Organization and Management Theory OMT

Invitation to 2024 AOM PDW:

"Exploring Degrowth in Organization Studies: A Multifaceted Lens"

Application Deadline: July 01, 2024

We would like to extend our warmest invitation for the PDW on Degrowth in Organization Studies, to be held at the Academy of Management annual meeting in Chicago (USA).

In organization studies, despite broad acknowledgment of the current state of social and environmental crises and the role of organizations in creating and perpetuating them (Ergene, Banerjee, and Hoffman 2021; Hoffman and Jennings 2015; Nyberg and Wright 2022), growth as a desirable pursuit for organizations has remained largely unquestioned in many academic conversations. In other words, up to this point, degrowth – in the sense of acknowledging the physical limits to growth (Georgescu-Roegen 1971) and challenging the growth paradigm for being based on the exploitation of natural resources and commodification of human labour (Gorz 1980) – has not been integrated into our field. In this PDW, we ask- if we take the degrowth conversation seriously and begin imagining the re-organization of society as a goal, how can we leverage our tools and knowledge in organization studies? If reducing consumption of natural resources to a level proportionate with planetary limits while providing a sufficient quality of life for all (Kallis et al. 2018) is the aim, in what ways may organization scholars be able to facilitate such a transition? How would such reorientation impact our theories? We hope that this PDW stirs interest for studying degrowth among a group of OMT scholars that would like to "develop theory that can guide society towards its future potentialities" (Gümüsay and Reinecke 2022 p. 236).

This PDW has three parts: (i) panellist presentations on possibilities and potential for scholarly inquiry around degrowth from their respective lenses and domains of expertise.  (ii) discussion and audience dialogue which is open to all; and (iii) breakout sessions in which a submission of a research abstract is required. Attendees will be divided into small groups to present and discuss their research ideas with the panellists and the attendees.

Panelists will conclude the PDW with a discussion about avenues for future research and efforts to advance the development of degrowth scholarship within organization studies (~15 minutes).

PANELLISTS

DESCRIPTION OF THE PDW FORMAT

Part 1: Open to All:

0:00-0:05 - Welcome and overview

0:05-0:55 - Panelist presentations

0:55-1:10 - Discussion and audience dialogue

1:10-1:15 - Break

Part 2: Open to those whose proposals were accepted:

1:15-1:40 - Breakout sessions: roundtable discussions of research proposals

1:40-1:55 - Synthesis: panel discussion

1:55-2:00 - Closing remarks

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

         Interested participants are welcome to submit a 500-word abstract to nikikhor@ualberta.ca in a single file (pdf or docx) by July 1, 2024. The research abstract may engage with degrowth-related topics including but not limited to ideas around:

· What role can organization scholars assume for themselves in challenging the taken-for-grantedness of growth?

· What theoretical pathways might be suitable for engaging with degrowth research?

· What empirical setting might be relevant for exploring the connection between degrowth and organization studies?

Scholars at all stages of academic careers are invited and we welcome proposals at all levels-early-stage and advanced.

       We will select submissions based on the fit with the PDW and quality and will follow up with an accept/reject decision by July 15. Please note that as with all AOM program activities, submitting your application implies a commitment to attend and participate in the break-out sessions if accepted.

We look forward to seeing you in person at the PDW!