We use content analysis to examine the content analysis literature in organization studies. Given the benefits of content analysis, it is no surprise that its use in organization studies has been growing in the course of the past 25 years (Erdener & Dunn, 1990;Jauch, Osborn, & Martin 1980). First, we review the principles and the advantages associated with the method. Then, we assess how the methodology has been applied in the literature in terms of research themes, data sources, and methodological refinements. Although content analysis has been applied to research topics across the subdomains of management research, research in strategy and managerial cognition have yielded particularly interesting results. We conclude with suggestions for enhancing the utility of content analytic methods in organization studies.

We present a preliminary investigation of the concept of managerial discernment. Discernment provides managers with a structured process invoking both the rationality and the spirituality of the decision-maker in order to improve decision quality. First we introduce the core concepts, using Ignatian discernment as a basis. Second, we illustrate managerial discernment using an actual case of employee appraisal, combined with a simulation based on the information obtained from the case. Finally, we discuss the implications, both in the context of appraisal and more generally organizational settings.