Tidying Up the Concept of Grand Challenges: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Management scholars increasingly seek to make a contribution to addressing the big issues faced by society (climate change, poverty, migratory crises, etc.), often using the term grand challenges to refer to these. However, after an initial phase of enthusiasm, the lack of coherence and distinctiveness of a relatively new management research concept – typical of an ‘umbrella concept’ – has been criticized. This article addresses the research question of how grand challenges can pass the tests of validity and rationalization in order to improve the robustness of the concept. To this end, we map out the literature on grand challenges using a mixed methodology of bibliometric analysis, combining co-citation and bibliographic coupling. By identifying the intellectual foundations and research streams, our paper analyzes the different uses of grand challenges in the literature as well as the resulting inconsistencies – thereby tidying up the concept. The current weaknesses of the grand challenges concept call for a clarification of its attributes. We pinpoint the importance of this redefinition and how it can be achieved, and discuss the possibilities for theoretical development of the field.