Do we need a separate Research Council for management research?

Report of a Seminar held on 6 February 2001

This seminar was arranged to discuss whether the UK needs a separate Research Council for management research. Four detailed presentations were made to inform the debate, and these were followed by expert comment and a general discussion.

The seminar identified a number of factors which affect the quantity and quality of management research in the UK. They include:

the nature of management research, the methodologies used and the similarities and/or differences with other fields of inquiry
o the characteristics of 'good' management research
the purpose or objectives of management research and particularly the link to practice
the selection of targets and objectives for management research, including whether there should be national goals to which management research would be directed
the operation of the existing research funding mechanisms.

It was suggested that the quality of management research in the UK is rising. But this increasing quality is not being matched by a commensurate increase in research funding. There is a lack of clarity about both the concepts underpinning management research and the characteristics which determine research competence. As a result, many of the applications for funding management research are reported to be of relatively poor quality.