Nairobi, July 21 -- Just this past week, at an event, I had a fascinating discussion with academic colleagues from various higher education institutions across Kenya. As we sat discussing the conditions that hamper business school research from contributing to industry and the nation at large, we surprisingly settled on one recurring theme.

University business schools seem to have prominent lecturers who are constantly searching for relevance.

Instead of conducting meaningful research that advances knowledge and supports economic growth, or providing substantive and useful lectures, they instead strive to advance their own misguided quest for relevance.

Rather than developing the skills needed for research and teaching, they become pre...