Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/57337
AACSB's Impact of Research Task Force generates much dialogue and debate as it issues a report that calls for new ways to measure faculty scholarship. by Sharon Shinn Re-Examined A Research cademic research is one of the key functions of business schools, but its importance sometimes goes unappreciated. On the one hand, the general public often is unaware of the advances that have been made possible because of academic research. On the other hand, members of the academic community sometimes voice criti- cisms about the relevance of business research in the real world. Because research is so essential to the part that business schools play in society, AACSB International has recently re-examined the role of research and management education. Last year, the association released a preliminary report that proposed changes to the way business schools and accredita- tion committees evaluate research. The report calls for schools to align their research outputs with their missions, while finding ways to increase the value of their research to students, practitioners, and society at large. The report, written by members of the Impact of Research Task Force, was released in draft form last August. AACSB invited comments from members before producing a final version, due to be published in late January. If, as expected, its recommendations are implemented by AACSB's Board of Direc- tors, the report eventually could have a profound influence on the way busi- ness school research is conducted, measured, and shared with the world. While many hurdles still lie ahead, they are all surmountable, according to Joseph Alutto, who chaired the task force. Alutto is executive vice presi- dent and provost of The Ohio State University in Columbus. Here he offers responses to the concerns of AACSB members who shared their observations about the report. The Impact of Research The report's first and most controversial recommendation is that AACSB change accreditation standards to "require schools to demonstrate the impact of faculty intellectual contributions to targeted audiences." In essence, the task force suggests that existing guidelines be amended to focus on out- comes, not inputs. Schools would be required not just to keep track of refereed journal articles published by their faculty, but also to demonstrate the impact of all types of scholarship. It wouldn't matter what forms that scholarship took or whether the impact was on practice, theory development, or teaching and learning. Under this system, schools would tie scholarship more closely to their own missions, a notion that aligns smoothly with AACSB's mission-based accredi- tation. However, the report acknowledges that it would not be easy to switch to such a model. Schools would need to find ways to gauge the impact of research; they also would have to convince faculty and administrators that various forms of scholarship are equally worthwhile, not only as part of the accreditation process, but as part of the tenure and promotion process. 42 BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008