Why Retrofitting Research Impact Does Not Work

May 28, 2026 - 22:13

A new push is underway to make business school research matter beyond academic journals. This week in Dublin, the AACSB and the Academy of Management are hosting their first-ever Research Impact Conference. They are unveiling a long-awaited framework designed to bridge the gap between ivory tower theory and real-world application in corporate practice, policy, and society.

The core problem, according to organizers, is that most research impact is treated as an afterthought. Scholars often conduct studies in isolation, then try to "retrofit" their findings to show relevance to businesses or governments. This approach rarely works. By the time a paper is published, the industry problem it addresses may have evolved or disappeared. The new framework pushes for a different model: embedding practical questions from the start of the research process.

This shift is significant for business schools facing growing pressure to justify their funding and tuition. Critics have long argued that management research is too theoretical, producing papers that are read only by other academics. The Dublin conference aims to change that by encouraging collaboration between researchers and practitioners before a study begins, not after it ends.

However, the framework stops short of requiring direct industry partnerships or mandating measurable societal outcomes. While it is a step forward, some attendees note that without stronger incentives for faculty to engage with the messy realities of business, the framework may remain a well-intentioned guideline rather than a catalyst for real change. The potential is there to go further, but the conference's success will depend on whether business schools actually adopt the mindset shift it promotes.