Knowledge map of Latin American research on management: Trends and future advancement

Abstract

The objective of this article is to determine the dynamics of the evolution of management as an academic research discipline in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in the past 25 years. The methodology used in the research comprises a combination of co-word analysis with Social Networks Analysis organized in a six-step procedure. First, the data retrieval was carried out; second, a list of key words related to the management discipline was created; third, a key word co-occurrence matrix and its normalization using Salton’s Cosine was done; fourth, each key word was assigned to the research line it represents, taking into consideration the 25 divisions that make up the Academy of Management Society; fifth, the internal cohesion was calculated for each research line using the density of the words network that makes it up and each line’s centrality degree; and, sixth, a strategic diagram was created representing the stage of development of each research line. The results show how the research lines Strategic Management Process and Innovation & Technology Management have formed the backbone of the development of management as an academic discipline in LAC. We also present how research lines that are necessary for the economic and social development of the region such as Entrepreneurship, Cooperative Strategy and Public Sector Management appear as peripheral underdeveloped lines. Finally, we address possible strategies for future development of the management discipline in LAC.