Management Sciences are widely recognized for the quality of their academic programs and the successful professional integration of the large number of students involved. Nearly 20% of all students enrolled in French higher education are pursuing studies in which management is the main discipline—an often overlooked fact among economic and political decision-makers. Even less well-known is research in management sciences. Yet, given the impressive number of students trained and the many businesses and organizations that welcome them each year upon graduation to meet the needs of the French economy and society, it is paradoxical that the knowledge taught in the various disciplinary fields of management sciences is not perceived as the result of continuous Research & Development activity.

In 2022, the FNEGE (French Foundation for Management Education) decided to launch the Observatory of Research in Management Sciences, under the sponsorship of the Conference of Directors of French Management Schools (CDEFM) and the IAE FRANCE network of University Schools of Management.

This observatory aims to provide a quantitative and qualitative overview of research in management sciences within French higher education institutions. It helps measure the extent of knowledge production by the academic community in management sciences and raises awareness of its impact and contributions to all stakeholders—whether they are researchers and teacher-researchers, students and PhD candidates, managers working in economic and social organizations, or society at large.

In the fall of 2023, an online survey was launched in collaboration with Sphinx, targeting the leadership of 66 French research laboratories. The goal was to collect data on their staff, scientific output, national and international impact on the academic community, contributions to students and doctoral candidates, to practitioners, as well as to their local communities and society. Following this survey, Pascale BUENO MERINO, Director of Research at EMLV Business School (De Vinci Higher Education), Professor of Strategic Management and authorized to supervise doctoral research, and Jean-Luc HERRMANN, University Professor (Management Sciences) at the University of Lorraine, authored a report analyzing the key findings of the observatory.

The first section focuses on shedding light on the academic impact of research in management sciences in France. More specifically, it highlights the contributions of French management laboratories to knowledge production, their role in the knowledge production ecosystem, and finally the impact of research as a pillar of academic training in management sciences.

The second section addresses the impact of French research in management sciences on practitioners and society. More precisely, it first showcases the efforts made by teacher-researchers in scientific dissemination and collaborative research. It then emphasizes the close ties many laboratories maintain with their local areas, before highlighting the growing involvement of laboratories in research dedicated to environmental and societal transitions.