This is a lecture on: “How can bibliometric reviews contribute to theoretical advancement in management scholarship?”
This question is both important and relevant for those interested in writing a bibliometric review, as well as for journal editors and reviewers, who want some guidance as to gauge the value of such a study.
In some circles, bibliometric reviews have a mixed and ambivalent reputation, making it all the more important to explicitly state the value added of the study, and make the argument compelling.
I do not intend this lecture to be the definitive guide for how bibliometric analysis can contribute to theoretical developments. Rather, I have set the more modest goal, of offering a starting point for the discussion, set a stage to work from, to suggest some avenues I believe to have great potential, and to present some early successes. I hope that at the end that you, the audience, will have thoughts, questions and ideas, all of which I would be grateful if you shared with me.