The Role of Translation in Cross-Sector Collaboration Between Academics and Companies

As cross-sector collaboration gains traction, management scholars intensify their translation of academic knowledge into practice. So do managers and consultants. Although we know quite a bit about processes and outcomes of ideational translation, we have yet to examine the role of individuals in translating academic ideas into practice. Does it matter if the translator is a consultant, a manager, or a scholar? Are translators more effective if they themselves have produced, adopted, or used the academic knowledge they are translating? This symposium will from multiple vantage points explore the challenges, strategies, and successes that individuals experience when they adapt academic knowledge to a practice context. The aim is not only to identify best practices and pitfalls in the act of translation, but also to theorize a key component of cross-sector collaboration between academics and companies.