How to Bring the Manager Back in Management: Views from Highly Cited Scholars

Abstract

Consistent with the conference theme, the goal of this proposed panel symposium is to share the views of some of the most cited and thus most influential management scholars on how they bring managers back in management in their own scholarship. For the purpose of our session, we define “managers” broadly to not only include managers, but also executives, leaders, entrepreneurs, government officials, and policy makers. As the starting point for the session, the panelists will address the following questions: (1) How do they treat the role of managers in their research? (2) Does their emphasis on managers help them produce influential research? (3) How do they bring the manager back in management not only in their research, but also in other activities including teaching, service, and consulting? (4) How can more members of the Academy “bring the manager back in management”? Then, the session will be interactive and include a Q&A format. Representing 13 AOM divisions, our session purposely includes a highly diverse set of panelists whose research addresses micro and macro domains and who typically use qualitative and quantitative methods. Also, each has held or holds editorial appointments as well as professional association positions in the Academy of Management as well as other academic organizations. We have done so intentionally so our session will be of interest to many AOM colleagues regardless of domain and/or methodological interests and orientations.