STRATEGIZING, ACTIVITIES AND PRACTICES (SAP)

Against the background of a broad understanding of “strategy” as something that people do, the SAP Interest Group investigates the consequential activities performed by not only managers, but also frontline employees and other actors within and across organizational boundaries. In doing so, SAP research is well-positioned to “Putting the Worker Front and Center”, as reflected in the AOM 2023 theme. Concepts related to practice theory such as relationality, dialectics, discourse, and materiality can provide fertile ground for studying strategizing in the context of societal challenges (e.g., climate change, health, and inequality), the digital transformation (e.g., machine learning, platforms, and AI), and entrepreneurship (e.g., new venture creation, acceleration, and incubation). At the same time, however, a focus on “the worker” calls for theoretical advancements in SAP research, such as how actors’ pre-dispositions materialize in day-to-day work, as well as how they shape strategizing processes. One way forward is to deepen our engagement with other practice-based scholars, including those studying collaboration, innovation, communication, technology, and institutions. A focus on “putting the worker front and center” also invites methodological innovations needed for empirically connecting situated actions and pre-dispositions with broader phenomena. 

Building upon such a reading of the AOM 2023 theme, we specifically invite PDW proposals that connect SAP research across other practice-theoretical research streams. Some possible themes include: 

• Comparing, contrasting, or integrating a variety of practice-based approaches and theoretical concepts for understanding strategizing activities for societal challenges, the digital transformation, or entrepreneurship 
• Exploring how collaboration between and the inclusion of heterogeneous “workers” with different backgrounds enables or constrains the accomplishment of consequential activities 
• Exploring methodological innovations to study how situated sayings and doings culminate in broader processes and outcomes, and vice versa 
• Providing doctoral students and early-career scholars with tools to navigate the changing academic environment 

Please note that PDW sessions will take place during the Annual Meeting on 4 August and 5 August, 2023. We strongly encourage PDWs that appeal to a wide range of audiences and themes beyond the SAP community by building linkages with other Divisions and Interest Groups. Please indicate potential cosponsors in the submission document (e.g., CTO, ENT, OMT, ODC, MC, RM, STR, TIM). The minimum duration of a PDW is 2 hours, but submitters are welcome to request a duration of 1.5 hours if they feel it would better serve the workshop, session flow, and attendee engagement. The 1.5-hour duration request must be documented in the uploaded proposal document itself at the time of submission and the PDW Chair will subsequently reduce the duration to 1.5 hours on the submitter’s behalf. 

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, 10 January 2023 at 17:00 ET (GMT-5/UTC-5). 

Financial support for the conference registration fees and travel related expenses will be provided for a limited number of SAP member-accepted submissions if, due to constraints or circumstances, support to enable conference participation is needed. Submitters are strongly encouraged to discuss potential PDWs with SAP PDW Chair, Matthias Wenzel.