Putting the Management into Innovation & Media Management Studies: A Meta-Analysis

The study of management of innovation is crucial to media management research, helping explain how technology diffusion affects the communication industry and providing a glimpse into its future. This meta-analysis looks at the recent history of mass communication scholarship (1983–2008), addressing newsroom changes to determine whether a mainstream managerial theory—sociotechnical literature—garners adequate use. The researchers discovered numerous references—mostly indirect—to sociotechnical systems (STS) theory, yet found sporadic use of a true managerial emphasis as expressed through the analysis of STS theory's principles- and frames-specific theoretical framework. Implications of the findings and future, alternative directions for research are proposed.