Oliver Williamson and His Impact on the Field of Strategic Management

Abstract

In honor of Oliver Williamson's receipt of the 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, this paper provides a set of perspectives on Williamson's impact on the field of strategic management. In addition to a few personal vignettes, the paper compiles citation statistics from the Strategic Management Journal over its entire history to report on the most frequently cited authors, most frequently cited papers, and dynamics of annual citations with respect to the most frequently cited authors. The paper also considers the breadth of topics to which Williamson's research contributes. The evidence suggests that Williamson's impact on strategic management research is not only profound but also continues to grow. Shifting to a prospective assessment, the paper explores the extent to which Williamson's research may impact future research in strategic management. To conclude the assessment, the paper turns to Williamson's PhD students who self-identify as strategic management scholars to understand his direct impact on a more personal dimension.