Worlds Apart: A Focus on the "Great Divide" within the HRM Scholar-Practitioner Community

Abstract

There is a “knowledge gap” between academic researchers and practitioners. Managers frequently experience the delivery of academic research as relatively incomprehensible and trailing practice, rather than leading it. Conversely, academic researchers are disinclined to seek inspiration for new research ideas from the real-world problems experienced by practitioners. The problem may not be what research is actually conducted by academics, but rather how little the research is actually used by practitioners. This gap can partially be explained by the very different cultures and systems within which each group operates; however, when research that is useful does not make its way into mainstream practice in a timely fashion, everyone loses. This paper explores possible ways to improve knowledge transfer and bridge the current gap that currently exists between individuals who live and work within these two distinct cultural and reward systems.