Reconceptualising research impact: reflections on the real-world impact of research in an Australian context

Abstract

Reconceptualising research impact: Reflections on the real-world impact of research in an Australian context A focus on research impact is influencing the way research is undertaken in Australian higher education institutions. Research activities are planned, funded, conducted, assessed and reported in a way that highlights the real-world impact of research on society. The contemporary prioritisation of research impact, beyond scholarly contribution, reflects a logic model approach to understanding impact that may not adequately reflect the entwined nature of how research achieves impact within and outside academia. This paper presents the results of a study conducted with researchers in a regional Australian university to explore the lived experience of research impact. The findings suggest a new definition of research impact as the process whereby research knowledge makes a difference to the knowledge beneficiary. Reconceptualising research impact as a process presents an alternative perspective for explaining how research achieves real-world impact, and helps to address the limitations of logic model approaches. A process-orientation to understanding how research achieves impact acknowledges the indirect, intangible, unexpected and endless influences of research that may be difficult to anticipate and demonstrate.

Elementos Constitutivos da Satisfação dos Acadêmicos de Graduação dos Cursos de Administração e Ciências Contábeis da Universidade Federal do Pará

“…Em que pese a importância dos discentes na vivência metodológica de uma IES, a integração no processo de ensino, associada ao desenvolvimento da pesquisa e extensão como um processo metodológico uni cado e indissociável, contribuiria para o aumento da satisfação dos acadêmicos. A pesquisa, por sua vez, gera um impacto real dentro e fora da academia, reconhecendo as in uências indiretas, intangíveis e intermináveis desses no ensino (DOYLE, 2018).…”

“…Em outra pesquisa, desenvolvida por Doyle (2018), enfatiza-se o impacto da pesquisa e sua in uência nas instituições de ensino superior australianas e na sociedade. A pesquisa é um processo, associado ao ensino, pelo qual a aprendizagem gera uma formação diferenciada para o bene ciário do conhecimento.…”

Where does all the ‘know how’ go? The role of tacit knowledge in research impact

“…We contribute to existing debates by problematizing the established dominant explicit-knowledge viewpoint of research impact. This expands existing impact debates to include tacit knowledge (Aguinis et al, 2014;Doyle, 2018;MacIntosh et al, 2017;Perkmann et al, 2013). We add a potentially powerful theoretical explanation, tacit knowledge, to the growing calls to see research impact as a process of managing stakeholder relationships (e.g., Doyle, 2018;Haley et al, 2017;MacIntosh et al, 2017).…”

The wicked problem of measuring real-world research impact: Using sustainable development goals (SDGs) and targets in academia

“…These traditional measures of research impact, in conjunction with the current funding model for Business Schools, mean that there is very little consideration of the real impact of our business research (Doyle, 2018). In terms of investment, McKiernan and Glick (2017) argue against the time and effort spent for the purpose of 'just another' publication.…”