Introducing JMSSays

• Published date: 01 March 2016
• Author: Roy Suddaby,Bill Harley,Rick Delbridge
• Date: 01 March 2016
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12174

Introducing JMSSays

Rick Delbridge, Roy Suddaby and Bill Harley

Cardiff University; University of Victoria and Newcastle University Business School; University of

Melbourne

Essays occupy a distinct position in the intellectual development of human thought. In

contrast to purely theoretical arguments, which synthesize and extend existing empirical

work, the essay adopts a uniquely normative epistemological position. Instead of

describing the empirical world as it is, the essay offers the opportunity to critique extant

reality and, instead, explore the world as it might be. While other disciplines have

adopted the essay as a key element of intellectual development, management theory has

not yet fully exploited the essay as a generative form of management thought.

This is unfortunate, because the essay holds the promise of addressing many of the

key issues raised by critics about the legitimacy of management research. As a mecha-

nism of challenging received knowledge, encouraging academic scepticism and crea-

tively extending existing knowledge to common social problems, the essay offers the

potential for developing the field of management research in ways that respond to its

critics. Writing that is concise, normative and direct has the potential to speak to audien-

ces beyond academe. The essay, thus, offers a useful bridge between academic and prac-

titioner knowledge (Rynes et al., 2001). It creates the space to debate the value of theory

(Hambrick, 2007; Pfeffer, 2007; Suddaby, 2014). It also offers an important venue

for debating the implications of, and future direction for, management education

(Mintzberg, 1996).

We are, therefore, pleased to introduce JMSSays in the Journal of Management Studies.

JMSSays will showcase the essay as a legitimate form of management scholarship.

JMSSays is a new section of the journal that will publish a wide range of essays on a vari-

ety of topics in management theory. The intent of this section is to develop the essay as

an influential genre of management research and scholarship. But we are not just

pleased, we are excited by this initiative. Essays should be moments of pleasure, both to

write and to read. We are strongly of the view that too much management scholarship

Address for reprints: Roy Suddaby, Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria, Canada

(rsuddaby@uvic.ca).

For your comments about this discussion, please visit http://www.socadms.org.uk/introducing-jmssays/.

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C2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for the Advancement of Management Studies

Journal of Management Studies 53:2 March 2016

doi: 10.1111/joms.12174