ABSTRACT
When asked by the editors of this volume to participate in a dialogue regarding how knowledge flows from the academic community to the world of professional managers I responded enthusiastically. My interest does not derive from a personal history of unmitigated successes in bridging between scholarship and practice. Rather, mine is a mixed record of some very noteworthy successes and some obvious failures. Composing this chapter provides an opportunity to analyze this uneven personal history of information transfer. These reflections will hopefully also serve as a source of learning for others who can become more “street smart” than I was in transferring insight between academic research and management practice. My own efforts in developing applicable models for practice have been shaped by accidents of circumstance rather than a conscious strategy.
