The academic world is in the grip of a real drama: the publishing frenzy, better known as “publish or perish”. This phenomenon is not new but it has taken on an alarming new scale, as highlighted in the article Alienation among Management Scholars, published in the Revue française de gestion by Danny Miller and Isabelle Le Breton-Miller.
Remember that Danny Miller was distinguished by the American Academy of Management among the most influential researchers of the last 30 years. His alert, co-signed with Isabelle Le Breton-Miller, is all the more striking because it highlights an imminent danger: that of the erosion of innovation.
Their analysis is clear: the incessant quest for publications alienates researchers. They are increasingly forced to produce articles which, to meet the expectations of the most prestigious journals, distance them from their initial passion for research. Researchers, once creative and passionate, find themselves reduced to following rigid procedures, devoid of any creativity. A dissonance arises between passion and obligation, fueling growing frustration.
Miller and Le Breton-Miller identify four major causes of this academic alienation:
1. Lack of meaning: Researchers feel that their work has neither personal nor social impact.
2. Powerlessness: The publication process escapes them, the imposed revisions emptying their research of its substance.
3. Self-strangulation: Adapting one’s work to the demands of journals distances researchers from their true interests.
4. Isolation: Competition and strict publishing standards create a deep sense of isolation.
The repercussions for businesses are serious: innovation and competitiveness are today in danger. Demotivated researchers produce fewer new ideas and the quality of the work suffers. Research themes are selected for their publication potential, to the detriment of exploring new avenues. Revisions imposed by journals often distort the original work, fragmenting research and dispersing efforts. At the end of the chain, companies inherit results that are no longer useful.
Miller and Le Breton-Miller believe that businesses can and must play a role in countering this alienation. By establishing relevant partnerships, revising the criteria for promoting researchers, and encouraging academic institutions to free themselves from “publish or perish”, they can restore the motivation of researchers and, consequently, promote innovation. The challenge is high: reorienting management research so that it once again becomes a real vector of progress, rather than a simple alienating exercise.
Leaders, managers, decision-makers: will you be able to hear this call for help from across the Atlantic?
Source: LE BRETON-MILLER, I., MILLER, D. (2021). Alienation among Management ScholarsFrench Management Review, vol. 47, no. 294, p. 53-75.
