Is engaged scholarship the ‘wicked solution’ to management scholarship’s ‘wicked problem’ of research-practice gap?

Abstract

Management scholarship is experiencing the ‘wicked problem’ of increasing research-practice gap. This gap presents a challenge and highlights need for research which addresses the knowledge transfer problem and resonates with realities of management. In this paper we propose a ‘wicked solution’ by arguing for researchers to work side-by-side with practitioners through engaged scholarship. Our research basis this argument in empirical research where the engaged scholarship approach was used to develop a stakeholder engagement framework for a public sector agency. The paper makes a contribution towards the research-practice gap challenge by confirming the value of an engaged scholarship approach. Additionally, we highlight how the PRME provides a premise for boosting efforts towards reducing this research-practice gap to facilitate achievement of UNSDGs.