Anita talks with Herman Aguinis, the Avram Tucker Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Management at the George Washington University School of Business.

Herman's New Book on Research Methods Herman discusses his 2025 book, Research Methodology: Best Practices for Rigorous, Credible, and Impactful Research, which he describes as the guide he wishes he'd had as a graduate student. He argues that great research requires knowing your tools — not just data analysis, but the full craft from formulating an interesting question through to disseminating findings broadly.

Challenges Facing Management Research Herman raises candid concerns about the field: the pressure on junior faculty to publish novel theoretical contributions in elite journals, combined with shrinking doctoral training, is producing a problematic incentive structure. He draws a contrast with biology PhDs, who go through years of postdoctoral training before running their own labs. The result in management, he argues, is a replication crisis driven not by bad intentions but by a broken reward system.

Rethinking Impact Rather than measuring impact only through citations, Herman advocates for a broader view — affecting multiple stakeholder groups (researchers, practitioners, policymakers) through diverse formats such as journal articles, case studies, bridging journals, textbooks, and executive education. He describes using two "thought experiments" before starting any study: would the findings advance theory?, and would they change policy or practice?

AI in Research Responding to a question about AI's effect on talent and entry-level work, Herman argues that AI is only as good as its user. Experts can leverage AI effectively and catch its errors, while novices risk being misled by convincingly wrong outputs. He draws parallels to past anxieties around word processors and statistical software, arguing the answer was never to ban new technology but to develop governance mechanisms — starting with full transparency and disclosure about how AI was used in research.

Closing Thoughts Herman closes with an optimistic message: despite the pressures facing academics, there is an enormous opportunity to do meaningful, impactful work. He encourages researchers — especially junior ones — to step back, reconnect with their passion, and focus on improving the world through rigorous, well-crafted research.