CBS på verdens største ledelseskonference: ”Der er brug for forskningsbaserede løsninger på presserende udfordringer”

The world has changed significantly in just a few years. This is particularly evident in the way our working lives have changed and the new demands and expectations for management and organisations in general.

But how can companies and organisations prepare better for the unpredictability of the future, and how can they help create a new world considering the planet and its inhabitants? This is the focus of the annual Academy of Management conference, which runs from 5-9 August in Seattle, Washington.

The Academy of Management (AoM) is a professional association for management and organisation scholars with a global community of nearly 20,000 members spanning 120 countries. Four of the association's major divisions have female CBS professors in senior governance roles, and every year around 70-80 CBS researchers participate in the conference, which is the world's largest in its field.  In total, around 10,000 researchers and practitioners from all over the world participate.

The conference includes a multitude of paper sessions, symposia and workshops. Due to corona, the conference has not been held physically since 2019 but will this year be held in a hybrid format with physical sessions in Seattle as well as virtual presentations.

Keld Laursen is Professor and Head of the Department of Strategy and Innovation at CBS. In addition, he is former chairman of the Technology and Innovation Division of the Academy of Management and is now Representatives at Large for Board of Governors. He is very much looking forward to participating in the conference, which according to Keld Laursen creates a breeding ground for new collaborative partnerships:

"AoM embraces a wealth of interesting topics in management and organisation and is a place where researchers from all over the world present the latest ideas and research results. Not only to inspire other researchers but also students and companies. After a year of major social and economic upheavals, there is a need for research-based solutions to pressing challenges, and a conference like AoM is a strong platform to bring research to life," says Keld Laursen.

More than 100 CBS presentations

During the conference, around 80 CBS researchers with a total of 118 sessions, symposia and events will disseminate their knowledge to the participants on topics such as CSR, diversity, authentic leadership, new business models within sustainability, remote working and work-life balance issues, ethical entrepreneurship and numerous other areas.

One of the researchers participating in the conference is Eva Boxenbaum, Professor at the Department of Organization. In the coming year, she will be in charge of the Organization and Management Theory Division (OMT), which is AoM's third largest division and characterised by high academic expertise.

"We have longed to be able to meet physically with colleagues from all over the world, and I look forward to exploring and discussing pressing management and organisation challenges with peers from different disciplines and research traditions," says Eva Boxenbaum.

"When I take on my position as head of the OMT Division immediately after the conference, I will work hard to promote research that has high academic quality and is produced and used in a socially responsible way for the benefit of society. It is extremely important that we do not separate quality from relevance."

While AoM is popular among established researchers, the conference is also a great opportunity for younger researchers to present their research and create an international network.

A young researcher looking forward to doing this is Emma Lappi, postdoc at the Department of Strategy and Innovation. She will be contributing to a paper session on entrepreneurship.

"I am looking forward to making new contacts and possibly new collaborations and creating awareness about my research. As researchers, we can learn a lot from each other and it will be interesting to find out what challenges and research questions scholars are working on at the moment around the globe", she says.  

A unique opportunity to become inspired and attract new research talents

In addition to CBS’ researchers, Inger Askehave, Deputy President at CBS, is also participating in the conference. In particular, she looks forward to joining debates, networking and getting inspiration.

I am very much looking forward to learning about the latest trends in management research and not least experiencing some of our own researchers at the many presentations, debates and workshops. CBS has so much to offer! And AoM attracts top researchers from leading universities and business schools, which allows us to engage in a wide network," says Inger Askehave and underlines that the conference is also a great opportunity to attract foreign researchers to CBS.

This is the 82nd Academy of Management annual meeting, which aims to bring researchers and practitioners together. This year, the theme is ‘Creating a Better World Together’.

CBS will also host the annual CBS reception, which takes place at the Seattle Art Museum, where the purpose is to cultivate and maintain CBS' international network.  

Read more about the AoM conference and the programme here