Bridging the rigour-relevance gap in management research through collaboration: an empirical investigation and implications

Abstract

The academic research relevance to industry is an ongoing debate, and it is considered of little relevance to practitioners. The wider gap between academic research and practitioner disciplines leads to irrelevant theory formulation and invalid practice. This paper reassesses the rigour-relevance gap in the context of management research in India and suggests that collaboration between academicians and researchers can bridge the gap. The collaborative research state is empirically examined among top 5% management researchers in India, and the growth of collaborative research is modelled. The model shows that the collaborative research among top Indian management researchers has reached its peak at around the year 2014 and has entered declining phase. While many of the researches are carried out in the light of the rigour-relevance debate in examining the problem and providing solutions, the present study focuses on the empirical analysis of the present state of collaborative research in India and models its growth.