Organized by the School of Management and Governance

UNSW Business School

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The Organization & Society Network (O&S Network), initiated by the School of Management and Governance at UNSW Business School, Sydney, aims to build a vibrant international community of scholars studying organization and society to contribute to research, teaching, and engagement that creates positive societal impact. For the third time, the O&S Network will organize a conference that brings together academics (and practitioners) from across Australia, New Zealand, and around the world to discuss how to advance our understanding and impact on the relationship between organization(s) and society.

  • The 2024 Organization & Society Network Conference will take place in Hobart, Tasmania, on November 18-20, 2024. As in all O&S Network events, the main purpose is to bring together academics (and practitioners) to discuss big ideas – and to bring those ideas into action. The conference uses several formats, including keynotes, idea development workshops, project presentations, and other interactive discussions, offering both the time and the space for in-depth discussion of ideas to be developed, and for collaborative bonds to be created or strengthened.  

    At our conference, no idea is too grand or too bold. We discuss the most pressing societal issues that organizations face, and critically examine the role of organization(s) in tackling these issues, including, for example, addressing climate change, poverty alleviation, overcoming polarization and divides in society, harnessing artificial intelligence, ongoing urbanization, preparing for aging populations, and many more.

    We chose Tasmania as our meeting place this year for multiple reasons. Tasmania is recognized globally for its special biodiversity and geological features, its quality of living, and how it has been balancing all those with the socio-economic developments over the past decades. It does not only offer a stunning setting for scholars and practitioners to discuss and develop ideas but equally is an important metaphor for the world we are becoming. Tasmania’s remote location provides the perfect anecdote for our ongoing discussion about how we prepare for our global future. In one of our sessions, in particular, we will invite local entrepreneurs, politicians, and policy experts to discuss how the changing world is impacting the local ecosystem and society-at-large – and how this can serve as a barometer for the future elsewhere.

  • We welcome all ideas, papers, and projects that explore the dynamic and complex relationship between organization(s) and society. Example topics include, but are not limited to:

    • Dynamics of societal impact
      • How are changes in the cultural, political, legal, economic, technological, or physical environmental sphere (re)shaping the contemporary organization (e.g., wars, pandemics, AI, climate change)?
      • How are these changes similar (or different) across space and time – at local, national, and global levels of analysis?
      • How do recent societal trends force us to rethink existing organizational theories?
    • How do organizations co-create ‘change-for-good’ in the environment?
      • Why are organizations assuming new responsibilities?
      • How do organizations address these responsibilities?
      • Who is responsible/accountable?
      • What is the role and impact of the institutional environment?
    • Where and why do organizations and organizational networks fail to create positive impact?
    • What conceptual lenses can we use to examine the relationship between organizations and society?
      • Organizational theories (e.g., institutional theory, organizational ecology, paradox theory, performativity, practice theory, etc.)
      • Insights from other disciplines (e.g., economics, geography, philosophy, psychology, the natural sciences, etc.)
    • Methodological trends and innovations for the study of organization and society
      • Qualitative interpretive research, case studies, ethnographies
      • Mixed methods, QCA, etc.
      • Quantitative and qualitative AI-enabled methodologies
      • How to measure impact? Why measure, and does measuring improve outcomes?

Registration and Accommodation information

The event will take place at the Rydges Hotel in Hobart, Tasmania. The program kicks off with a welcome reception on the evening of Monday, November 18, and ends with a closing session in the afternoon of Wednesday, November 20. Participants are encouraged to attend all sessions of the program.

Registration fees for the conference are $650 AUD per person, early bird registration is available, covering cost for conference participation (location), welcome reception, coffee breaks, lunches, and dinners, as well as other social events.

Travel to and from Tasmania as well as hotel accommodation will need to be organized and covered separately by participants. Note that rooms at the Rydges Hotel will be available for $209 AUD per night for conference delegates. Please use the following code: UNSW1124 (ensure guest number is set to 1 to access the $209 rate).

Hotel: Rydges Hobart
Address: 393 Argyle St, North Hobart TAS 7000
Ph: +61 3 6231 1588
Email: reservations_rydgeshobart@evt.com

Organizers


Keynote speakers

Jeannette Colyvas headshot

Prof. Jeannette Colyvas

Associate Professor

School of Education and Social Policy, Department of Sociology (by courtesy), and Kellogg School of Management (by courtesy), Northwestern University

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Tentative schedule

Please see below for the agenda

    Time

    Monday, November 18, 2024

    18:00 – 20:00       Welcome Reception

              

    Time

    Tuesday, November 19, 2024

    09:00 – 09:30  Registration
    09:30 – 11:00                 Welcome Event and Keynote (1)
    11:00 – 11:30                 Morning Coffee
    11:30 – 13:00                 Workshop Session #1
    13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
    14:00 – 15:30  Workshop Session #2
    15:30 – 15:45  Afternoon Tea
    15:45 – 18:30  Workshop Session #3 / Networking Excursion 
    18:30 – 21:00  Conference Dinner 

    Time

    Wednesday, November 20, 2024

    09:00 – 10:30  Workshop Session #4 / Keynote (2)
    10:30 – 11:00  Morning Tea
    11:00 – 12:30  Workshop Session #5
    12:30 – 13:30   Lunch
    13:30 – 14:30  Panel Discussion
    14:30 - 15:00  Closing Session