The managerial turn in sustainable energy research: Mapping the intellectual structure and emerging trends

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the development and intellectual structure of sustainable energy research within the management and organization literature using bibliometric methods. As the energy literature has evolved from a technical field of expertise into a multidisciplinary field of knowledge, the role of managerial dimensions, such as strategy, leadership, organizational culture and human resource management, in the energy transition has become more prominent. Within the scope of the research, a focused dataset was constructed from the Web of Science Core Collection database to identify studies positioned at the intersection of sustainable energy, renewable energy and management and organization research. Accordingly, 101 publications covering the 2007–2026 period were analyzed using the R-based Bibliometrix software. The findings indicate that the field gained momentum particularly after 2016 and reached its highest publication level in 2025. While Technology Analysis & Strategic Management and Business Strategy and the Environment stand out as the most productive journals, the United States, China and India lead in publication output. Conceptual structure analyses reveal that the literature clusters around the axes of sustainability, renewable energy, leadership, environmental performance and strategic management. The thematic development process indicates that discussions, which were initially more focused on general strategy and management, have evolved over time toward more applied and multidimensional topics such as the energy transition, digital transformation and corporate sustainability. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that the transition to sustainable energy must be supported not only by technological investments but also by leadership competencies and the capacity for organizational change. In this regard, the study highlights the existing academic structure of the field and provides a structured basis for future theoretical and methodological research.

Keywords

• Management and organization
• Sustainable energy
• Renewable energy
• Leadership
• Bibliometric analysis

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