The state of the art of innovation management: insights from a retrospective review of theEuropean Journal of Innovation Management

Abstract

PurposeInnovation goes beyond creation, concentrating on enhancement, which is essential for advancement. Since 1998, theEuropean Journal of Innovation Management(EJIM) has been a leading forum dedicated to thought leadership and research on the advances in innovation management. Given thatEJIMhas run over two decades, the time is now opportune to reflect on the journal's contributions to innovation management. Thus, this paper aims to retrospectively review the productivity, impact and knowledge of innovation management research inEJIM.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a bibliometric methodology to engage in a retrospective review ofEJIM. The bibliographic data of 757 papers published inEJIMfrom 1998 to 2021 were retrieved from Scopus and analyzed using performance analysis and science mapping techniques.FindingsThe productivity (publication) and impact (citation) of innovation management research curated byEJIMhave grown prolifically over time. ThoughEJIMoperates with a European title, the journal receives and publishes contributions worldwide (e.g. Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania). Noteworthily, the knowledge of innovation management research inEJIMcan be divided into four categories: basic themes (general), which comprise innovation, open innovation, new product development and product and process innovation; motor themes (well-developed), which consist of organizational culture and innovation and leadership and creativity; niche themes (very specialized), which include dynamic capabilities and business model innovation; and emerging or declining themes (weakly developed or marginalized), which is made up of research and development (R&D) and green innovation.Originality/valueThis paper offers a seminal retrospection ofEJIMand the journal's productivity, impact and contribution to innovation management.