The Enduring Interest Trap in Debating the State of a Field

In his provocation, Dennis Tourish promotes a challenging theme and compelling set of ideas for management scholars. It would bo negligent not to recognize that the problems he raises characterizing a discipline in crisis are accurate and deserve ongoing attention. As a field, the practical, scholarly parts of management studies need nurturing, thought, care, and commitment, and the career tensions of not creating these opportunities are eloquently noted in the essay. This theme and its contribution deserve careful consideration. But perhaps it is not the primary story we should be focusing on here. Rather, the problem is that we have fallen into an enduring interest trap. Management studies is characterized by permanent debate and reflection on the state of the field.