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The relevance of management research debate: a historical view, 1876–2018

The relevance of management research debate: a historical view, 1876–2018 This paper aims to map how the debate concerning the relevance of management research historically evolved to (a) determine if B-schools and management researchers have been uninterested bystanders, as critics posit, or if they have had a relevant role, and (b) discover if a pathway for management research becoming socially relevant has been established by such debate.Design/methodology/approachThis study performed a citation network analysis of the scientific literature concerning the relevance of management research. The network had a total of 1,186 research papers published between 1876 and 2018.FindingsThe results show that from a minimal to peripheral role at the beginning and middle stages, management researchers have rather taken over this debate since the 1990s; the key components of the citation network reveal a strong convergence on what needs to be done, but no convergence on how to do it; and the debate has failed to generate actual change.Originality/valueThis study maps the debate concerning the relevance of management research since its historical inception using a method underused in management history research. It reveals the main path of the debate and the journals that echoed such debate. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Management History Emerald Publishing

The relevance of management research debate: a historical view, 1876–2018

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References (125)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
1751-1348
eISSN
1751-1348
DOI
10.1108/jmh-10-2021-0056
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This paper aims to map how the debate concerning the relevance of management research historically evolved to (a) determine if B-schools and management researchers have been uninterested bystanders, as critics posit, or if they have had a relevant role, and (b) discover if a pathway for management research becoming socially relevant has been established by such debate.Design/methodology/approachThis study performed a citation network analysis of the scientific literature concerning the relevance of management research. The network had a total of 1,186 research papers published between 1876 and 2018.FindingsThe results show that from a minimal to peripheral role at the beginning and middle stages, management researchers have rather taken over this debate since the 1990s; the key components of the citation network reveal a strong convergence on what needs to be done, but no convergence on how to do it; and the debate has failed to generate actual change.Originality/valueThis study maps the debate concerning the relevance of management research since its historical inception using a method underused in management history research. It reveals the main path of the debate and the journals that echoed such debate.

Journal

Journal of Management History – Emerald Publishing

Published: May 6, 2022

Keywords: Knowledge production; Citation network analysis; Relevance of management research; Gap theory-practice; Management research history; Social impact of research

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