Citation footprints on the sands of time: An analysis of idea migrations in strategic management

Abstract

We elucidate the intellectual progression of the strategic management field by examining knowledge flows to and from the Strategic Management Journal (SMJ) during the period 1980-2009. We provide a detailed mapping of the evolution of the intellectual structure of the field and identify its input-output dependency relationships with other fields. Analysis of citation data using three analytic techniques: log-multiplicative model, pathfinder analysis, and entropy analysis allow us to discern strategic management's influence on and engagement with other disciplines. The results show that, within the intellectual universe of strategic management, SMJ has played a central role, both as a source and storer of knowledge. We notice that, over time, there has been a decline in practitioner orientation, greater communication with finance and sociology, and increasing linkages with international business and entrepreneurship.

Mapping collaboration networks in talent management research

“…This would enhance our understanding of the theoretical origins, intellectual structure and outlook of TM research, as well as the disclosure of 'invisible colleges' (see Batistic and Kase, 2015, Cerne et al, 2016, Vogel, 2012. Indeed, co-citation analysis would allow for a better appraisal of knowledge flow among academic papers and specialties (i.e., the cross-pollination of ideas across knowledge domains) (Ciotti et al, 2016, Nerur et al, 2015. Further, this analysis would help in estimating the impact of how authors' embeddedness in research communities affects their research in terms of impact (see Collet et al, 2014, Fischbach et al, 2011 Another possible line of future research is to examine co-authorship networks by means of an improved mixed-method approach (i.e., combining qualitative and quantitative methods to enrich the explanation of underlying processes and their meaning to the actors involved).…”

Understanding scientific communities: a social network approach to collaborations in Talent Management research

“…Further, citation and co-citation analysis would allow for a better appraisal of how patterns of knowledge flow among academic papers and cast light on the salience of homophily for knowledge transfer between papers (Ciotti et al, 2016). According to Nerur et al (2015) there is some concern that the inevitable specialization of researchers can hinder "the flow of ideas across specialties, the cross-pollination of ideas across narrow knowledge domains, and the necessary integration of the social sciences that can lead to a more holistic understanding of social problems and their resolution" (p. 1066). Indeed, Gallardo-Gallardo et al (2015) claim that advancing the understanding of TM requires exploring the potential value of alternative theoretical frameworks.…”

Assessing the exchange of knowledge between operations management and other fields: Some challenges and opportunities

“…As noted earlier, we use citation analysis of the set of journals identified as most important to the field of OM over the three decades 1980–2009 to conduct our study. As Nerur et al (2016, p. 1066) stated: “… a study of citation relationships across journals can provide valuable insights about the intellectual evolution and knowledge structure of a field as well as the pattern of idea migration across disciplines.” Nerur et al went on to explain that a citation analysis “… can provide an assessment of the contribution of the field … to other intellectual niches within the field … and beyond, thus demonstrating its legitimacy or lack thereof as a vibrant discipline.” And, it “… can establish the centrality or peripherality of specific journals within a network.”…”

“…This paper conducts its investigation using the bibliometric method of citation analysis, a widely used approach in many fields such as inventions (e.g., Lee et al, 2010) and innovations (Fox et al, 2013), engineering technology (Pilkington, 2008), and extensively in business. Some examples in business include strategy (Nerur et al, 2016; Ramos‐Rodriguez and Ruiz‐Navarro, 2004; Franke et al, 1990), marketing (Baumgartner and Pieters, 2003; Stremersch et al, 2007; Zinkhan et al, 1992), information systems (Holsapple et al, 1993, 1994; Wade et al, 2006), and OM. In OM, citation analysis has been used most recently to identify the leading European OM researchers (Behara and Babbar, 2014), to investigate supply chains (Kim et al, 2011), to determine scholarly exchanges of knowledge (Linderman and Chandrasekaran, 2010), to analyze the major articles and subfields within OM (Pilkington and Meredith, 2009; Pilkington and Fitzgerald, 2006), to evaluate the differences in the research agenda between OM scholars in Europe and America (Pilkington and Liston‐Hayes, 1999), and to rank the top journals in the field (Goh et al, 1997; Vokurka, 1996).…”

“…More than a quarter century later, the OM field now can be considered as "mature," according to the guidelines suggested by Nerur et al (2016Nerur et al ( , p. 1068 in presenting their citation study of the Strategic Management Journal covering a similar period of time: "As an academic field reaches maturity, it is common for scholars to undertake detailed analyses of the field itself in order to delineate its domain, explain its evolutionary patterns, identify significant intellectual influences, assess its contributions, and plan its future." Here we hope to analyze the flows of knowledge between OM and its sister fields in both academia and practice, since it informs our reflection on how the field has been developing.…”