The Academy of Management Learning and Education (AMLE) awarded Tom Cummings, USC Marshall professor of management and organization, and his co-authors with the AMLE Decade Paper Award for their paper, “Scholarly Impact: A Pluralist Conceptualization,” which was published by the AMLE journal (Vol. 13, No. 4). AMLE bestows the honor based on scholarship that receives the most citations, thereby demonstrating the greatest impact on the field of management.

Cummings co-authored the piece with professors Herman Aguinis (George Washington University), Debra L. Shapiro (University of Maryland), and Elena P. Antonacopoulou (American University of Beirut). The paper explores the utility of academic research within the management field, taking the stance that papers overly cater to fellow academics for scientific purposes and achievements.

Cummings and his colleagues argue that research should serve a more practical end, incentivized to reach those who are best situated to employ the findings: executives, corporations, and businesses. The paper contends that these parties help prepare business students for long careers and that a more pluralistic approach would benefit businesses, students, and schools alike. By applying incentives that measure reach as opposed to academic success, institutions can create more practical uses for research.

“This pluralistic perspective needs to be a key part of business school strategies, reward practices, and approaches to research and practice,” Cummings said. “In the decade since our publication, we have seen a growing movement of business schools such as Marshall and their research towards a more pluralistic perspective.”

Cummings is passionate about ensuring research extends beyond academic journals and university campuses and has pursued the endeavor for nearly two decades. As the 61st President of the Academy of Management in 2005–2006, Cummings proposed that research be both scientific and practical. He has spread this message by publishing academic journal articles and books, speaking at conferences, and engaging with scholarly groups.

Since the publication of Cummings’ paper in 2014, several institutions, including Marshall, have applied these findings to produce research that aids both academic and business stakeholders.