Abstract
AbstractThis paper suggests how the ‘grey literature’, the diverse and heterogeneous body of material that is made public outside, and not subject to, traditional academic peer‐review processes, can be used to increase the relevance and impact of management and organization studies (MOS). The authors clarify the possibilities by reviewing 140 systematic reviews published in academic and practitioner outlets to answer the following three questions: (i) Why is grey literature excluded from/included in systematic reviews in MOS? (ii) What types of grey material have been included in systematic reviews since guidelines for practice were first established in this discipline? (iii) How is the grey literature treated currently to advance management and organization scholarship and knowledge? This investigation updates previous guidelines for more inclusive systematic reviews that respond to criticisms of current review practices and the needs of evidence‐based management.
Highlights
Summaries of past research are widely used both to inform new inquiries in many research disciplines and to influence professional practice (Briner et al 2009; Shepperd et al 2013)
Our analysis reveals that these management and organization studies (MOS) scholars have used the grey literature to extend the scope of findings in their reviews by incorporating relevant contemporary material in dynamic and applied topic areas where scholarship lags; they have explored novel fields of enquiry, and have validated or corroborated findings from the academic literature
Grey literature is produced by authors who may, but often do not, have academic training or interest in publishing in outlets that follow the norms of scholarly journals
Summary
Summaries of past research are widely used both to inform new inquiries in many research disciplines and to influence professional practice (Briner et al 2009; Shepperd et al 2013). No new data were created in the course of this work. The authors are grateful to Greg Boulton, Technology Enhanced Learning Designer at Cranfield University, for his help in creating Figure 1. The authors acknowledge the pioneering work of Emeritus Professor David Tranfield who laid the foundations for systematic review in Management and Organizational Studies which continues to inspire. A decade later, these ideas were adapted in the field of management and organization studies (MOS) (Denyer and Tranfield 2009; Rousseau 2006: 2012; Tranfield et al 2003)
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