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This short chapter draws together selected insights and views from the various contributions to the handbook in order to consider avenues for further research into management ideas. In particular, the need to make diverse empirical, theoretical, disciplinary, methodological, and conceptual linkages is outlined. Also, emergent themes are identified which include the familiar and important concerns with identifying the impact of management ideas. In addition, debates on possible academic engagement with practitioners in the field along with calls to extend beyond conventional contexts and approaches are discussed. The conclusion reflects briefly on the possibility for extending the reach of studies related to management ideas.

This chapter introduces the research field of management ideas by identifying different approaches and literatures and discussing some of the reasons why it has expanded in recent years. The fragmentation of the field is outlined and linked to a diversity in terminology, theoretical perspectives and empirical objects. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the structure of the handbook and summaries of each of the individual contributions.

This chapter introduces the research field of management ideas by identifying different approaches and literatures and discussing some of the reasons why it has expanded in recent years. The fragmentation of the field is outlined and linked to a diversity in terminology, theoretical perspectives and empirical objects. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the structure of the handbook and summaries of each of the individual contributions.

Management ideas, and their associated applications, have become a prevalent feature of our working lives. While their focus is familiar, such as efficiency, motivation, and improvement, they range from specific notions such as activity-based costing, to broad movements like corporate social responsibility. This Handbook brings together some of the latest research from leading international scholars on how management ideas are produced, promoted, and adapted, and their effects on business and working practices and society at large.Rather than focusing on specific management ideas, this volume explores their key socio-political contexts and channels of dissemination, and is organized around four core overlapping themes. The first section sets out the research field in general, in terms of both an overall system and of different perspectives and research methods. The second section explores the role of different actors and channels of diffusion, including the consumers and producers of management ideas and 'new' media, as well as traditional players in the management ideas field such as consultancies and business schools. The third section focuses on specific features or dynamics of the management ideas system, such as their adoption, evolution, institutionalisation, and resurgence, while in the final section, critical and new perspectives on management ideas are examined, highlighting specific socio-political contexts and the possibility of alternative ideas and forms of critique.With a broad range of perspectives represented, this Handbook provides a comprehensive, authoritative, and enduring resource for those studying management, innovation, and organizational change, as well as for those working in the management ideas industry.