OUR APPROACH

Research That Changes How Organizations Act

Most organizations have access to data. Few have the analytical infrastructure to turn it into decisions that hold up in practice. MLL closes that gap, combining academic rigor with decades of hands-on community engagement. 

How MLL Works

Click on the topics and learn about our workflow at Management Learning Laboratories 

Primary and secondary data gathered through structured surveys, ethnographic interviews, focus groups, and curated secondary datasets — designed to capture the full texture of community contexts.

Statistical modeling, thematic coding, and cross-referencing against a 100M+ point archive surfaces patterns that go beyond surface-level reporting to expose root-cause dynamics. 

Raw findings become actionable intelligence: translated into plain-language frameworks, executive summaries, and workshop curricula calibrated to your organization's context. 

Three Decades of Documented Impact

Research & Publications

  • 1989 — MLL established by Professor Bannon as a Midwestern Research Group
  • 1997 — MLL acquired by Professor Ananda Mitra and expanded to a National Research Group
  • 2016 — Over 150 studies completed in 35 US states and other countries
  • 2021 — Workshops launched as synchronous events to offer CEUs to recreation professionals 

Experience

30 years of continuous applied research, published books and conferences. 6,000+ professionals trained.