Open AccessTheory to Practice: Reflections on a Consulting Life
Author(s) -
Druckman Daniel
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
negotiation and conflict management research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.474
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 1750-4716
pISSN - 1750-4708
DOI - 10.1111/ncmr.12144
Subject(s) - negotiation , variety (cybernetics) , delegation , conflict resolution , sociology , management , psychology , epistemology , public relations , engineering ethics , computer science , political science , engineering , social science , artificial intelligence , philosophy , economics
Abstract In this essay, I recount my career experiences as a research consultant in Washington DC . These experiences, over the course of 23 years, provide examples of how theory and research can be used to guide practice. The account is chronological, beginning with my first consulting assignment in 1975, where I worked with a US delegation on resolving a negotiation impasse, to the 1990s where I directed study groups on a variety of human performance and international conflict resolution topics. These projects consisted both of applications of research‐based knowledge and the generation of research ideas for new projects. By immersing myself in both theory and practice, I could transform basic research into applied insights and induce research ideas from practice. This was the kind of career that Jeff Rubin aspired to having. The IACM Rubin award recognizes the way that his aspiration was fulfilled by one of his colleagues.