The purpose of this paper is to critically review the relationship between management research and practice particularly in the UK.
The paper takes the form of an historical survey of initiatives and different conceptual approaches.
The paper reveals a central focus on the role of management consultants in mediating between management practice and management knowledge,
The paper is a partial and limited analysis of a complex process: more work is needed to untangle the various institutional roles and conceptual frameworks.
Re‐framing the relationship between management research and practice to consider a greater emphasis on practice engaged scholarship and the two way process of knowledge translation.
The paper encourages a new perspective amongst policy makers, researchers and management consultants.
