Shortlist revealed for the UK’s first-ever Management Publication of the Year

The shortlist for the inaugural Management Publication of the Year has been announced at the Chartered Association of Business Schools Annual Conference. 

The award follows a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), the British Academy of Management (BAM), and the Chartered ABS (CABS), and aims to honour published works that offer innovative solutions to the key management and leadership challenges facing the UK. 

The award celebrates research and thought leadership that drives real-world change by offering actionable insights into major socio-economic issues, from the green transition and sustainable business practices to fostering growth in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and enhancing social innovation. 

The shortlist includes a wide range of impactful publications across three categories: Sustainable Futures, SME Growth, and Social Enterprise and Innovation. Each entry addresses crucial themes such as sustainability through circular economy models, growth strategies tailored for SMEs, and frameworks for social innovation. 

The 2024 Management Publication of the Year shortlist: 

SME Growth

• "The Scaling Value Playbook: A practical guide for creating innovation networks for impact and growth" by Ian Gray and John Bessant 

• "The State of Small Business Britain: A manifesto for small business growth and productivity / Exploring Enterprise" by Vicki Belt, Mark Hart, Stephen Roper 

Social Enterprise and Innovation 

• "The Engaged Business School" by Anthony Sturgess 

• "Men Stepping Forward" by Elisabeth Kelan 

Sustainable Futures

• "Blog Series" by Sreevas Sahasranamam 

• "Handbook of the Circular Economy: Transitions and Transformation" by Allen Alexander, Stefano Pascucci and Fiona Charnley 

• "Transforming Tomorrow, a podcast from the Pentland Centre for Sustainability" by Jan Bebbington and Paul Turner 

A distinguished panel of judges will review the shortlisted entries to select the winners in each category, as well as the overall winner. In Social Enterprise and Innovation, the judges are James Reed CBE, Chairman and CEO of Reed, and Karen Blackett OBE, former President of WPP. For SME Growth, the panel includes Byron Dixon OBE, Founder of Microfresh, and Edwina Dunn OBE, Founder of dunnhumby and The Female Lead. In Sustainable Futures, the judging will be led by Andrew Hill, Senior Business Writer at the Financial Times, and Rt Hon Robert Halfon, Managing Director of Ladder of Opportunity Consulting. 

Winning entries will showcase how innovative management practices can play a central role in solving complex societal challenges while strengthening the economy. They will bridge academic insights with practical solutions to drive meaningful progress in economic, social, and environmental spheres. 

The timing of this award is crucial, as findings highlight the urgent need to prioritise management capabilities. The World Management Survey ranks the UK sixth in quality management skills, placing it behind several leading economies.  

CMI analysis reveals that US employers, ranked first globally in management performance, are 10% more likely than their UK counterparts to require candidates for management roles to possess proven management skills. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that if the UK had invested in management development at the same level as Germany - currently ranked third- UK GDP could have been approximately £127 billion higher over decades.  

Andrew Hill, senior business writer at the Financial Times, said: “As a reader, reviewer and constructive critic of management research, across all media, I'm delighted to be involved in the judging of these new awards. I hope they will encourage the flourishing of ideas and innovations that managers can use in their invaluable everyday work.” 

Professor Stewart Robinson, the Chair of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, said: "Each of the shortlisted publications exemplifies the critical link between academic research and practical management solutions. We hope that by highlighting these innovative works, we can help equip leaders to inspire organisations to address the rapidly evolving operational, economic and societal challenges of our time." 

Management Publication of the Year award ceremony

The award ceremony will take place at the British Library in early 2025, celebrating the winner's contributions. The winning publication will demonstrate its impact on transforming practices or its potential for long-term influence on policy challenges in the UK through research and thought leadership.