International Research Hotspots of Innovation Management and Their Evolution: Based on Visual Analysis

Abstract

Up to now, the review of international innovation research is based on the micro knowledge-based research of multi-disciplinary, focusing on a research branch in the field of innovation management（such as business model）, or the evolution of the field of international innovation management in a certain period of time. In view of this, based on the bibliometric perspective, this paper selects 43 828 pieces of literature data during 1962-2019 from a general view, and uses the CiteSpace bibliometric analysis software qualitative method of literature reviews to analyze core journals, core authors, core regions, keyword co-occurrence, research hotspots in the past 180 days and cited knowledge map of literature from a broader longitudinal perspective. It is found that core journals in the field of innovation management have different emphases on theories, methods, policies, applications, etc.; China and Chinese institutions have the highest amount of paper publications, while Chinese scholars have a high amount of paper publications, but the international academic influence needs to be improved; Absorption capacity is still the international research hotspot in the field. In the past decade, research hotspots have shifted from organizational ambidexterity and business model innovation to platform, ecological innovation, digital innovation, etc.; International innovation management can be divided into eight major mainstream research fields, namely, open innovation, knowledge management, capability, project management, ambidexterity, business model innovation, ecosystem, dominant design and coopetition. In this way, this paper expounds the knowledge evolution and development frontier in the field of international innovation management in a unified way, which provides reference for the research of innovation management in China. To sum up, the direction of domestic financial support and journal topic selection will incline to the research of innovation management under the background of digital economy. Platform, ecological innovation and digital innovation will become the research hotspot in the future, and the research method and the dynamic perspective of business model innovation, ecosystem and competition need to be further expanded.