Amplifying Management Research For The Common Good: Lessons For Curious Individuals And Organizations

Research papers appear almost exclusively in academic journals and/or in sponsored journals of professional associations. Access to those papers is typically blocked unless you are a paid member of one of these organizations. Consider for instance, the publications of the Academy of Management and those of the International Association of Applied Business Research. Each one of these organizations has five journals that can only be accessed by their paid members. Similarly, the American Psychological Association with its 89 different journals operates from the same premise. Put differently, the possibility of non-members gaining access to published management research in any of those journals is very slim. So, the reader may ask, what practical value do such papers have for audiences outside academia? Keeping a lid on scientific knowledge does very little for the common good.