Better, Faster, Stronger: The Evolution of Co-authorship in International Management Research Between 1990 and 2016

Oliver Wieczorek,Christoph Barmeyer,Erik Radisch,Madeleine Bausch,Malte Rehbein,Markus Eckl

doi:10.1177/21582440211061561

Abstract

As a border-transcending discipline, the advancement of international management research depends on collaboration between scholars, universities, and nations to account for the diversity and complexity of management phenomena. Yet, relatively little is known about how international management has evolved as a field of research. We address this gap by examining the evolution of collaboration patterns on three levels of analysis, applying the concepts of cumulative advantage, preferential attachment, and isomorphic behavior in a diachronic network analysis. Based on 6,874 articles published between 1990 and 2016 in eight international management journals, our analysis shows that collaboration is driven by a few key players on each level. Although the US and UK still represent hubs, semi-peripheral actors from Europe and Asia enter the landscape. Nevertheless, non-western actors are still underrepresented. We tie this effect to the expertise-based hegemonic status of American and British business schools and dynamics of cumulative advantage on country-level.

Highlights

International management as a research field is considered a multidisciplinary endeavor and depends on global scientific collaboration
International management as field of study emerged in the US around the mid-1950s as a recognized research field when institutions and organizations increasingly internationalized their activities in the context of globalization (Liesch et al, 2011; Wright, 1970)
As part of international business studies, international management research addresses business practices in different countries, internationalization processes of corporations and problems arising in the international context for which it seeks explanations and solutions (Brannen & Doz, 2010; Buckley & Lessard, 2005; Cantwell & Brannen, 2016; Kothari & Lahiri, 2012; Liesch et al, 2011; López-Duarte et al, 2016, 2019; Zhou & Kwon, 2020)

Summary

Introduction

International management as a research field is considered a multidisciplinary endeavor and depends on global scientific collaboration. We examine scholarly collaboration networks in three periods between 1990 and 2016 among international management scholars, academic institutions and countries.

Results

Conclusion