The Possibilities and Limitations of Using Google Books Ngram Viewer in Research on Management Fashions

Dag Øivind Madsen () and Kåre Slåtten
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Dag Øivind Madsen: Department of Business, Marketing and Law, USN School of Business, University of South-Eastern Norway, 3511 Hønefoss, Norway
Kåre Slåtten: Department of Business, Marketing and Law, USN School of Business, University of South-Eastern Norway, 3511 Hønefoss, Norway

Societies, 2022, vol. 12, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Google Books Ngram Viewer (GNV) is an analytical tool that uses quantitative methods to analyze digitized text. This paper looks at the possibilities and limitations of using GNV in management fashion research, an area of management research that examines the lifecycle and evolution of management concepts and ideas. GNV provides a historical big picture of the lifecycle and popularity of specific terms and phrases in books. It is argued that this tool could have a natural application in the study of management fashions, since books are a medium through which popular management concepts and ideas have traditionally been diffused. The paper provides several illustrative examples of how GNV can be applied to study management fashions and identifies the tool’s main possibilities and limitations. Although GNV has obvious advantages such as accessibility and user-friendliness, researchers should exercise caution, as it only provides a partial picture of the impact of management fashions.

Keywords: Google Books Ngram Viewer; management fashions; management concepts; management books; evolution; digital humanities; culturomics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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