In Search of Evidence

Chapter 3
development means that the proportion of controlled studies dropped over the
past 30 years from more than 30% in the early 1980s to just under 5% at the end
of the first decade of the new millennium (Figure 5).
Figure 5: Controlled vs uncontrolled studies
Keywords
A total of 1171 unique keywords were identified in the 563 studies included
(see table 3). The most frequently used keyword was Employee Attitudes (14%),
followed by Corporate Culture (11%), Downsizing (9%), Leadership (8%) and
Performance (7%). Employee Attitudes, Downsizing, Performance and Employee
Satisfaction are used two to four times more often in studies with a controlled or
longitudinal design. In comparison, the keywords Corporate Culture, Leadership
Style, Strategic Management and Knowledge Management occur two to four
times as often in studies with a cross-sectional or case study design, suggesting
that the research in these areas tends to be inductive or descriptive in nature. The
number of studies sharing more than 2 similar keywords varies greatly, while the
number sharing more than 3 similar keywords is minimal.