essential that business schools divert their focus from erudite and highly complex researches towards practical oriented actionable research that would serve the purpose of the students who need to learn the practical implications of concepts so as to be able to accept them in their professional life. The usual trend towards doing a more complex research is to enhance the academic credibility and ranking of the business school. The burden on the researchers of the school who are talented deans and university leaders to publish in renowned journals forces them to chase citation and dilute their focus from actionable research. It is time that the leading business school take the initiative and bring back the trend towards more actionable research. It would be a step towards a larger cause of education and will bring down the spirit of self-growth at the cost of learning, which has developed in the present times.
