There are a number of differences between the world of theory and the universe of practice. Many academics pour scorn on management gurus who tell you the best way to run a business. The academics feel this is just one way, and look for scientific rigour when someone makes a statement of fact. Practitioners on the other hand feel the deliberate manner of defining meanings and often impenetrable sentences of the academic world a turn-off.
No matter what side of the fence you are on, the fact is that as humans we want to make meaning out of our lives, and in order to do this we try to find meaning in our lives. We try to make sense of our dreams, of objects in the corner of our eyes or mirages. Whenever there is something unknown we try and make sense of it.
These thoughts have several impacts in the work environment. People now want more from work, rather than simply sustaining a life. We try and make rules for life, whether they be implicit or explicit. Sometimes these rules are called theories, the theory of motivation, theory of leadership, and so forth. However life is not a closed box, there is no one complete theory of the universe.
Can the world of Academic and Practitioner meet?
There is a word, not fondly looked upon, called ‘pracademic’ meaning part practitioner, part academic. Having knowledge of theories combined with practical experience is, we suggest, more valuable than just having one or the other. Anyone who sells one solution to fit all is selling magic; life is infinitely more complicated and this is when a combination of knowledge and experience count.
