Defining, Identifying and Measuring Societal Value

Adam Lindgreen, C. Anthony Di Benedetto, Ann Højbjerg Clarke, Majbritt Rostgaard Evald, Niels Bjørn-Andersen, Douglas M. Lambert

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Abstract

At the same time as the productivity of academics have become more formalized and institutionalized with increasing emphasis on counting publications in high-ranking journals, citations, h-index, and so on, there is an increased demand on academics to contribute to what is referred to as societal value, societal relevance, public value, societal impact, and/or similar phenomena. This chapter is an attempt to provide an overview and hopefully a clarification. We propose to use the concept ‘societal value’ as the overarching concept. This can be achieved only if the research has ‘societal relevance’ and if it has ‘societal impact’. These two sub-components of societal value measure different qualities, but they are dependent on each other and the total absence of one of them results in no societal value. In fact, we shall argue that societal value is the multiplum of societal relevance and societal impact. After defining societal relevance and societal impact, we describe how to identify relevant societal value, as well as how to measure the extent to which an individual or an organization might contribute to societal value. Following that, we suggest a number of ways to increase the societal value of academic research. Finally, we reflect on the role of academic journals and their editors in the societal value agenda.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHow to Fast-track Your Academic Career : A Guide for Mid-career Scholars
EditorsAdam Lindgreen, C. Anthony Di Benedetto, Joëlle Vanhamme, John Nicholson
Number of pages35
Place of PublicationCheltenham
PublisherEdward Elgar Publishing
Publication date2021
Pages313-347
Chapter17
ISBN (Print)9781839101779
ISBN (Electronic)9781839101786
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021
SeriesHow To Guides

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