Organization and Management Theory OMT

The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is the most famous bell in the world. Yet it doesn't ring.

When we look at social phenomena, we often sense that something is missing, unobservable, or silent — yet still powerful. This raises some real questions:

• Can we theorize social phenomena through absence?
• Can we interpret without imposing meaning — keeping the tension and mystery of the social alive
• Can we sit with silence, instead of always chasing a number or explanation to resolve it?

If these questions speak to you, join us for a PDW on absence, silence, and non-sense in management and organization studies.

Friday, July 31, 2026 | 10:45am–12:15pm
Sheraton Philadelphia, Seminar Room A

The session runs in two parts: a framing talk and panel conversation, followed by roundtables where each table picks its own object to explore what "making sense" — and "staying with non-sense" — looks like in practice. We'll close with an optional group walk to the Liberty Bell Center.

Organizers: Elena Giovannoni, Paolo Quattrone, Stefan Schwarzkopf
Facilitators: Joel Gehman, Dennis Jancsary, Trent Williams, Sunny Mosangzi Xu

Please express your interest here by July 17th, 2026 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lCbm7KShckLGTHhnOsAHCm_Xgjw1FKJlB06wLjNUZk8/viewform?edit_requested=true

We hope to see you in Philadelphia!