Abstract
Purpose. This study compares the utilization of technical research to the utilization of research that is focused on administrative functions and management. This research effort characterizes the differences and also identifies factors that may cause the differences. In brief, the problem examined in this study is the gap between theory and practice in specialized fields. There has been concern over connectedness between theory and practice not only in public administration, but other fields as well. Due to the connection between theory and practice in the scientific fields, the wastewater industry was chosen as a test field to compare practitioners' activities related to scientific or core business areas to administrative activities. Theoretical Framework. Epistemology and theories of action are at the core of this research influencing how the practitioner learns and works with new knowledge. Knowledge management is also critical in acquiring or manipulating information. The theoretical basis for the transfer of knowledge is epistemology. Theories of collaboration and networking also influence this work. Methodology. Twelve participants from wastewater agencies were interviewed by telephone. Agencies were chosen from across the United States and of varying size and governmental structure. The participants were asked 23 semistructured questions about their organization, their professional characteristics, and their actions related to technical and administrative information to assess knowledge production, transfer, and utilization. Findings. Differences were observed between technical and administrative research. A reliance on upper management and human resources was observed for the source of administrative information. Overall, practitioners interviewed saw their organizations as more supportive of technical research over administrative research. Conclusions and Recommendations. Implementation of administrative research depended on if it made sense to the receiver. Researchers should begin with the end user in mind and consider the nuances of different fields. In addition, it would be beneficial to take practitioner case studies across many fields and synthesize the information. Practitioners should be open to alliances with administrative associations and technical associations.