Practitioners Corner: A Call to Action!

Abstract

This article briefly discusses the nature of the relationship between scholars, practitioners, and practitioner-scholars in terms of the generation of behavioral science knowledge and the development of theory. It also discusses the scope for, and process by which, practitioners and scholar-practitioners can become more directly and actively involved in contributing to The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science via a new section called “Practitioner Corner.”

From Theory to Practice and Back Again

Kurt Lewin (1951) famously said that “there is nothing so practical as a good theory” (p. 169). If this is true, one might hope that at least some of the academic content in The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science (JABS) has informed the way in which managers, consultants, and other organizational stakeholders apply behavioral science knowledge and engage in processes of organizational change. However, this framing perhaps only captures part of the story insofar as it implicitly couches knowledge generation as a largely unidirectional endeavor (i.e., from academics to practitioners).

Lewin’s oft-cited phrase has been cleverly inverted by Ployhart and Bartunek (2019), who assert that “there is nothing so theoretical as good practice” (p. 493). In making a case for phenomenon-based theory, they draw attention to how things that occur in practice drive theorizing and catalyze theory development. In effect, this challenges the notion that change theories arise as a result of academics contemplating the world (e.g., “sitting in dark rooms thinking”) or that they go into the field and make sense of, and give meaning to, the largely un-theorized actions and behaviors of organizational stakeholders (i.e., akin to a form of “academic missionary work”).

There are many examples of how practical insights developed within work settings have triggered the development of change theories and concepts. For example, conversation-based change techniques, formulated within consulting practice (e.g., world café and future search), have informed the development of an exciting body of theorizing which has come to be known as “dialogic OD” (Bushe & Marshak, 2009). That said, it is overly simplistic to say that real-world practice informs academic theorizing (or vice versa). In reality, knowledge generation is a result of an ongoing, multidirectional dialogue between the interpenetrating worlds of academe and practice (via academics, practitioners, and scholar-practitioners). This is particularly the case within the applied behavioral sciences. It is with this in mind that the JABS editor, and senior editorial team, have decided to further stimulate the correspondence between academe and practice by introducing a new section in the journal called Practitioner Corner.

A Call for Contributions

As Gavin Schwarz, the Editor in Chief of JABS, indicated in his editorial in the previous issue of the journal, we are interested in receiving

insightful manuscripts from practitioners drawing in experiential knowledge in reflecting on topical practices and lessons learned. Using a scholar-practitioner model, these contributions advance debate by recognizing that scholarship often develops first in and through practice. Practitioner tales are invited by the editor, although suggestions for submission are encouraged. (Schwarz, 2020, pp. 7-8)

It may be helpful elaborate a little further on the scope and remit for the Practitioner Corner. It is anticipated that it will become a distinct section of the journal with regular contributions. The expectation is that the work published will be grounded and focused on articulating and discussing what is happening on the “frontline” (i.e., in practice) in terms of emerging themes and recent developments. This can be contributions that report on innovative practices and radical ideas that are arising in consulting activity and/or within in situ work settings. Equally, we are interested in contributions that question and/or build upon existing academic theories in terms of their relevance and impact in practice. Reflective pieces that critically analyze and problematize the experiences and challenges of traversing the worlds of academe and practice as a practitioner or scholar-practitioner are also welcomed.

Rather than being developed as conventional research-oriented papers, which adhere to an academic-style of presentation, the pieces for the Practitioner Corner should be (1) relatively short (i.e., definitely no more than 800 words in length), (2) contain a limited number of references (i.e., typically no more than three or four in total), (3) opinion-based (rather than empirically driven), and, (4) written in a clear, accessible, and practical way.

The contributions will be selected based upon their potential to stimulate debate, trigger inquiry, and inform reflection among, and between, scholars, practitioners, and scholar-practitioners. In addition to stand-alone pieces, it is possible that there will be particular themes and topics that emerge within the Practitioner Corner as connected contributions and exchanges across different JABS issues. The section will comprise a combination of invited contributions and submitted pieces. Submissions can be made in the normal way via the JABS website. Submitted work will be subject to an editorial review process.

Concluding Remarks

Academic journals typically promote correspondence within a particular academic community rather than encouraging correspondence between scholars and practitioners. The introduction of a Practitioner Corner is an explicit attempt to meaningfully address this predisposition. The success of this new initiative will be determined by the degree of “buy in” from practitioners and practitioner-scholars. Hence, your participation going forward is essential!