FIFTY YEARS OF RESEARCH ON INTERNAL PROMOTIONS: WHERE ARE WE GOING? AN INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEW AND BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS
FIFTY YEARS OF RESEARCH ON INTERNAL PROMOTIONS: WHERE ARE WE GOING? AN INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEW AND BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS

Summary/Abstract: Internal promotions allow businesses to fill vacant positions through their current workforce, as an alternative to external recruitment. In this study, we present the findings of the first quantitative review on promotions as a complete field, including publications spanning over the last fifty years and incorporating the branches of social science relevant to this topic: business and management, psychology, sociology, and economics. First, we provided the number of publications, the most prolific authors, and journals over time. Second, we organized the dispersed literature by identifying the six main research trends, and analyzing their relationship with promotions: (i) Internal promotions and career success, (ii) Employee job satisfaction, (iii) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and tournament theory, (iv) Racial discrimination in leadership positions, (v) Gender inequality, (vi) Job performance and employee personality. Third, we conducted a content analysis of recent publications (2017-2023), outlining key findings from each of the six identified research trends in internal promotions, thus evaluating their present-day relevance. We further identified promising areas for future investigation, particularly in employee job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intention, and human resource management practices.

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