This editorial essay, titled “FROM “THAT’S INTERESTING” TO “THAT’S IMPORTANT””, was authored by Laszlo Tihanyi, the Editor of the Academy of Management Journal (AMJ), and published in 2020 in Volume 63, Issue 2 of the journal. The core purpose of this essay is to critically examine the prevailing emphasis on producing “interesting” research within the field of management and to advocate for a greater focus on “important management research” that addresses significant societal problems and offers tangible solutions. Tihanyi’s observations are primarily drawn from manuscripts submitted to AMJ, though he highlights concerns applicable to the broader management field.
The essay anchors its discussion in the enduring influence of Murray S. Davis’s seminal 1971 article, “That’s interesting: Towards a phenomenology of sociology and a sociology of phenomenology”. This piece, considered a “cult classic” in sociology and a mandatory reading in many management doctoral programs for the past five decades, posited a provocative argument: the greatness of a theorist lies not in the truth of their theories, but in their interestingness. Davis contended that a theory’s impact can persist even if its truth is disputed or refuted. He further provided detailed guidelines, dubbed “The Index of the Interesting,” for crafting interesting propositions, primarily by demonstrating that “what seems to be X is in reality non-X or what is accepted as X is actually a non-X”.
While acknowledging the historical impact and allure of interestingness, Tihanyi, along with other critics like Pillutla and Thau (2013), raises significant concerns regarding an overreliance on this criterion. He observes that many recent AMJ submissions appear to prioritize Davis’s guidelines for interesting propositions over substantively advancing theories that could influence society or resolve important debates. This pursuit of interestingness often manifests through several trends:
- Catchy titles that signal the interestingness of the article.
- The use of large datasets to find small but “interesting effects”.
- The construction of complex models involving “flipping” or curvilinear relationships where previously familiar associations become opposite.
- Arguments about less interesting associations being replaced by bolder statements of causality, even if supported primarily by multiple post hoc analyses.
- A limited and often superficial attention to practical implications, frequently reduced to a short paragraph that merely rephrases theoretical implications in practical terms, and often addressing short-term profit motives rather than socially responsible management practices with long-term societal benefits.
Tihanyi also highlights the methodological implications of focusing solely on interestingness, noting the potential for “HARKing” (Hypothesizing After the Results are Known), as described by Kerr (1998). The ease of data access and advancements in analytical tools have increasingly allowed researchers to uncover unusual findings, sometimes at the expense of testing theories on meaningful relationships. This can lead to findings that only appear under unique conditions or models that may not hold up in replication efforts. Specific examples are provided to illustrate this problematic imbalance: while a finding like “abusive supervisors are good parents” might be interesting to a niche group, it is far more important to research how to eliminate workplace abuse. Similarly, though it might be “interesting” that state-owned enterprises can be profitable, neglecting their macroeconomic costs and historical poor performance to focus on such findings misses the more important questions of privatization benefits or conditions for value creation.
In contrast, Tihanyi defines important management research as that which studies problems with strong societal relevance, positively influences individuals and groups both within and outside organizations, improves living conditions, strengthens ties across nations, and considers the interests of future generations. He stresses the critical need for developing new theories to address new problems, lamenting that many major theories in the management field are now over 40 years old. Drawing on Ferraro, Pfeffer, and Sutton (2005), Tihanyi reminds scholars that theories can become self-fulfilling, shaping the minds of future managers and influencing their ethical leadership and service to stakeholders. The AMJ’s mission statement itself, which lists “important” alongside “original, insightful, interesting, and theoretically bold,” underscores this need.
To encourage a shift towards more important research, the editorial identifies several factors that have inadvertently steered scholars towards interestingness. These include the easy access to research resources in business schools, less scrutiny over research funds compared to other disciplines, and inexpensive access to large databases and survey respondents. In contrast, studying controversial and societally relevant organizational problems often demands substantial financial investment, considerable time, navigating bureaucratic hurdles, and carries significant risks of failure.
Tihanyi proposes several changes to reorient the field:
- A reevaluation of how research productivity is measured, moving beyond impact factors that do not account for societal impact.
- More patience in evaluating submissions to AMJ, encouraging work on important managerial and organizational problems rather than solely seeking surprising findings or rare empirical settings.
- The launch of a new Special Research Forum (SRF) titled “Joining Conversations in the Society on Management and Organizations” by the AMJ editorial team, specifically aimed at fostering research that seeks solutions to real-world societal problems.
The essay concludes by reiterating the profound scholarly responsibility to seek solutions to difficult questions concerning management and organizations that ultimately advance societies. By posing propositions derived from Davis’s logic, Tihanyi emphasizes that while finding out “what seems to be an unsolvable societal problem is in reality an unsolvable problem” might be interesting, it is “discovering solutions to real problems” that will genuinely move societies forward. Questions such as how corporate innovations can improve lives, how managers can enhance working conditions, how organizations can become more inclusive, and how businesses and governments can effectively collaborate to solve societal problems are presented as examples of the crucial inquiries scholars should pursue.
Reference: Tihanyi, L. (2020). From “That’s interesting” to “That’s important.” Academy of Management Journal, 63(2), 329–331. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2020.4002