Panel Symposium Research Articles

Firms’ Market and Non-market Strategies in Response to the Climate Crisis

The purpose of this panel symposium is to engage a group of expert panelists in a moderated, interactive discussion of (1) the impact of the climate crisis on market strategies such as location choice, M&A, and product innovation; (2) the impact of the climate crisis on non- market strategies such as political actions and sustainable business practices; (3) the implications for the broader business environment and policy; and (4) the measurement and disclosure of firms’ climate risk exposure and impact.

Behavioral Strategy and Microfoundations

Although behavioral strategy research has long been a central subject in organizations and strategy, it has not been sufficiently microfoundational. The goal of this panel symposium is to highlight this gap and propose future directions to advance our understanding for the human element in an organizational phenomenon. Our distinguished group of panelists will introduce their own research program and discuss how behavioral mechanisms (e.g., cognitive biases, communication, conflicts, decision-making structures, and resource allocation) occurring at the lower-level in an organizational hierarchy shape a variety of macro-level organizational outcomes.

The Flow of Information through Organizations: Exploring Multilevel Theorizing and Future Directions

The massive influx of information flowing through organizations has completely changed the landscape of work. The abundance of information offers both exciting and promising opportunities as well as creates workplaces that have become increasingly complex and difficult to navigate, presenting counterproductive and even harmful challenges. Therefore, how do (or should) individuals, teams, and organizations better process, harness, and influence the flow of information through hierarchies and other organizing structures? This question is especially relevant in the context of a greater push for transparency that we are seeing in society as well as in times of severe organizational uncertainty and instability (e.g., in light of the pandemic and its economic fallout)? In this moderated panel symposium, we seek to engage in meaningful discussion on how individuals, teams, and organizations can fully realize potentials and detriments of the increased information flow. Our symposium consists of a panel of five leading scholars -- Brandy Aven, Ethan Berstein, Nir Halevy, Markus Reitzig, and Daan van Knippenberg (in alphabetical order by last name) -- who hold diverse perspectives and who were chosen due to their expertise on this topic. This symposium will highlight important insights into the potential possibilities and issues confronting scholars on information flow and information management, which we hope will guide future organizational research.

Coworking Spaces: Implications for Organizations, Workers, and Entrepreneurs

Given its potential for disruptive change, coworking is becoming increasingly relevant to theory, practice, and policy in organizational research. Yet, given the rapid rise of the phenomenon, little research has studied its implications. Overall, more data and analysis are needed to inform owners, policy makers, and entrepreneurs regarding the effects of coworking. The purpose of this panel symposium is to engage a group of panelists in a discussion of (1) what we have learned from recent research in this area, and (2) areas for future research. Relevant questions include: Which aspects of coworking are most (and least) impactful so resources and policy can be efficiently utilized? What type of individuals and companies benefit most/least from coworking spaces? What are the implications of big companies starting to send more of their employees to coworking spaces?

Strategizing Together for a Better World: Institutional, Paradox & Practice Theories in Conversation

The United Nations report on progress highlights that: “The current crisis is threatening decades of development gains, [...] further delaying the urgent transition to greener, more inclusive economies, and throwing progress on the SDGs even further off track” (United Nations 2021). While it is positive that management scholars have been shifting their research towards societal challenges, there is a need to continue and increase our research on these topics and provide new insights as well as work collectively on these complex problems. Therefore, this panel symposium hosts leading scholars from different theoretical backgrounds to explore strategies in response to societal challenges and to discuss how future research could make theoretically insightful and practically relevant contributions. We bring institutional (Ansari, Wijen, & Gray, 2013; Rauch & Ansari, 2021), paradox (Van der Byl, Slawinski, & Hahn, 2020), and practice theories (Joutsenvirta & Vaara, 2015; Piekkari, Tietze, Angouri, Meyer, & Vaara, 2021) into conversation with each other because we believe that these different theories may together contribute to the creation of a better world. Together, we will reflect on the similarities and complementarities of selected lenses to gain insights on two questions: 1) How have these lenses enabled researchers to provide different valuable insights on strategies in response to societal challenges? How can these lenses be combined in future research to develop new theories on promising strategies in response to societal challenges that are insightful and relevant? We will discuss these and further questions with our invited panelists.

Medical leadership in transformation: new ideas and practices at a crossroads in social sciences

Medical leadership in transformation: new ideas and practices at a crossroads in social sciences This BMJ Leader special section comprises four distinct contributions presented during a healthcare division panel symposium...

Opening the Black Box of Entrepreneurial Framing

Entrepreneurial framing refers to the use of rhetorical devices by entrepreneurs to construct meaning around their novel endeavors and to influence audience engagement by focusing attention on selected salient features of their ventures. There is increasing recognition among scholars that entrepreneurs legitimize their ventures and the broader fields within which they operate through framing. Yet, there is no unifying framework to bring together existing theoretical perspectives on entrepreneurial framing and to make sense of their underlying mechanisms. This panel symposium will bring together scholars working in this area to reflect on the current state of entrepreneurial framing literature with the intention to: (a) develop a common future research agenda, and (b) generate new conversations on entrepreneurial framing processes and their effectiveness.

The Female Leadership Advantage in a Crisis

Perceptions of who makes an effective leader are altered in crises. One perspective from which leadership effectiveness can be evaluated is gender differences. In this panel symposium, we will discuss research on gender and leadership effectiveness and focus on why women might be more effective leaders than men in a crisis. Panelists will point to misalignments among mechanisms discussed in extant research and identify synergies to elucidate why women might be more effective leaders than men in a crisis. The session will include discussion of the gender and leadership literature, conversation about the need for intersectional research, such as examining joint identities of gender and race, and suggestions for future research.

The Manager in Intragroup and Intergroup Hierarchies: Managing Hierarchy Across Levels of Analysis

Research on hierarchy within organizations tends to focus on hierarchies of individuals within a group (intragroup hierarchy) or on hierarchies composed of groups, such a race- and gender-based hierarchies (intergroup hierarchy). Although both types of hierarchies impact individuals in organizations, the literatures on intra- and intergroup hierarchy run largely separately without significant cross-fertilization. This is likely to the detriment of both literatures: many ideas fundamental to hierarchy at one level of analysis are virtually or totally underexplored on the other level of analysis, undoubtedly leading to problematic gaps in our theorizing. This panel symposium will engage a group of expert panelists in a formal, moderated discussion of how intra- and intergroup hierarchy research can be integrated. We expect that more integrative theorizing will be a boon to the literature on hierarchy and that it will bolster organizational researchers’ ability to provide actionable recommendations to frontline managers around the globe.

Current State and Future of Strategic Leadership and Governance Theory and Practice

This panel symposium will focus on our current state of knowledge about strategic leadership and the governance that oversees, supports and engages with strategic leaders and will explore promising directions for future knowledge development and practice in strategic leadership and governance. Managerial and executive decision-making are major foci of the STR domain, along with strategic leadership (including top management teams and boards of directors) and governance of strategic decision-making. The symposium focuses on strategic choice (managers' strategic decisions) and organizational governance, both major foci in the OMT domain. Similarly, these topics are major foci in the ENT domain, with particular emphasis on decision-making under uncertainty and on governance in the context of new venture firm growth. Distinguished scholars and prolific researchers in strategic leadership and governance have agreed to serve as panelists: Donald C. Hambrick, Margarethe F. Wiersema, James D. Westphal, Sam Garg, and Ruth V. Aguilera. These panelists are also closely connected to practicing managers, including top executives. The symposium has been designed to provide a brief opening statement by each panelist regarding our current knowledge of the strategic leadership or governance topic(s) they believe to be most critical; a significant period of discussion divided between discussions based on audience questions and discussion among the panel, responding to other panelists’ statements; and a brief statement by each panelist on the strategic leadership or governance topic(s) they believe to be important for the development of future knowledge and/or practice.

Looking Back to Spiritual Traditions of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The proposers of this symposium aim to share a scope of managerial practices that could contribute to lasting improvement. Focusing on the manager’s role, we would like to combine our common advocacy for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) with our broad range of performance and research angles toward the spiritual approach. As a panel, this team of scholars and practitioners plans to explore multiple behavioral models for managers toward a more rewarding and durable implementation of DEI. More specifically, this panel symposium will explore moral and spiritual based practices for managers with a specific focus on Buddhist psychology, Daoist philosophy, Hinduism, Catholic Social Teachings, and Ego-development and identity elements of embracing DEI.

The Future of Macro Talent Management (MTM): Advancing the Field

In this panel symposium, we take stock of the Macro Talent Management (MTM) field given recent workforce disruptions, mounting socioeconomic pressures, and the global pandemic. Based on the contextual and content analysis of the field, we argue that MTM needs to advance beyond the descriptive and conceptual agenda. Four MTM scholars offer distinct perspectives for future direction. These include focusing on the practical utility of MTM (Vaiman), problematizing and contextualizing MTM (Khilji), exploring development events (Tarique), and making a case for the active role of management and its agency in influencing macro talent conditions and outcomes (King). This panel symposium aims to engage a group of panelists in a moderated discussion of the future of MTM while also addressing the Academy meeting theme (Hillman, 2020).

Empathy in Management: Insights from Research and Industry for the Post-Pandemic Age

Perhaps at no other time in the recent past has the concept of empathy assumed as much significance as it has in the pandemic age, and indications are that its role will continue to persist post-pandemic. This panel symposium will showcase diverse ideas and perspectives on empathy—from academics in different disciplines as well as from practitioners in different industries—in ways that address its role and significance in contemporary managerial practice. The proposed symposium relates well to the theme of the 2021 conference, “Bringing the Manager Back in Management” as it brings a sharp focus on an important aspect of an individual manager’s capacity to pursue actions that reflect empathy in this age of major uncertainty and ambiguity. The symposium also brings a focus on how new technologies (AI/robotics) can augment managers’ (particularly frontline managers’) capabilities to pursue empathetic action in diverse industry contexts.

The Role of For-Profit Businesses in Investing in Community Health and Economic Development

The Anchor Institution Task Force defines “anchor institutions” as, “enduring organizations that are rooted in their localities” (MARGA, 2021) often by mission, invested capital, and relationships to employees, customers, and vendors. Anchor institutions, including colleges, universities, hospitals, community foundations, libraries, and arts institutions, are invested in their local communities’ success and economic development. Traditionally, anchor institutions are nonprofit organizations, but little research to date has examined whether or how for-profit businesses support the health and economic development of their communities. This panel symposium will feature three grantees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropy focused solely on health, who are seeking to better understand whether for-profit business serve as “anchors” in their communities.

Toward a Restorative Justice Approach for “Bringing the Manager Back in Management”

This year’s academy theme “Bringing the Manager Back in Management” focuses on what managers do on a day-to-day basis. This panel symposium is designed to engage a group of scholars and practitioners to examine how research and practice on Restorative Justice addresses issues confronting managers in a formal, moderated, interactive discussion. We aim to bring to light theoretical and practical opportunities for organizations. Panelists will draw on a wide range of relevant scholarship in the field of RJ applied to a variety of contexts, including artificial intelligence, social and economic disparities in the workplace, how we teach RJ in our business schools, how we can provoke a new wave of research on restorative justice as a managerial practice, and the factors that may influence organizational ripeness for restorative justice.

What's next for narratives? A prospective look theoretically, methodologically, and pragmatically

Narratives have a rich history in the Academy, helping us to cognitively organize and cohere meaning in organizations, and—farther yet—understand the construction of the organization itself. Vaara, Sonenshein, and Boje (2016) explored what the future holds for narratives in the context of organizational stability and change, asking prescient questions regarding theoretical and methodological approaches. This panel symposium aims to extend their prospective project via an interactive discussion between narrative scholars, asking what could be next for narratives in Management. Are existing theories of narrative adequate for furthering our understanding of organizational phenomena? Or are there emerging forms of narrative theory that hold greater promise? Methodologically, how can we research narratives in new and different ways that remain rigorous yet honor the symbolic and interpretivist traditions in which narratives are primarily situated? And pragmatically, what are emerging approaches for applying narrative practices in an organizational system? To bring the manager back to management, how can these frameworks help address contemporary and emerging managerial challenges? The proposed Panel Symposium will ask these questions and more of our panelists, whose pioneering voices in narratives and narrative theory span well over thirty years.

How Much Do I Tell You? The Interpersonal Dynamics of Self-Disclosure at Work

Self-disclosure is foundational to relationships, yet scholars are just beginning to uncover the complex interpersonal dynamics of exchanging personal (and sometimes stigmatizing) information in the workplace. This panel symposium is designed to move the field forward by gathering experts to share perspectives and recent findings from multiple conceptualizations of self-disclosure. Topics will include processes of disclosing and reacting to stigmatizing information about oneself or a colleague, as well as how self-disclosure more generally has been impacted by the shifting context of work. Finally, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with each other and the panelists.

Fake News: Implications for Management, Organization, and Society

This symposium on fake news seeks to encourage research about a burgeoning phenomenon that poses significant implications for the management domain. Fake news has been defined as “fabricated information that mimics news media content in form but not in organizational process or intent”. It “overlaps with other information disorders, such as misinformation (false or misleading information) and disinformation (false information that is purposely spread to deceive people)” (Lazer et al., 2018: 1094). Although fake news has received attention due to its effect on politics and particularly the 2016 US Presidential election, its potential effects on business have only recently received attention from scholars in communications, information systems, and marketing. Therefore, this panel symposium’s purpose of is to engage a group of scholars in an informal, moderated, interactive discussion to (1) encourage research on the fake news phenomenon, (2) explore the potential effects of fake news on corporate reputations, businesses, and competition, (3) share methods (experiments, GPT-3 use) and findings (agendamelding, conspiracism) from the communications and journalism fields, and (4) discuss how we establish the impact of fake news on business through academic research.

International, Transnational, and Transitional Entrepreneurship

The distinction of International Entrepreneurship and Transnational Entrepreneurship may not be clear cut. International Entrepreneurship is predominantly concerned with the ?rm as a unit of analysis, while Transnational Entrepreneurship usually examines the dual nature of the firm and individual entrepreneurs. Transnational Entrepreneurship entails migrant entrepreneurs who leverage opportunities that arise from their dual networks and optimizing resources in their host and home countries. Consistent with the 2021 AOM conference theme of “Bringing the Manager Back in Management”, the aim of this Panel Symposium is to examine how immigrant entrepreneurs manage their ventures in a global market.

Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and The Supply of Scientific and Inventor Human Capital

This panel symposium assembles four papers and researchers at the intersection of research on innovation, entrepreneurship and scientific human capital. We first discuss the localization of knowledge and how physical presence and proximity of inventors influence knowledge flows within and across technology classes. Then, the value of scientific human capital, specifically inventors and scientists, is discussed in the aspects of innovation and entrepreneurship. We extend the discussion to where the supply of scientific human capital comes from. Each panelist introduces relevant findings that are based when possible on strong identification, including exploitation of inventor death events, a shift-share instrument based on historic census data for regional mobility of human capital, and field experiment on STEM students. Avenues for future research will be discussed.