When Media and Management Collide: An Interview with Lucy Küng, July 2016

Abstract

A new field of academic research in media management has developed from an embryonic stage over the past two decades, and is now rapidly developing. There has been a lot to discover, both topic-wise and in terms of global market research. Moreover, new trends in the industry are often outdated far faster than they are being analysed, so there is an endlessly disruptive turnover in ideas and practice. It is debatable whether in such an environment media management theory can keep up with the application of relevant theories to a fluid reality. This academic field often finds itself as challenged as the organisations and leaders it observes. Professor Lucy Kung, an expert on leadership in disrupted industries, is noted for being one of the major theoreticians of this research field, which encompasses both media and management. In May Professor Kung was appointed as Google Digital News Senior Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. She brings to the post versatile academic and industry experience in organisational management, that is nourished by her advisory work with leading companies worldwide, including the BBC and Ericsson. ‘Change that needs investigating and explaining is everywhere,’ says Kung. ‘Deep reflection and extensive preliminary discussions with industry are key for relevant media management research’, she continues. As she prepares her revised volume on strategic management in the media for publication (Kung: 2016), in an interview to WPCC Professor Kung shares tips for media companies on surviving disruptiveness and talks about future prospects for academic research.