High-Impact Research and Learning

Research extends the landscape of learning. By exploring emerging topics and new facets of published research, higher education scholars create impactful knowledge that informs both theory and practice.

Scholarship, Practice, and Teaching

Mays Business School is home to some of Texas A&M University’s most prolific researchers. Distinguished Professor of Marketing Dr. Leonard L. Berry’s work has been cited more than 200,000 times according to Google Scholar. Dr. Duane Ireland, Acting Dean of Mays Business School and University Distinguished Professor of Management, and Dr. Michael Hitt, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Management, have been recognized multiple years on Clarivate Analytics list of Highly Cited Researchers.

Faculty’s scholarly work deepens and expands the available knowledge base. “As a scholar identifies a research question, pursuing that question allows that scholar to advance that knowledge in the field,” Ireland explained. “We knew X about this phenomenon, but the question I pursue in my research lets us know Y about that phenomenon as well as X. So additively, once we know X and Y, another researcher is going to say, ‘That’s interesting! I can take this further and I can inform Z.’”

Mays researchers not only work to expand the knowledge base but also strive to use their work to deepen it by supporting the day-to-day issues faced in business. “We are very committed to translating our research in ways that will have an impact on managerial practice,” Ireland said. “I learned this about a phenomenon that is going to advance knowledge in the field, and I’m going to take it another step by showing organizations, managers, leaders, and people working in those fields how to apply what I’ve learned to help the organization create more value.”

While elevating the knowledge base, research also helps inform the next generation of researchers, especially at the graduate level. Mays Executive, Full-Time, and Professional MBA students benefit from the introduction of emergent research that gives them a point to evaluate their own knowledge and practice. They can then determine the next steps to take for their own growth.

To highlight its researchers, Mays is launching a research-focused video series titled “MaysOn…” in the near future. Noting that the pilot episode features Berry, Ireland said, “These will be wide-ranging discussions that will be another media platform to help us all learn about and apply an individual’s scholarship.”

A Talent for Learning

New research is suggesting that lifelong learning is increasingly important as older adults continue to work longer. “Businesses are seeing that they can still get a good return on investment by continuing to invest in people for a longer period of time,” said Dr. Ricky Griffin, Jeanne & John R Blocker Chair in Business, University Distinguished Professor of Management, and talent management researcher “Just because a person is in their 50s doesn’t limit their opportunity for growth into the future.”

People themselves need to understand that they need to continue to learn and keep abreast of technologies and developments in their field if they are going to work longer and continue to provide value to their employer.

-Dr. Ricky Griffin
Jeanne & John R Blocker Chair in Business, University Distinguished Professor of Management, and talent management researcher

This emerging perspective runs counter to the traditional employment life cycle, which consisted of recruitment, basic compensation, investment through training and development, performance management, incentives, advancement, promotion, then retirement. “Businesses have typically invested primarily in people during the first few stages of their career but were not as likely to invest in talent during the latter career stages,” said Griffin.

Additionally, employees—including older adults—need to assume responsibility for their own continuous learning. “There’s been an implicit bias toward older employees that once a person gets to a certain point, they are perhaps not interested or motivated to learn,” he said. “People themselves need to understand that they need to continue to learn and keep abreast of technologies and developments in their field if they are going to work longer and continue to provide value to their employer.”

Modeling Innovation

Lifelong learning is essential as companies move away from short-lived product innovation and increasingly embrace business model innovation. “When one looks at a lot of companies that are successful today, it is not as much that they are selling a better product,” said Dr. Alina Sorescu, Mays Professor of Marketing, Paula and Steve Letbetter ’70 Chair in Business, and Chancellor EDGES Fellow. “Oftentimes they sell the same product or service, but they do it in a way that is either more efficient or provides additional customer benefits.”

One example is Airbnb, which shifted the hospitality paradigm from building a specialty property to utilizing existing buildings. “Many firms – whether they sell, rent, or change their subscription system or pricing – can figure out different ways of delivering these services to create more value for themselves, their investors, and customers,” said Sorescu.

To gain a better understanding of the rapidly developing research area in innovation, Sorescu and her team are working with the Mays Innovation Research Center to develop an innovation index of publicly traded firms. This index will help researchers explore innovation from different perspectives that will support both scholarship and practice. “I sincerely believe that no company can be successful in the long term unless they innovate,” Sorescu said. “The world is moving at an extremely fast pace and the competitive landscape is very crowded. To be able to stand out, you have to innovate.”