Moving Beyond an Academic-Centred Perspective to Understand Impactful Research:  Insights from 15 Years of Practice within a Collaborative University Chair

While translation, co-creation, and impact are commonly presented in organization studies as the outcomes of ideal collaborations between practitioners and academics, this perspective remains deeply academic-centred. Drawing on our long-term experience, we show how a transdisciplinary research approach explicitly oriented toward co-production can generate unexpected outcomes over time, once partners have mutually “tamed” one another. In this submission to the subtheme on writing for practitioner audiences, we reflect on a distinctive 15-year learning journey within a collaborative University Chair in the field of Human Resource Management. We first trace the evolving legitimacy of this type of project—embodying transdisciplinary research—over the years. We then introduce the purpose of this project (transforming practice through a critical perspective on HRM) and present a range of activities implemented to translate, co-create, and impact practice (including books co-authored by practitioners and researchers, videos presenting research findings, and practical guides translating results into actionable recommendations). This allows us to discuss the writing practices that support transdisciplinary research, beyond words and text. Finally, we show how this impact unfolds within a dynamic relationship that shapes not only managerial practice but also research practices, as part of a broader quest for, and claim to, more deeply embedded and situated research in the field of organization studies. The integration of an “alter” perspective into the work of each stakeholder—research within practice and practice within research—appears to constitute a major legacy of this collaborative dynamic.

Affiliations

UCLouvainSSH/LouRIM - Louvain Research Institute in Management and Organizations

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Taskin, L., Bonnieux, L., Patesson, L., & Scola, C. (2026, July). Moving Beyond an Academic-Centred Perspective to Understand Impactful Research: Insights from 15 Years of Practice within a Collaborative University Chair. 42nd EGOS international colloquium, Bergamo (IT) and online. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/279707