In a new article I explain my relational approach to working with professionals, and how my virtuous circle of academic research and practitioner impact works.  

I argue that business school deans, with their so-called “impact” agenda, pursue a transactional rather than relational approach to their practitioner clients and therefore, unfortunately, end up mimicking the working practices of the least effective professionals.

As I say “It is unrealistic to expect scholars to step out of their ivory towers, constructed out of theoretically-motivated research, and attempt to repackage their insights for practitioners they neither know nor understand.  You cannot sell your insights without insight into the people you are selling to.”

I present my reflections from a “lifetime in the field”, and explain how I became a trusted advisor to the leaders of global professional service firms.  

I provide detailed examples of how I have developed a virtuous circle of theoretically-informed research and practitioner-oriented impact, which ensures that my academic insights continue to be of practical value to practitioners, and my interactions with practitioners continue to inspire new research.