On June 11th, the Digital + Sustainable Innovation Lab and Catolica-Lisbon had the pleasure host prof Ralph Hamann from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, South Africa. Professor Hamann shared insights from his extensive research on business sustainability, social innovation, and entrepreneurship, delivering a three-hour workshop on impact-driven research.
Later that day, he presented a fascinating case study on identity work and path-dependent identification with maladaptive logics, a rich and challenging piece that underscored many of the workshop’s themes.
The workshop was rich with insights, and three key themes emerged that are particularly relevant for scholars seeking to bridge academic rigor and real-world relevance.
1. Navigating the Tension Between Global Theory and Local Relevance
One of the central challenges discussed was the tension between theoretical contribution and contextual relevance. International journals tend to prioritize generalizable theory and often discount local specificities, particularly those emerging from underrepresented regions. Yet, for many scholars, particularly those in the Global South, maintaining relevance to local contexts is not only a research priority but a responsibility.
“We decided, let’s see if we can do both, leverage the tension between practical and context-specific relevance on the one hand, and theoretical and global relevance on the other.” — Ralph Hamann
2. Engaged Scholarship as a Mode of Knowledge Production
The session introduced and elaborated on engaged scholarship, drawing from Van de Ven’s work and Prof. Hamann’s own institutional experience. This mode of research goes beyond the dominant model of knowledge translation, where researchers conduct studies and later adapt findings for practice. Instead, engaged scholarship emphasizes co-production of knowledge, with sustained collaboration between academics and practitioners throughout the research process.
3. Strategic Communication Across Diverse Scholarly and Practitioner Audiences
A final theme focused on the importance of strategically repurposing research outputs to meet the expectations and needs of different audiences. Prof. Hamann shared examples where a single research project was transformed into:
- A peer-reviewed journal article, for scholarly contribution and career progression
- A practitioner guide, to support applied use within organizations
- A public-facing op-ed, to broaden societal impact
Such multi-channel dissemination strategies are increasingly recognized as best practice, particularly in fields concerned with social or environmental outcomes, where stakeholder diversity is high and timeframes for action vary.
At the Digital + Sustainable Innovation Lab, we are dedicated to connect with researchers who are pushing boundaries in their fields. We're always excited to welcome visiting professors who want to share their work and engage with our community.
If your research touches on business model innovation, digitalization, sustainability, or AI across sectors, we'd love to hear from you.
DSI-LAB is a research group at Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics, specializing in digital technologies and sustainable business models.
