Abstract
Management is a discipline that can be learned from study. A large and diverse set of academic management research, often accessible only to academics, has practical, actionable implications to help in managing an organization today. Unlocking the Ivory Tower addresses the major components of academic business literature: strategy, leadership, entrepreneurship, organizational theory, international business, innovation, and finance. Doctors Ball and LiPuma act as field guides and interpreters, bridging the divide between scholarship and practice, and distilling each research contribution into a brief outline while preserving the message of that thinker. They also provide context regarding how the particular contribution fits into the rest of the field, and how it can be applied in the real world. The result is a rich book that covers a lot of ground and provides a basis for understanding the major schools of thought in primary management fields. Today’s managers are faced with responsibilities for functional and staff management, as well as developing strategies for growth, leading teams, and staying competitive in evolving industries and markets globally—the range of knowledge and skills required by corporate managers requires the breadth of readily applicable concepts present in this book.