The November 2009 issue of HR Magazine includes an article by Robert J Grossman about the disconnect between the academic view of HR and the practitioner’s view of HR. According to Grossman, who’s a professor at Marist College, practitioners:
- Can’t wait for answers
- Care less about science than outcome
- Hate ambiguity
- Want relevant research
- Want understandable results
On the other hand, academics want practitioners to:
- Understand and value research, including its limits
- Apply research principles appropriately
- Be flexible enough to try research they don’t like
Grossman offers a couple of suggestions about bridging the disconnect. Okay he lists three but I think the last two are really the same and that’s the one I want to emphasize: reach out to a local HR professor. (Disclaimer: I’ve been an adjunct faculty member.) Here’s what I think you’ll find: Most (the article says 60%) will be happy to engage you in a conversation about what’s important to you in HR.
Offer to meet them on campus for a cup of coffee. Explain what you’re working on and then listen to their reaction. Find out if they’ve conducted research in any areas of interest to you. Those common areas can be the basis for some great collaboration. The professor may invite you to be a guest speaker in one or more of their HR classes. If so, you should accept. (Hint: Don’t give a lecture, engage the class in a conversation. They’ll have lots of questions.) Invite the professor to serve on an external advisory committee, or to speak to your team at a lunch and learn, or to speak at your local SHRM chapter meeting (talk to the program chair first). The point is to start a relationship. Most professors could use more connections to the “real” world they teach about, and most practitioners can use more face time with academics. It’s a win-win proposition.
