Ron Mitchell, Ph.D, Jean Austin Bagley regents chair in area of management and professor of entrepreneurship, is a newly named fellow of the Academy of Management (AOM). As a fellow of this prestigious association, the AOM recognizes and honors Mitchell’s significant contributions to the science and practice of management.
Throughout his years as a professor and researcher at the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business, Mitchell has made substantial contributions to the fields of management and entrepreneurship, specifically through his groundbreaking work in stakeholder theory and entrepreneurial cognition research. His research has significantly shaped these disciplines, influencing scholars and practitioners alike.
His most impactful contribution is in stakeholder theory. Mitchell’s, and colleagues’, highly influential article in the Academy of Management Review in 1997 titled Toward a Theory of Stakeholder Identification and Salience: Defining the Principle of Who and What Really Counts, introduced a framework for understanding how managers identify stakeholders based on three key attributes: power, legitimacy, and urgency. Since its publication, this work has become a foundational reference in stakeholder theory, amassing more than 21,000 citations according to Google Scholar — an exceptionally rare achievement in the social sciences. Mitchell often appears in lists of highly cited scientists, and his publications now appear in many of the top management and entrepreneurship journals.
Beyond his research, he’s helped guide the academy’s division programs, initiatives, and overall strategic vision in multiple integral leadership positions, serving as architect of key initiatives that foster engagement and recognize research excellence. In addition, he played a crucial role in fostering the study of entrepreneurial cognition within the academic community which helped establish entrepreneurial cognition as a central area of study, influencing how scholars and practitioners approach entrepreneurial decision-making and expertise.
Mitchell’s contributions to the AOM and the Rawls College, through both leadership and scholarship, have had a lasting impact on the organizations and the broader academic community.