Impact and Engagement through Collaborative Phenomenon-Driven Research

There is growing consensus that organizational research must extend its impact beyond academia and bridge the gap between scholarly knowledge and managerial practice. While some view this divide as inevitable due to differing languages and knowledge systems, others advocate for collaboration. This Guidepost paper supports and extends this latter perspective, promoting collaborative phenomenon-driven research as a pathway to bridge the scholar–practitioner gap and enable timely, impactful engagement. We argue that collaborative phenomenon-driven research produces both theoretical contributions (“knowledge outputs”) and practical learning and policy influence (“knowledge outcomes”). Centering the phenomenon, rather than specific theories, we outline three key steps and the skill sets essential for collaborative learning and broader relevance.