Necessary Properties of Relevant Research: Lessons from Recent Criticisms of the Organizational Sciences

Abstract

Recent criticisms of the practical relevance of organizational behavior, organization development, and organization theory research are surveyed for the purpose of identifying key components of research relevance. Five such components are identified, corresponding to dimensions of practitioner needs: descriptive relevance, goal relevance, operational validity, nonobviousness, and timeliness. General implications are discussed for the interaction between researcher and practitioner.