Professor Jan Klakurka’s background spans twenty years in consulting and industry, most recently as Director, Corporate Planning & Development. Now as Assistant Professor at Huron University College and long-standing sessional Lecturer at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Jan’s research interests are directed toward the intersection of strategic planning, lucid foresight, and governance. Having led end-to-end initiatives at Fortune 500 and public-sector clients, Jan energetically shares this holistic experience with students in experiential settings. Jan is a Chartered Director, Chartered Professional Accountant, and Certified Management Consultant.
Bill Irwin is an Assistant Professor at Huron University College in the Department of Economics and Business, where he instructs in the area of Management and Organizational Studies. He also instructs Program and Policy Evaluation at Western University in the Department of Political Science in the Masters in Public Administration Program, and Educational Evaluation in the MEd program at the Faculty of Education. Professor Irwin's research interests centers on issues of policy, leadership, and community engagement. He is interested in exploring models of program and policy evaluation focused on qualitative evaluation and on outcome and impact analysis; with principal interest focused on the interplay between institutions and community.
The authors of this paper build on previous investigation into the intersection of research, consulting and higher education to outline the rationale in favour of management academics undertaking external consulting activities to inform their research and teaching agendas. Using case experience from their engagements in the consulting marketplace, the authors will identify key linkages with research and teaching. Instead of leaving the “practice-research gap” as a void between members of Academy and industry, the authors suggest that Academic-consultants with strong foundations in each of practice and research can – and should – bridge the gap, writing a new narrative for business academics as purveyors of both sound and relevant insight.
