“WRITING FOR THE LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY: A CASE STUDY ON HOW TO GET THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

TO READ YOUR WORK BY WRITING FOR A

LOCAL/REGIONAL NEWSPAPER”

A FIVE YEAR TRACK RECORD- LESSONS LEARNED

Dr. Don Daake

Olivet Nazarene University

In Vancouver, B.C. at CBFA 2012…A brief conversational encounter……about Research & Publication

Topic: Writing a business column for a local newspaper column

I felt a little like “Professor”Harold Hill of the Music ManWhat do talk, walk da ya talk; what da ya talk..I felt like I was being labeled as …

when it comes to scholarship….

“He doesn’t know the territory!”

An Overview of Session

• Traces 5 five year process of developing working relationship with a local/regional daily newspaper-the Kankakee Daily Journal

• Began with Don Daake & Ed Piatt writing an occasional article (about 20 articles, per year, combined), in the Daily Journal’s monthly business magazine B2B

• Has evolved into a weekly column in the business section. The paper is a mid-size publication, with a circulation of over 23,000 copies and 50,000 potential readers.

An Overview

• Opportunity to share a wide variety of practical yet academically sound, business-related ideas with thousands of people each week is a substantial privilege.

• Initially written in conjunction with Edward Piatt – co-authored approximately 120 articles together over 2 ½ years a potential readership of 6.0 million readers (in marketing parlance- gross impressions).

• Since November 2011- October 2014- Bi-weekly column – written additional 75 articles with potential of 3.75 million readers

• Purpose today is to provide a road map of how university business professors can significantly expand their influence by writing for their community

Its about impact!

• Sudden impact…

well not that kind

• But widespread and significant cumulative impact over time!

Initial Cumulative “Potential” Readership- first Phase

Initial Likely Cumulative Readership @ Conservation 20%

Some conservative estimates…updated

Updated 2014 Numbers

LITERATURE REVIEW

GAP BETWEEN THEORY & APPLICATIONACROSS THE LAST THIRTY YEARS, THE ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT HAVE

STRUGGLED WITH THE BALANCE BETWEEN DOING BASIC RESEARCH AND

APPLIED RESEARCH AND WRITING THAT CAN BE UTILIZED BY PRACTITIONERS.

Concern in the Academy has been long-standing but Cyclical

• 1908, Henri Fayol asked, “Is there a better way to learn to manage other than by experience?”

• Raelin (2007) argues that “by merging theory and practice we will end up with better theory, better practice, and better learning that will prepare us for both”.

Concern about this problem widespread

• The literature reveals concern regarding the gap that exists between theory and application (Starkey & Madan, 2001; Van de Ven & Johnson, 2006; Vermeulen, 2005; Aram & Salipante, 2003; Anderson et al., 2004; Rynes, Bartunek, & Daft, 2001; Salipante & Aram, 2003; Baldridge, Floyd, &

Markoczy, 2004)

Cyclic concern about this problem

• Former AOM President Cummings says that forging closer links between research and practice is key

Who is playing this game?• Two key players (often opposing teams)

researchers VS business practitioners

• They aren’t speaking to each other. Why not?– The purpose of research (general vs. specific)– The nature of management research (messy!)– The nature of knowledge (explicit, tacit)

Build a bridge…and get over it!

• Strengthen the LINKS connecting the two main players

• Favorite LINKS:– Scholarly papers & journals

– Academic conferences

– University classrooms & textbooks

– Trade publications & professional newsletters

– National, regional, and local newspapers !!!

Most of us in our types of institutions don’t spend our lives in research, but we can provide an important service to our communities by taking the ideas “to the streets” by writing careful, thought-provoking communications.

So where does that leave us• Those of us who have published in peer-

reviewed journals, understand the importance of writing.

• Academic scholarship is difficult and very time consuming. Most of us don’t have the time or resources to publish in tier one or tier two journals; however, we still do have important ideas to communicate.

So where does that leave us

• Even if we are fortunate enough to publish in journals (which require, in some cases, years of work) the work is only read by a few hundred or at best a few thousand people.

• For example, the premiere Academy of Management Journal, considered one of the top five academic business journals in the world, has a circulation of only 18,100.

Actually it may be more dismal than that!!!

• The Smithsonian Magazine has reported some rather stunning conclusions about readership of academic articles. While it may a bit deflating to those of us who labor in the academic peer-reviewed world, here are few keys points. One estimate indicates there are about 1.8 million articles published each year in approximately 28,000 journals.

Actually it may be more dismal than that!!!

• Of those papers, half of them are read only by their authors and journal editors. A 2007 study contends that 90 percent of papers published are NEVER cited. According to the 2007 study in some cases academia’s incentive structure may make it better to publish something rather than nothing, even if that something “is only read by you and your reviewers.”

Actually it may be more dismal than that!!!

• As more journals come online, the articles referenced are more recent, and fewer journals and articles are cited.

• Source: www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/half-academic-studies-are-never-read-more-three-people-180950222/#ZlMySP1BCFUhyXa2.99

Others Citing your work is a bit of trip…

While no comparison to peer reviewed journals…

• So many writers in newspaper have to do, writing at a “dumbed- down” level

• Tend to focus on the negative in our communities

“SCHOLARLY IMPACT”

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

FIRST TIER SECOND TIER THIRD TIER FOURTH, ETC NEWSPAPER

Social Impact on Ordinary Citizens

By writing a newspaper column • We integrate cutting-edge writing and research in a positive

helpful fashion.

• And it actually gets read and adds value to the newspaper and the community.

• We have the chance to introduce current cutting edge ideas as well as the ideas of classic thinkers such as Porter, Kanter, Eisenhardt, Kotter, Goleman, Simon, Collins, Mintzberg, and several other prominent seminal thinkers to our readers.

Increasing opportunity to integrate scripture and Christian ideals..

• It comes naturally & it is appreciated by readers

• Fits our mission and my mission

• For many readers probably the only time they are exposed to scripture- so never done heavy handed.

Increasing opportunity to integrate scripture and Christian ideals..

• Remember Kurt Lewin’s “Nothing is so practical as good theory”

• For us nothing is so common sense in management as the scripture!

Benefits to Multiple Stakeholder Groups

• Cultivating a close relationship with local media, can yield important benefits for multiple stakeholder groups.

• The Community

• The Newspaper

• Our Readers

• Our Students

• University

• For Us Too!

Engaging in public outreach allows us to give back to our community

Community in transition

Many small business owners with limited resources

Growing professional community

Write about wide variety of topics

Writing for local media shows our students that we not only expect them to write but that we do the same

• I WANT TO YELL THIS!! We expect our students to write-we should too.

• Articles serve as real-life real time points for discussions.

• We are able to somewhat “enact” our environment as Karl Weick would say

Newspapers are in a crisis

• The State of the Newspaper Media 2013:

• Cutbacks in 2012 had the industry down 30 per cent since its peak in 2000

• Below 40,000 full-time professionals for the first time since 1978.”

• “Decline of US newspapers continues unabated (2013, Apr 04). Source: Gulf News

Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1323115073.

1 Papers are needing to find a new voice

2 Local columnists help retain base

3 Frankly - cost cutting device according to Ken Munjoy

Many papers are moving away from regional/national coverage to more local

Publishing locally opens opportunities for us to speak at public functions

• Service clubs

• Professional Groups

• This opens more opportunities for our students

Interacting with local organizations via local media provides visibility and opportunities for student internships and job opportunities

Synthesizing theory and practice increases credibility for our professors and the institution

• Other local columnist are much more focused on stories and anecdotes

• Also increases credibility for the paper

It is our goal to make our writing both enlightened &proactive• New ideas

• Old ideas recast

• Not talking down to our readers

• But yet make assessable to broad base of readers

• So we write within a appropriate “Band Width”

Being appropriate

Sample Articles

Some recent articlesAlso posted on Blog

But at times we feel like prophets not accepted in our own country

• Lots of feedback from community

• Much less from our colleagues

• But hey you deal with academics and maybe you’ll agree for some professors their opening position is…….

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29E6GbYdB1c&

B2B

Weekly co-

writing

First Author/

Second author

More Direct on Purpose

Using Outside Authors

FUTURE INCLUDES YOU?

We (Piatt & Daake) each started out writing a monthly or bi- monthly for

Illinois Business To Business (B2B)

• Limited circulation of about 4000• Very difficult to get enough ideas• Eventually B2B was expanded to Will County and then

closed• Transferred to a monthly column in the newspaper• But at that point we hand contacts and experience• Were urged to write “McDonald’s conversation” 500

word column

Change of B2B to Daily Journal

We wanted to call the columnThe Village Idiots

• In deference to the Motley Fools

• “Stamping out idiocy one article at a time”• The Village Idiots (ultimately led to website-• http://www.viassociates.org/• Well it is closed down now.

Big Concern -How can we come up with ideas for every week?

Ideas- they are every where!!

• Books- for me Audible

• Articles

• Songs

• Life!!

• TV, radio and movies

• Your pets

Latest article-What have you done for me lately?

• Time Management Literature

• Zig Ziglar’s famous maxim calls “Don’t be a wondering generally rather than meaningful specifics.”

• Angel Chernoff at http://www.marcandangel.com/

• “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does

not have works? Can faith save him? … But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 14 & 18 — NKJV version).

• And even Larry says… Git-R-DONE!!

Coming all together..

Hot on the presses..

Wordsmithing does not work as a duet!

• At one point one of us told the other to go down the hall and come back in 30 minutes

• From that point on we decided to do a Primary/Secondary author approach

Conversation with Mr. Munjoy, GM of Journal Gave Us New Direction

• His advice…

• “tell them what you want to tell, why it is important to them, why they should care, and then summarize what you have just told them.”

A New Step Forward-

• In mid-summer 2010 decision – it would be helpful and raise our credibility to bring in an occasional third guest author.

• We asked Kathleen Mays of East Texas Baptist University to join the writing team and participate 4-5 times a year.

• This gave us fresh ideas, e.g. management lessons from the movies.

• Her articles have been well-received, and we put a local spin to the article to meet our mandate.

• Since then I have used about 7 or 8 co-authors

Why do it?

• Personal desire to connect theory & practice

• Unique opportunity – something to offer

• Fun to write

• It “counts” as faculty development and/or scholarship

• Local celebrity status

Tips for you if you want to do this in your community

• First establish a track record with reporters

– Respond FAST

Invite newspaper to your special events

Work for "Free"

• The payoff is incredibility profitable in terms of more and more connections

• Allows me to publish to my Blog

• www.daakecomments.wordpress.com

Start with Letters to the Editors

Invite media people to your classes

• Marketing, Advertising, Journalism, Strategy and many more

• They liked being asked. We are learning the fine art of doing a favor by asking for a favor

Be choosy who you let write with you

• Keep the CRAZY ONES IN THE CLOSET!!

Guests co-writers…

• Have co-written or will in the future with

• DBA students, graduates

• Bankers

• Health Care CEO

• IT Entrepreneur

• Psychologist

• Geographer

In the end I consider this opportunity a sacred trust…

• My “congregation” every two weeks is from 5-10 times the size of the largest church in Kankakee…

• It may be the most important thing I do in my job!

How about you ….?

• I’m always looking for co-authors!

• If you are interested take one of the sheets with my business card and send me a note..

• Looking for another 5-10 co-authors for 2015

• Please feel free to freely borrow the articles from my blog

• www.daakecomments.wordpress.com

Uncle Don wants you!!

www.daakecomments.wordpress.com

In many ways I consider this a privilege and a sacred trust…

• James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

In conclusion….

• If you proceed down this path…

• You will find it immensely rewarding for you, your students, your university and the community.

DISCUSSION & QUESTIONS?IF YOU WOULD LIKE A COPY OF THE POWER

POINT PRESENTATION YOU CAN E-MAIL ME @ DDAAKE@OLIVET.EDU

OR FIND IT ON WWW.SLIDESHARE.NET