Replication

For decades scholars have discussed how the lack of replication studies impedes scientific progress in the field of management (Starbuck, 2006). More recently, related empirical investigations have cast additional doubts whether research published by top management journals will replicate (Goldfarb & King, 2016; Open Science Collaboration, 2015). In response, top management journals have started to encourage the submission of replication studies (Bettis et al., 2016). In response, more replication studies were conducted and published (SI SMJ) but the large gap between the number of replication studies needed to arrive at evidence-based theories remains. 

We believe replication studies are currently rarely conducted for two underlying reasons: (1) remaining strong career incentive to focus on developing new theory and (2) lack of experience on how to design and execute replication studies. Doctoral programs can address both constraints by (a) requiring first and second-year doctoral students to conduct a replication study and (b) by providing instructions on how to conduct high-quality replications.

ARIM provides a platform to coordinate related activities across participating universities. It provides resources on how to teach replication to doctoral students and best practices on how to implement replication studies. In addition, ARIM will support the publication of student replication studies and incentives in the form of replication study competitions and awards. In the end, ARIM will contribute to overcoming the replication crisis in management research by empowering an increasing number of management scholars to conduct replication studies and by establishing an increasing stream of replication studies in the management literature.