Evolution of DBA Dissertation: Moving Beyond Traditional Research

21-Dec-2024

The DBA degree is gaining immense significance in the transforming business environment and is designed for professionals who have an interest in enhancing their organizational competencies and contributing to the development of both academics and the industry. Traditionally grounded in conventional research methods, dissertations for a DBA are changing with the way business environments, technology, and academic perspectives are changing. This change has led the field to move beyond conventional research and innovative approaches shaping the future of DBA dissertations to address contemporary challenges.

Traditional DBA dissertation: A foundation for change

DBA dissertations traditionally focused on building a strong foundation with conventional research methods. These included intense literature reviews, hypothesis development, data collection through surveys or interviews, and statistical analysis for verification of pre-defined theories. The usual objective of such studies was to enhance academic knowledge and refine prevailing theoretical frameworks.

Although this approach was very insightful, it often lacked applicability and relevance to real-world situations. The research was often not connected to the immediate needs of businesses, which made it challenging to translate findings into actionable strategies. Traditional methods, though comprehensive, were limited in dealing with complex, multifaceted business challenges in fast-paced environments.

Why the shift is necessary: Emerging needs in business

The traditional DBA dissertation model has challenges today, in this fast and networked business world. Business environments are changing rapidly; thus, traditional research with a linear structure is not abreast of these changes. Here's why change is the need of the hour:

1. Immediate relevance: In rapid markets, businesses need insights on time and flexible enough. Traditional research takes years, whereas trends come out every few minutes. Business leaders, therefore, need timely research to tackle new challenges at their end.

2. Interdisciplinary approach: Business problems today are multifaceted, requiring expertise from various disciplines. Traditional research often remains confined to specific fields, while real-world issues demand integrated approaches drawing from technology, economics, sociology, and more.

3. Data-driven decision-making: The tremendous explosion in the amount of big data and AI technology has brought forward the ineffectiveness of traditional small sample-sized and qualitative-data-based methods for processing volumes of data now relied upon by most businesses. There's a pressing need for research utilizing advanced analytics for the extraction of actionable insight.

4. Practicality gap: Traditional research tends to focus on theory contributions, but today's businesses need actionable solutions. DBA dissertations must bridge the gap between theory and practice, producing research that directly addresses business challenges, from leadership to the optimization of customer experience.

Innovative directions in DBA dissertation research

DBA dissertations are evolving with innovative research methods, reflecting the changing needs and emerging trends in the business world. 

1. Action research: Connecting theory and practice

Action research has become one of the most prominent methods in Doctorate in Business Administration dissertations. It lets researchers address real-world business problems while contributing to academic theory. In this approach, researchers are actively involved with the organizations to identify issues, implement solutions, and assess the outcomes in real time. This iterative process benefits academia and business practice. For instance, in a DBA, how to optimize a company's supply chain might be explored by testing new strategies in some real-world setting and determining the impact.

The strength of action research is that it is collaborative, meaning it can ensure that the research addresses real practical business needs while simultaneously developing theoretical insights. This creates a feedback loop where academic theory feeds into business practice and vice versa, with real-world results refining academic understanding.

2. Big data and AI-driven research

A new trend in DBA dissertations is the use of big data analytics and artificial intelligence. Now, modern business research is exposed to enormous amounts of data from sources such as online platforms, enterprise resource planning systems, and customer interactions. The DBA student now uses big data tools to reveal hidden patterns, trends, and correlations, providing powerful insights into business performance, customer behavior, and market trends.

AI and machine learning algorithms further enhance research with predictive modeling and decision-making processes. For example, a DBA dissertation might look at customer data of a retail business to see loyalty drivers or how an AI-driven forecasting model would optimize inventory management. Data-driven approaches give businesses action items and allow DBA students to produce highly relevant, evidence-based research.

3. Collaborative and cross-industry research

Modern business problems often require solutions that are sourced from a variety of industrial sectors and academic disciplines to tackle them. Therefore, DBA dissertations move towards collaborative research that involves partnerships across sectors. That way, cross-industry research enables the researcher to explore matters that span beyond the confines of one organization, providing more wholesome and holistic insights.

For instance, an example of a DBA dissertation could be about the application of AI in healthcare: this would require collaboration from healthcare organizations, tech companies, and academic researchers. This joint work could result in findings that can be applied universally across industries and could have collective benefits to various stakeholders.

4. Sustainability and ethical research

Sustainability and corporate social responsibility have emerged as prominent areas in dynamic business sphere. Consequently, DBA dissertations tend to explore how a company can balance profitability with ethically and environmentally sustainable practices. This research looks into whether companies can embrace ecologically friendly initiatives while pursuing growth and profitability.

Ethical considerations are also now becoming central to DBA research. Topics such as responsible AI, diversity and inclusion, fair trade practices, and corporate governance are now being explored within DBA dissertations. The idea is that business practices must not only be profitable but also socially responsible and in line with broader societal good.

5. Design thinking and innovation

Design thinking represents one of the innovative methods widely applied in DBA projects. This human-centered approach focuses upon empathy, creativity, and incremental prototyping to solve complex, organizational problems. Growingly, DBA students incorporate design thinking into their issues and problems, such as developing new products, improvements to customer experience, or innovation for an organizational culture.
DBA research provides the ability of delivering insights by focusing on understanding customers' needs and the organizational pain points with prototyping and testing, such that businesses can innovate and grow by being able to implement directly.

Conclusion

DBA dissertations are evolving from conventional to innovative approaches, integrating action research, big data, and design thinking. This shift bridges theory and practice, providing timely, actionable insights to address business challenges.

Evolution of DBA Dissertation Advancements in DBA Dissertation