Research

My research sits at the intersection of strategy, entrepreneurship, and methods, with a focus on how language and text shape, and are shaped by, organizations. I study language both as a core organizational phenomenon and as a methodological domain, developing tools to help researchers better analyze and interpret text data.

Research Areas

I develop and disseminate text-analytic methods for organizational scholars. My work focuses on making text analysis more rigorous, scalable, and accessible.

  • McKenny, A. F., Aguinis, H., Short, J. C., & Anglin, A. H. (2018). What doesn’t get measured does exist: Improving the accuracy of computer-aided text analysis. Journal of Management, 44(7), 2909-2933.
  • Short, J. C., McKenny, A. F., & Reid, S. W. (2018). More than words? Computer-aided text analysis in organizational behavior and psychology research. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), 415-435.
  • McKenny, A. F., Short, J. C., & Payne, G. T. (2013). Using CATA to elevate constructs in organizational research: Validating an organizational-level measure of psychological capital. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1), 152-184.

My research on crowdfunding examines the non-financial motivations of backers. I explore how entrepreneurs can use language and signaling strategies to engage funders and communicate legitimacy.

  • Anglin, A. H., Short, J. C., Wolfe, M. T., McKenny, A. F., & Reid, S. W. (In Press). Whose rhetoric matters? Social responsibility rhetoric and the moderating influence of social roles in crowdfunding pitches. Journal of Management Studies.
  • McKenny, A. F., Fisher, G., Short, J. C., Ketchen, D. J., & Allison, T. H. (2025). Communicating during societal crises: How entrepreneurs’ interactions with backers affect fundraising via crowdfunding. Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice. 49(3): 782-816.
  • Seigner, B., McKenny, A. F., & Reetz, D. K. (2024). Old but gold? Examining the effect of age bias in reward-based crowdfunding. Journal of Business Venturing. 39(3): 106381.

Modern organizations often face competing goals, such as balancing financial performance with social or family commitments. This is seen in both hybrid (e.g., family firms, social ventures) and traditional (e.g., corporate social responsibility) organizations alike. My research explores this tension, focusing on how language both reflects and shapes these complex objectives.

  • Skandera, D. J., McKenny, A. F., & Combs, J. G. (2023). The influence of task environment uncertainty on the balance between normative and strategic corporate social responsibility. Journal of Management. 49(3): 1037-1069.
  • Allison, T. H., Grimes, M., McKenny, A. F., & Short, J. C. (2021). Occupy Wall Street ten years on: How its disruptive institutional entrepreneurship spread and why it fizzled. Journal of Business Venturing Insights.
  • Short, J. C., McKenny, A. F., Ketchen, D. J., Snow, C. C., & Hult, G. T. M. (2016). An empirical examination of firm, industry, and temporal effects on corporate social performance. Business & Society, 55(8), 1122-1156.