David Allen Wins Academy of Management Best Paper Award

For release:  June 6, 2011

Allen, D.G., Bryant, P.C., & Vardman, J.M. (2010). Retaining talent: Replacing misconceptions with evidence-based strategies. Academy of Management Perspectives, 24, 48-64.

An article by Professor of Management David G. Allen and two graduates of the Management doctoral program (Phil Bryant and James Vardaman, currently Assistant Professors at Columbus State University and Mississippi State University, respectively) has been awarded the 2011 Outstanding Practitioner Publication Award by the Organizational Behavior division of the Academy of Management. In the article, the authors identify the key managerial implications of decades of research on employee turnover. Based in part on research funded by the SHRM Foundation, the article also takes an evidence-based approach to dispelling misconceptions about turnover and developing retention strategies.

In selecting the winner of this award, a committee of 6 well-renowned scholars reviewed the journals in the field and nominated papers they felt were worthy of the award.  In addition, academy members also nominated papers.  Those papers which made the finalist list were then reviewed and evaluated by each committee member. A sample comment from the selection committee regarding the Allen et al. article was: "I think this paper addresses a very important concern for most managers in today organizations: employee turnover. The authors do a comprehensive review of the literature, including rigorous meta-analysis, to uncover and dismiss common misconceptions related to employee turnover with data based on rigorous research. I appreciate the evidence-based perspective taken by the paper as it provides managers with a good basis on which to base their decisions and on how to go about solving their turnover problems.  I also think the paper poses interesting issues such as the importance of understanding that not all turnover is necessarily bad and the fact that sometimes solving turnover is not cost-efficient."

Dr. Allen's research focuses on the flow of human capital into and out of organizations, and he can be reached at dallen@memphis.edu.