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

Abstract

This paper proposes that the United Nation's sustainable development goals (SDGs) and associated targets form an effective framework for determining real-world research impact. Existing bibliometrics that assess the quality of academic work are usually quantitative and self-referential, reducing the focus on real-world issues. The same measurements are often adopted by funding bodies, pressuring researchers to increase compliance, and further reducing integrity and real-world impact. A series of world cafés were conducted, collecting data on how researchers, their institutions, and network organisations can contribute to, and measure research aligned with the SDGs and targets. The results showed that participants were generally positive towards using the SDGs and targets to measure impact and quality of academic research. Suggestions to assist greater adoption of the SDGs and targets as a measure of impact included: aligning governmental and institutional funding; changing key performance indicators; increasing cross-disciplinary work; aligning mission/vision statements; and legitimising SDG-focused projects at conferences.

Are there differences between governing and managing strategic networks of different sizes and ages?

“…The literature has already addressed governance and management of alliances, partnerships, and joint ventures extensively (see Chapman et al, 2020;Jeong, 2014, Kim & Kim, 2017Poole & Robertson, 2003;Yoon, Lee, & Song, 2015). However, we still may contribute for other collaboration models such as SNs, which are a new form of collective organization.…”

Editorial: The research impact in management through the UN’s sustainable development goals

“…putting the traditional focus on scholarly impact aside and making an actual contribution to addressing global problems. Recently, Chapman, Cully, Kosiol, Macht, Chapman, Fitzgerald and Gertsen (2020, p. 1030) also emphasised the use of SDGs to measure what they called “real-world Research Impact”.…”

Reflections on Sustainability’s Meaning in Organizations

“…Social actors play an essential role in organizations, as they interact, form, and are formed by structures while constructing meanings. In this essay, actors are those who play an important role in trying to balance environmental, social, and economic debates, as well as those who can be unified through linguistic elements that are deemed essential in the process of socially constructing meaning in institutions (Chapman et al, 2020;Gümüsay, Claus, & Amis, 2020;Phillips & Malhotra, 2017) in order to question relevant issues, e.g., denotationally established macro-level meanings surrounding organizational sustainability .…”

“…Based on Chapman et al (2020), we contribute to the discussion about the possibilities of thinking about the (mis)alignment between the use and understanding of a common language around sustainability that normalizes the concept in various fields, clarifying the relevance of the semiotic mechanisms that permeate this process (Li, 2017). From the perspective of connotational institutionalization, they open debate for enabling a polysemic construct, which hinders the articulations and justifications for action aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as other global efforts to unify the meaning of sustainability among organizations.…”