Reforms are under way in educational institutions that ultimately impact programmatic, educational, and research agendas. Of particular concern in this paper is the lingering debate over the relationship of management research to the practice of management. This article elaborates that debate by exploring the dilemma from both the practitioner's and academic researcher's perspectives, respecting the legitimacy of each viewpoint. Practitioners judge knowledge based on its instrumentality; academics view practitioners as one of several key constituents and therefore adopt a broader approach that considers instrumental knowledge among several potential outcomes. Particular attention is devoted to the avoidance of simplifying the issue by developing `solutions' that purport to resolve the dilemma, favoring instead an approach that problematizes it and thereby embraces the extant complexity. A framework for complex understanding is developed focusing on context, process, contradiction and action. The intent of this argument is to promote and extend the ongoing dialogue in the management learning arena.
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