Management is Dead, Long live Management (Research).

A recent Harvard Business Review article discussed the phenomena of top managers going back to school in order to undertake doctoral research. In a fast-changing world, a better understanding of the shifting terrain can only help. But who can make the time to go back to school, to discuss ontology, to debate epistemology, to read existing studies, to absorb new theories and to write that thesis? What are these top managers looking for?

The answer is perhaps the challenge. While management is stimulating, exciting and rewarding it can also be frustrating, short-termist and, if we are honest, not always intellectually challenging. Doctoral studies undoubtedly light up those neurons. Indeed an intellectual challenge is an important part of many professional projects and a source of satisfaction. The intellectual pursuit of part-time doctoral education and research may well provide the cerebral stimulus needed by top managers. It may even make them better at their day job as they analyse practice with a different perspective and adopt new strategies.

The HBR article (in French) also pointed to certain advantages that these non-standard students may have over their younger, less-experienced counterparts. They have access to some really interesting data: many younger doctoral students spend a great deal of time seeking out organisations and/or managers willing to participate in their studies. Meanwhile doctorate studies provide experienced managers with an opportunity to adopt a reflexive approach and to stand back from their day-to-day situation.

For Business Schools, these non-standard doctoral students may challenge certain norms around doctoral education and it is important that programs adapt to better serve this population. The traditional full-time PhD is not perhaps the right format while high-quality, part-time doctorates can meet the need. Furthermore alternative forms of doctorate will challenge existing norms around what is in fact a thesis, the nature of the supervision relationship, and the role of doctoral education in career development.

To illustrate the point, academic research on the reasons why individuals take up so-called professional doctorates highlights the importance of both enrichment of current practice, position and salary, on the one hand. And, on the other, more ’noble’ aims of developing new skills, an intrinsic drive to learn and wish to make a contribution to wider society.

For the graduate, there is the added advantage for those seeking to bridge the gap between practice and business school life, as the doctorate is the “currency” to teach in top-end, accredited schools. However, it is essential to choose a school with a strong academic pedigree and a well-established doctoral program, in order to gain this kind of legitimacy.

The part-time doctorate, such as a Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA), may be the missing link. Management is not always intellectually stimulating but the study of management at a doctorate level is. For managers looking for something extra that both marks them out from the crowd and fills that intellectual gap, doctoral research may provide the answer – a possibility to learning how to think while transforming themselves and perhaps, in a small way, the world.