Academy of Management Report…

Now that I am back in Seattle, well rested, and caught up with my admin chores that built up during my absence, it is time to write my reaction to the 2007 Academy of Management Meeting. Overall, it was a great meeting. I had a chance to catch up with a lot of friends, make new ones, and also hear some interesting research presentations. That said, the most important part of the Meeting was the networking time….The best receptions were sponsored by INSEAD and New York University, second runner ups go to the British Academy of Management and the National University of Singapore…the least enjoyable reception was the OCIS Social Hour (someone needs to provide more input to the organizers on how to set these up and attract scholars from other disciplines, providing a few complimentary drinks would not be a bad start!)… The keynote speech by A.G. Lafley (CEO of Procter and Gamble) was monotone and I really did not get any new insights from his talk…My doctoral student, Peter Baloh (University of Ljubljana), won an award for his post on the OCIS Blog…A must see for all those who need some late night entertainment is Byblos Restaurant and Bar (see http://www.byblosphilly.com/)

Here are five suggestions to the AOM organizers:

1. We are living in a digital-era, please do not cut down more trees and destroy more forest by printing the conference programs that run about 550 pages for over 9000 attendees…that is a lot of wasted paper…Ask attendees if they want a printed program and print it for selected people (at a premium). Most attendees already plan their events before they get to the event so why waste paper!
   
2. Since, AOM is in great financial health, it should start a program whereby it provides free registration, and even support the travel costs, of members who are from underserved communities and countries. For example, many professors in the poor nations cannot afford to fly to the US and attend the event…why don’t we pay for them to join, engage, and be part of the community…
   
3. If AOM is a truly “global” or “international” community, AOM should be hosted outside the USA on a regular basis. This is only fair to our global colleagues. Hosting AOM in the US only is an arrogant stance and gives the opinion that we only give lip service to diversifying and globalizing the community…


4. There should be an effort to organize social events across the divisions. For example, a joint social between the TIM and OCIS division would be a good idea or even the MC and OCIS divisions…These will foster cross-disciplinary exchanges and dialogue…thereby making our research more sound and practical and ultimately more significant…


5. The registration and exhibitions need to be in a central place, not in one corner that is difficult to get to…This makes it difficult for people to see the exhibits during the break and also, I would suspect, makes it difficult for the exhibitors to earn returns on their investments