In this editorial, we reflect on the purpose of the Provocation Essays section in Management Learning from the perspective of an incoming Section Editor and an outgoing Editor-in-Chief. We provide insight into the editorial thinking that led to the development of this section 4 years ago and reflect on what it has achieved since then. We take stock of the possibilities that this has opened up and encourage authors, reviewers and readers to engage with the section as a source of critical, reflexive insight and opportunity. Willmott’s (1994) article in this journal ‘Management education: Provocations to a debate’, provided the initial impetus behind the decision to create a separate section in this journal. The purpose was to provide a forum for essay-like, polemical writing on important and topical issues concerning management learning, education and knowledge in organisations. The value of such writing arises from its potential in contributing to ‘a process of critical reflection’ (Willmott, 1994: 105). Essay writing is inherently more ‘discursive and speculative’ (p. 129) than conventionally found in standard academic articles and can be more conversational, experimental or poetic. For Willmott, the issue at hand is the normalisation and standardisation of technocratically-driven forms of management education. He argues that we need to reconsider development-driven approaches, which address the broader, societal impact and contributions of management education. As Willmott’s essay highlights, provocation seeks to acknowledge uncertainty. This requires ‘a very different orientation to feelings of ignorance, uncertainty, confusion, ambiguity and even chaos’ (p. 122). Willmott’s claims are particularly resonant in the current moment when the management learning community faces global challenges related to the unsustainability of ‘business as usual’ in the face of current global crises including climate change, social inequalities and the Covid-19 pandemic.

中文翻译：

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挑衅论文社论：论感动和被感动的重要性

在这篇社论中，我们从即将上任的部分编辑和即将离任的主编的角度反思管理学习中挑衅论文部分的目的。我们深入了解了 4 年前导致这一部分发展的编辑思想，并反思了自那时以来取得的成就。我们评估这带来的可能性，并鼓励作者、审稿人和读者参与该部分，将其作为批判性、反思性洞察力和机会的来源。威尔莫特 (Willmott) (1994) 在本期刊“管理教育：辩论的挑衅”中的文章提供了决定在本期刊中创建一个单独部分的最初动力。目的是为有关管理学习的重要和热门问题提供一个类似论文的论战写作论坛，组织中的教育和知识。这种写作的价值源于它对“批判性反思的过程”做出贡献的潜力（Willmott，1994：105）。与标准学术文章中的传统文章相比，论文写作本质上更具“话语性和思辨性”（第 129 页），并且可以更具会话性、实验性或诗意。对于威尔莫特来说，当前的问题是技术驱动的管理教育形式的规范化和标准化。他认为，我们需要重新考虑以发展为导向的方法，以解决更广泛的社会影响和管理教育的贡献。正如威尔莫特的文章所强调的那样，挑衅旨在承认不确定性。这需要“对无知、不确定、困惑、模棱两可甚至混乱的感觉有非常不同的定位”（第 122 页）。