The Value of Research

Faculty research plays an important role in the business school experience. In fact, many rankings (such as the Financial Times ranking) incorporate research as a factor in a business school’s weighted score.

Thomas Roulet, an Associate Professor in Organization Theory at the University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School and contributor at Forbes, recently discussed how research can signal the quality of a business school and how research can directly benefits students.

HOW PROCESS DELIVERS RESULTS

In the business school world, research is a process of filtering out bad management ideas. It’s a process that is always evolving with a peer-review system.

“Management academics spend a good chunk of their time reviewing the studies others have produced,” Roulet says. “Importantly they also get to read and understand the current frontier of research: what other researchers have established through their work, and what is the state of the art answer on specific and often narrow research questions.”

The benefit of that process, Roulet says, is that students get the latest and greatest.

“Research-trained academics can deliver cutting-edge insights, based on robust evidence that can give students a competitive advantage in their organizations and careers. Moreover, they can give them the frameworks, structure and critical thinking they will need to make decisions in an uncertain era.”

SEEK OUT RESEARCH-ORIENTED SCHOOLS

A tell-tale sign of a strong business school, Roulet says, is the school’s faculty research.

“Selecting faculty who publish in highly selective journals can be a signal for schools to show the quality, training, and empirical skills of their professors,” Roulet says. “It does not necessarily make them great teachers, which should be another crucial criterion for schools recruiting faculty. Most top business schools use research as a hygiene factor for faculty recruitment and then take those who can deliver the best lectures during their job talks. Excellent research skills and teaching abilities are more often aligned than one thinks.”

As business schools continue to see a decline in applications, Roulet argues that perhaps a focus on research may help to improve the value of the degree.

“Business schools do face a crisis of legitimacy, and it is crucial to rethink how we communicate the role of our research and how we work as academics,” Roulet says. “Not all is rosy in the world of business school research: schools and their faculty need to invest more effort in public engagement around their research and expertise to show their relevance in a fast-changing business world.”

Sources: Forbes, Financial Times, P&Q

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