The Iron Cage and the Monkey's Paw: Isomorphism, Legitimacy, and the Perils of a Rising Journal

Abstract

The Academy of Management Learning & Education (AMLE) has ascended the heights of management journals in a mere decade. How that happened, and whether perils attend it, are the subjects of this essay. I begin by briefly reviewing institutional isomorphism, arguing that academic journals, as actors in a field operating toward similar ends, are subject to coercive, mimetic, and normative forces. I continue by analyzing how these contextual forces factored into AMLE's founding form and functioning. I conclude by remarking on how AMLE's unique mission rendered it especially susceptible to a headlong hunt for legitimacy, and add a cautionary note for all its constituents—editors, reviewers, authors, and readers alike—that differentiation may not be key to surviving, but remains key to thriving.

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