Thompson has a database that ranks the highest cited articles in management (and other fields) using the social science citation index, and controlling for the "expected" number of cites an article would have received based on its data of publication, journal, etc. I'm not sure how far back their time frame goes -- I do not think it goes back far enough to pick up some of the "classics", but as of a couple of years ago the top ten "high impact" articles they had identified for management (and their cites) were the following (note, only first author is listed):
Barney (1991, Journal of Management) 904 cites
Ajzen (1991, OBDHP) 845 cites
Cohen (1990, ASQ) 691 cites
Eisenhardt (1989, AMR) 620 cites
Wernerfelt (1984, SMJ) 611 cites
Daft (1986, Mgmt Sci) 497 cites
Banker (1984, Mgmt Sci) 493 cites
Tushman (1986, ASQ) 492 cites
Hambrick (1984, AMR) 483 cites
Daft (1984, AMR) 463 cites
-Melissa Schilling
| 904 | 66.81 | 13.53091 | 658 | Barney J | 99 | 17 | Firm resources | Mgmt | J Manag | 1991 |
| 845 | 36.19 | 23.34899 | | Ajzen I | 179 | 50 | the theory of | Mgmt | Organ Behav | 1991 |
| 691 | 131.33 | 5.261555 | 658 | Cohen WM | 128 | 35 | Absorptive Capacity | Mgmt | Adm Sci Qua | 1990 |
| 620 | 96.5 | 6.42487 | 658 | Eisenhardt | 532 | 14 | Building | Mgmt | Acad Mgmt R | 1989 |
| 611 | 62.35 | 9.799519 | 658 | Wernerfelt B | 171 | 5 | A | Mgmt | Strat Manag | 1984 |
| 497 | 34.61 | 14.36001 | 658 | Daft RL | 554 | 32 | Organizational | Mgmt | Manag Sci | 1986 |
| 493 | 30 | 16.43333 | 658 | Banker Rd | 1078 | 30 | Some models | Mgmt | Manag Sci | 1984 |
| 492 | 73.5 | 6.693878 | 658 | Tushman ML | 439 | 31 | Technological | Mgmt | Adm Sci Qua | 1986 |
| 483 | 50.8 | 9.507874 | 658 | Hambrick DC | 193 | 9 | Upper echelons | Mgmt | Acad Mgmt R | 1984 |
| 463 | 50.8 | 9.114173 | 658 | Daft RL | 284 | 9 | Toward a | Mgmt | Acad Mgmt R | 1984 |
| Barney J | 99 | 17 | Firm resources | Mgmt | J Manag |
| Ajzen I | 179 | 50 | the theory of | Mgmt | Organ Behav |
| Cohen WM | 128 | 35 | Absorptive Capacity | Mgmt | Adm Sci Qua |
| Eisenhardt | 532 | 14 | Building | Mgmt | Acad Mgmt R |
| Wernerfelt B | 171 | 5 | A | Mgmt | Strat Manag |
| Daft RL | 554 | 32 | Organizational | Mgmt | Manag Sci |
| Banker Rd | 1078 | 30 | Some models | Mgmt | Manag Sci |
| Tushman ML | 439 | 31 | Technological | Mgmt | Adm Sci Qua |
| Hambrick DC | 193 | 9 | Upper echelons | Mgmt | Acad Mgmt R |
| Daft RL | 284 | 9 | Toward a | Mgmt | Acad Mgmt R |
I need to design a PhD course on the "Foundations of Management". One possible approach to design such a course would be to use the most cited articles in Management. I have seen articles listing the most cited articles in Finance, but I have not seen a recent list of the 30-50 most cited articles in the top Management journals. Do you know where I could find such a list?
Carlos Alcérreca
ITAM-Mexico