Letters to the Editor
Letter sent to the editor January 22, 2006
Hi Laura,
Im writingto share an observation made many years ago by Fritz J. Roethlisberger regarding the value of the interchange between science and practice (the idea for your exciting new column in
TIP.)Please note that Im NOT volunteering to edit the new column.
In one of his texts, FJR noted that in the academy there is a tension between those faculty who conduct research on elegant abstractions and those who conduct research with immediate practical application. The formerdisdain the latter, thinking theyaremere technicians lacking conceptual sophistication, and the latter think little ofthose who would dedicate their lives to academic activities with no practical payoff.
FJR then noted that this situation is not entirely new. In the days of Aristotle there were those who practiced a trade but did not teach or research and those who did research and teaching but did not practice. Yetand here is his neat observationthe fields that have shown the most progress over theyears are precisely those wherethose who teach and conduct researchin a fieldalso practice. He noted that itmay not be accidental that great strides have been made in medicine and engineering.
And the same might be said about I-O psychology.
Best,
Richard
RichardE.Kopelman
ProfessorofManagementand
AcademicDirector,ExecutiveMSILRProgram
ManagementDepartment, BaruchCollege
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