1. Applied Research and its Challenges Eric Burger and Dolores Zage

2. Applied Research Welcome to the real world
Applied and Traditional Research
Applied research is an uneasy topic in academia
How is applied research different than consulting?
The necessary skills of an applied researcher
Thought leaders

3. Welcome to the Real World
Applied research is aimed at understanding real-world problems, with the intention of contributing to a solution that addresses the problem.
Different from basic research that focuses more on the creation of knowledge, as an end in itself, without necessarily having an immediate goal of ‘addressing’ a problem.
Interaction between stakeholders in applied research is essential, with a focus of transcending knowledge spheres to address complex problems in business through applying transdisciplinary aspects. 

4. Applied and Traditional Research
Differ in two key ways
Methods
Research questions

5. Methods Applied researchers want to do more than understand.
Find solutions that work in practice.
Must be attuned to the “noise” within a company — the internal politics, stories, histories and micro-practices — rather than abstracting the issue from its context. 
For this reason, applied researchers work very closely with affiliates to understand the complex context of business challenges.
Inherently leading to small sample sizes, different from traditional research.

6. Research Questions Traditional research
tests for the presence of general patterns in practice
aggregates data to achieve statistically valid sample sizes
standardizes across cases leading to general findings
a level of abstraction up from practice.
Applied research
asks firm-specific, highly contextualized questions. 
examples of traditional and applied research questions for comparison:
Traditional research question: Which strategies are effective for selling product to dispersed rural consumers?
Applied research question: Which strategies are effective for a XXXXX subsidiary of a multinational consumer product company selling dish cleaning products to rural farming families?

7. Applied research is an uneasy topic in academia
Perceived to fall into no man’s land — somewhere between rigorous, objective research and ad hoc consulting
Dr. Erik Simanis, Managing Director of the Market Creation Strategies Initiative at Cornell’s Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise

8. How is applied research different than consulting?
There are two major differences between applied research and consulting:
Problem definition
Ability to say, “I don’t know”

9. Problem Definition Both seek to solve a corporate problem
Applied researchers
start by framing problems in rigorous academic theory
work directly with managers to define and test theoretically grounded solutions
continually re-thinking the theory itself 
Consultants
overlay pre-defined frameworks and solutions onto a company’s challenge
starting with the solution, the problem and its underlying theory are also pre-defined.
This works when problems are routine, but can result in misdiagnosis when the challenge has a unique root cause.

10. Ability to say, “I don’t know”:
Consultants are paid to provide the right answer and it’s rarely acceptable to say, “I don’t know.” Applied researchers offer a very different value proposition: Rather than offering guaranteed solutions, they help companies clearly define the problem, co-create solutions and test the outcomes.

11. Potential of Applied Research
Working in the field gives researchers detailed insights on business challenges. That can lead to insights that traditional research won’t surface.
Create real-world impact.

12. Challenge
Pressure to produce findings that would be of value to the affiliates .
Expectations of the affiliates to be carefully managed – the “I don’t know” impact

13. The necessary skills of an applied researcher
Plan, negotiate and agree a research project that responds to and addresses the needs of an external partner appropriately and successfully.
Consider and respond appropriately to relevant problems of access, ethics and resource both in planning the research and during research practice.
Successfully develop and apply appropriate methods of data generation and analysis.
Report on the research project and findings in an appropriate manner.
Maintain a good working relationship with affiliates at all times.

14. Personal Challenges
Staying Motivated and Working Your Plan Sometimes, in the course of a research project, the biggest challenge can be internal—maintaining the motivation to keep going despite obstacles in your research and the pressures of work and personal commitments.

15. In addition to creating real-world impact, applied research also helps researchers become thought leaders.