From Academia to Boardroom — Translating Research into Strategy

In the world of business consulting, speed often trumps reflection. Startups move fast, markets shift overnight, and executives are expected to deliver results yesterday. Yet, beneath the rush, an uncomfortable truth persists: many strategies fail because they lack grounding in evidence. This is where professionals like Sören Friemel make their mark. With a career that bridges academia and consulting, Friemel exemplifies how research can be translated into boardroom strategy — and why this matters more than ever.

“Research doesn’t slow business down,” Friemel insists. “It gives organisations the map they need to move faster and with fewer mistakes.”

The Research-Practice Gap

The gap between academia and business has long been lamented. Universities produce mountains of insights on leadership, sustainability, and organisational change, but much of it never reaches practitioners. In SMEs, where resources are tight, leaders often default to intuition or copy-cat strategies rather than evidence-based planning.

A systematic study published in Sustainability warns that digital transformation projects in SMEs often underperform precisely because managers overlook lessons already established in academic literature (MDPI). Without evidence, businesses risk investing in tools that don’t align with their culture or strategy.

Why Evidence Matters for SMEs

For smaller organisations, mistakes carry heavier consequences. Unlike large corporations with financial buffers, SMEs have little room for trial and error. Research provides tested frameworks that reduce risk.

Take sustainability integration, for example. A study on ScienceDirect demonstrates how embedding ESG principles into digital processes doesn’t just enhance compliance — it improves resilience and competitiveness (ScienceDirect). For an SME, that knowledge could be the difference between thriving in a new regulatory environment or being left behind.

Sören Friemel’s Approach

Friemel began his career at the intersection of academia and consulting. As a Research Associate at the Institute for Organisational Change in Berlin, he contributed to EU-funded projects exploring governance and responsible leadership. Today, as an independent consultant, he continues to apply those insights to real-world organisations.

“I draw on research to identify patterns,” he explains. “But I adapt those patterns to the lived realities of SMEs. That’s the bridge — theory informs the framework, but practice shapes the implementation.”

Friemel’s official site highlights his philosophy of combining research and consulting to deliver strategies tailored for resilience and growth (soerenfriemel.com).

Case Studies: Bridging Theory and Practice

  1. Sustainability Audits in SMEs
  2. Friemel has conducted audits where academic ESG frameworks were adapted to small business contexts. By simplifying metrics and aligning them with day-to-day operations, SMEs could measure progress without costly systems.
  3. Change Management Workshops
  4. Drawing on organisational psychology research, Friemel designed workshops to reduce employee resistance. The result was higher adoption rates of digital tools and a more engaged workforce.
  5. Cross-Border Consulting
  6. Working with SMEs in Scandinavia and Germany, Friemel applied comparative research on cultural approaches to sustainability. His projects demonstrated how context-sensitive strategies outperform one-size-fits-all solutions.

The Broader Ecosystem

Friemel’s work doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Global networks like Anthesis Group are also making strides in translating sustainability research into practical frameworks for companies of all sizes (Anthesis Group). Similarly, his professional writing on platforms such as Medium makes academic insights accessible to broader audiences of entrepreneurs and managers.

Looking Ahead: The Consultant-Scholar Model

As businesses face increasing complexity — from climate risk to digital disruption — the demand for research-informed consulting is likely to grow. Friemel believes the next generation of consultants must adopt a “scholar-practitioner” mindset.

“Consultants need to stop seeing research as abstract theory,” he argues. “It’s a toolkit. If we want businesses to be resilient, we must ground strategies in evidence while keeping them adaptable.”

Conclusion

The distance between academia and business has often been a barrier to progress. But figures like Sören Friemel are proving that the two worlds can — and must — come together. By translating research into actionable strategies, he helps SMEs navigate transformation with clarity, resilience, and confidence.

In a time when businesses face unprecedented pressures, evidence is not a luxury. It’s the foundation for survival — and consultants who can bridge that gap will define the future of organisational strategy.