Business schools produce valuable research with the potential to drive societal change; however, the true impact of this research is difficult to capture and communicate. This is because business schools have unique pathways to societal impact, while current evaluation practices are largely designed for disciplines with more linear impact trajectories.

The demand for business schools to evaluate their societal impact has grown more pronounced with accreditation requirements, such as AACSB’s Standard 9, which mandate that schools demonstrate societal impact outcomes consistent with their mission.

The ABDC recognised the need for business schools to evaluate their societal impact for research and launched the societal impact project in January 2025. This one-year project is an initiative of the ABDC’s research network, BARDsNet, chaired by Professor Tracy Taylor. The project is chaired by Professor Karin Sanders, and supported by postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Chelsea Phillips. Drawing on academic literature, existing societal impact frameworks, and discussions with academics, the exploratory project unpacks how a societal impact framework could demonstrate the societal impact of their research and also provide clarity in achieving each business schools’ societal impact goals.

From this an innovative framework has been developed that is useful for business schools because it is pragmatic while also being novel to the body of literature. The framework captures the people and activities that collectively generate societal impact and reflects the academic system which underpins business school research.

The outcome of this project is to present Australian business schools with a highly operational and strategic framework that allows them to evaluate their societal impact, which can act as a tool to guide and encourage more research activities that lead to societal impact.