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The triumph of nonsense in management studies

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 19:41 authored by Dennis TourishDennis Tourish
More management scholars than ever are expressing concern about the state of our field. Complaints include the suggestion that many publications are written purely to further our careers rather than to advance knowledge. Our discipline is in crisis. We neglect really important issues in favor of bite-sized chunks of research that are more likely to find quick publication in leading journals. Given that such journals insist on the primacy of theory development, we also increasingly resort to pretentious and long-winded prose to at least create the illusion of “theory development.” The result is writing that can only be understood by those already on the inside of the debates it references. As opposed to “imposter syndrome,” in which qualified people doubt their suitability for a given job, I suggest that many of us have become “genuine imposters” in that we pretend to be doing more important work, and more competently, than we really are. Finally, I propose changes in our mind-sets and journal practices to restore some sense of deeper purpose to what we do.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Academy of Management Learning and Education

ISSN

1537-260X

Publisher

Academy of Management

Issue

1

Volume

19

Page range

99-109

Department affiliated with

  • Management Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-11-18

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2021-04-21

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-11-18

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