OM Research: Leading Authors and Institutions

In this study, we focus on papers published in a set of four premier journals, Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, and Management Science over the 15-year period of 2001-2015. Using simple and weighted counts of papers along with network measures of Total Degree centrality and Bonacich Power centrality, we provide rankings of top authors and institutions in the field of Operations Management (OM) serving as hubs of research, connectivity, and productivity from across the world. In view of benefits that can accrue from increased research collaboration between academicians and practitioners, we examine the levels of practitioner participation in the research works published across these premier journals. We survey the extent to which the top ranked authors and institutions network with practitioners in producing joint publications in these journals. By identifying the top ranked authors and institutions in OM, this study provides information that can be useful to stakeholders who may wish to engage in collaborative research with the leading agents, or pursue educational opportunities with them. The study also presents a profile of productivity levels and what it takes for authors and institutions to rank among the top tiers. In so doing, it offers insights into yearly publication rates and underlying trends-insights that can be useful in the context of promotion and tenure, faculty evaluations, and in assessing the standings of individuals and institutions relative to leadership benchmarks.