AFAM AOM Call for PDW Proposals

AFRICA ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT

PDW Co-Chairs:

Faith Ngunjiri, Concordia College, wamburangunjiri@gmail.com

Sherwat Ibrahim, American University in Cairo, sherwat@aucegypt.edu

2020 Professional Development Workshops: Call for Proposals

The African Academy of Management (AFAM) invites submissions for Professional Development Workshops (PDW’s) at the 2020 Annual Meeting in Vancouver (Canada).

The workshops will take place Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8, 2020

We encourage members of all Academy divisions, interest groups, and theme committees to submit PDW proposals that explore the African dimensions of management theory and practice and integrate the theme of “2020: Broadening our Sight”. We look forward to proposals that advance knowledge and scholarship in the theory and practice of management among African scholars and/or academics interested in management and organization issues in Africa.

Clearly, as the Program Chair for AOM 2020 states, “the most pressing challenges of the 21^st century are directly or indirectly related to management and organizations: conflict, discrimination, corruption, wellbeing, economic opportunity and equality, and climate change” —these issues plague the continent and her diaspora in damaging ways. We invite proposals that broaden our sight “to overcome dichotomies and avoid zero-sum propositions” to create actionable knowledge that will have an impact for individuals, organizations, societies and the field of management in the African context. In line with AFAMs primary role of helping members of the Academy “perform and support educational activities that contribute to intellectual and operational leadership in the field of management within the African context.” defined broadly to include “all of Africa and individuals of African descent in the Diaspora - i.e., Caribbean, South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Middle East, and North America”—we invite innovative and interactive proposals that answer questions such as these:

• How can we integrate qualitative/quantitative and micro/macro methodologies, theories and domains that will support the production of impactful knowledge for Africa?
• How can we have impact on both the academy and the world of organizations?
• How can we value different types of publications that target the academy and practitioners as stakeholders focusing on the African context?
• How can we find convergence and interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle theoretical and practical problems?
• How can we balance scientific rigor with the demand for quick publications? How can we ensure that our publications are accessible to those who need them most – academics and practitioners based in institutions in Africa and the Diaspora?
• How can organizations operating in the continent be sustainable in both environmental and financial terms?

The goals for our PDWs include:

• Helping Academy members become exposed or provide exposure to scholarship in the African context
• Assisting Academy members in their research activities to facilitate the inclusion of research and comparative studies on Africa/African Diaspora
• Encouraging and facilitating an understanding of African management practices and cultural perspectives as they apply to management scholarship

A PDW is a platform for colleagues to share knowledge and expertise and foster the development of workshop participants. Coordinated by the Academy's many divisions, interest groups, affiliated societies and theme committees, PDW sessions are different from regular academy sessions in that they can have a longer time frame and can take many forms (workshops, interactive symposia, tutorials, breakout sessions, debates, case studies, round tables, research incubators, etc.).

All proposals require a statement indicating that all PDW participants have consented to participate in the PDW. The AOM’s “Rule of Three” for the PDW program is that “no one may submit or be associated with more than 3 PDW submissions, or appear in more than 3 PDW sessions during the preconference from Friday to Saturday, regardless of whether the sessions are held on-site or off-site.” Proposals that violate these rules may be rejected. Space and time allotted for PDW sessions is limited; we cannot guarantee acceptance of all proposals. The minimum duration a submitter may request in the submission system for a PDW submission is 2 hours.

Acceptance of proposals for AFAM PDWs will be based on (a) relevance to the interests of AFAM's membership; (b) novelty and creativity; and, (c) plans for creating an interactive and engaging session. We further welcome proposals that are of interest to members of other AOM divisions (e.g., ENT, BPS, OT, OB, PNP, etc.) and committees (e.g. ITC, D&ITC,PTC, etc.), although that is not a requirement for acceptance.  Please indicate in the submission document what divisions and interest groups may be suitable as potential co-sponsors.

 The Academy and AFAM, strongly encourages PDWs that create a meeting place between practitioners and academics, between members of different divisions, and scholarly dialogue that is inclusive of scholars based in Africa and/or those that reside outside of the USA, Canada, and Europe. 

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 5:00 PM ET (NY Time)

All submissions must be made online via the AOM submissions system. If you have any questions regarding PDW sessions or you would like to discuss your PDW idea prior to submission, please contact the AFAM PDW Chairs, Faith Ngunjiri, wamburangunjiri@gmail.com and Sherwat Ibrahim, sherwat@aucegypt.edu at your earliest convenience, but preferably no later than January 5th, 2020. We look forward to receiving your proposal.