Get to know the four key community pillars of the Engaged Practitioner Scholars (EPS) program at Weatherhead School of Management: Research, Education, Dissemination, and Networking.
Research
Why is the management field concerned about the relevancy of its research? The reason is twofold: much of the research conducted by academic scholars is not really helping managers solve their real-world problems; and managers who could benefit from organizational research are not aware of the research, unable to operationalize the research, or, quite frankly, do not understand the research.
So what to do? The solution has generally been framed as one of increasing collaboration between scholar and practitioner. But how is this done? Two types of suggestions from scholars have either been to increase the scholar’s exposure in the organization or to increase the manager’s awareness and appreciation of scholarly research. The idea behind both of these approaches is to infuse the rigor of scientific research with the relevance of the practitioner’s problem.
A third approach that has gained international momentum since the 1990s is the engaged scholarship approach: Managers and executives become scholars through entering and completing a doctoral program designed for them, using a practitioner problem as the basis for their research. This approach aims at improved organizational effectiveness by ensuring that empirical and theoretical knowledge is rigorously produced for a relevant problem.
Education
Educational opportunities are offered to practitioner-scholars in the EPS@Weatherhead community.
- Practitioner-scholar symposiums include methods and topical workshops to assist alumni and other researchers in their research projects.
- Class reunion and other special events are organized jointly with the Doctor of Management (DM) Programs Alumni Council and DM Programs Administration to offer an opportunity to learn from other researchers and alumni.
- A speaker series brings relevant speakers and researchers to Case Western Reserve University and EPS@Weatherhead.
- Practitioner-scholar dissemination workshops related to the Engaged Management ReView (EMR) journal and the Engaged Management Scholarship (EMS) Conference take place during the year.
Dissemination
Support and resources are offered to disseminate research findings from research projects conducted by EPS@Weatherhead, including:
- Information about academic conferences, opportunities to present research and network with academics in a research community.
- Information about publications in the Engaged Management ReView, the official journal of the Executive DBA Council (EDBAC).
- Practical workshops on research dissemination that help alumni, research fellows, and current students create a dissemination strategy for their research work.
Networking
EPS@Weatherhead coordinates the connections for special events, relevant research projects and specific activities organized by the EDBAC.
Networking events are great opportunities to connect with other practitioner-scholars to exchange best practices on research, dissemination and career management. Every year, EDBAC organizes an Engaged Management Scholarship Conference held at locations around the world. The Doctor of Management Programs’ annual reunions are also an excellent opportunity for our alumni and our Engaged Practitioner Scholar Fellows to reconnect with alumni, faculty and program staff.
EPS@Weatherhead is also very active on social media: