TO: Academy of Management Members
FROM: Paul Adler <
padler@usc.edu>
RE: Application by the Critical Management Studies Workshop for Interest
Group status
The Critical Management Studies Workshop is applying for Interest Group
status within the Academy of Management. To date, CMSW has been a purely
informal grouping within the Academy of Management. We have met as part of
the Academy's PDW program for the last three years, and quite a few MED
members have participated in these events. (More information about CMSW and
our programs is available on our website
http://aom.pace.edu/cms/.) Since
we have become a regular fixture on the PDW program, we would like to
formalize our status by becoming an IG. Amongst other benefits, it means
that we would not need to get joint sponsorships for our entire program
(which, you may have noticed, makes for an unwieldy program document), but
instead we could pursue joint sponsorship with groups like MED for the
specific sessions that seem of greatest mutual interest.
IG applications are decided by the Academy's Board of Governors. The first
step in the IG application process -- which is where we are currently -- is
to ensure that there is enough support within the Academy of Management.
Under AOM rules, we must disseminate an abstract of the IG statement (see
below) and collect the electronic signatures of those of you who endorse
the change in status and are dues-paying members of the Academy.
If you would like to support us, please type your name below and email the
message to me at <
padler@usc.edu> or Carroll Stephens at <
cstephen@vt.edu>
as soon as possible.
I SUPPORT THE CMSW APPLICATION FOR IG STATUS: ___
Thank you!
IG Application Abstract
This summer's D.C. meeting will be the CMSW's fourth. According to Academy
officials, it is atypical for pre-conference events (known in Academy
jargon as PDWs) to persist for so long. We think it is time to formalize
our status by becoming an Interest Group.
Our reasons for applying for IG status are twofold: pragmatic and
substantive.
Pragmatically speaking, we would benefit from the change in status by (a)
being assured space without having to go through the burdensome process of
lining up sponsorships from other Divisions and IGs, and (b) receiving some
modest Academy funding for our meeting.
Substantively, we believe that both we and the Academy at large wold gain
from institutionalizing our presence. CMSW folks share the conviction that
the Academy OF Management ought not be only an Academy FOR Management. Our
commitment is to opening more space in management research and teaching for
non-managerial vantage points.
Our shared critical stance towards capitalism distinguishes us from
existing divisions and IGS. We do not wish to imply that there is no
overlap between our domain and that of other groups. Members of many
existing Academy groups share our values, and some groups include a
critical, or potentially critical, component in their primary mission. For
instance, GDO encourages critique of gender and race relations; ONE is
concerned with the effects, sometimes negative, of organizational actions
on the natural environment; SIM engages in normative analysis and critique
of business practices; OMT examines interactions, sometimes dysfunctional,
between organizations and the social environment; and the research-methods
division has debated criticisms of positivist epistemology. We have no
intention of supplanting the critical voices within these groups; rather,
we envision ourselves serving as a
cross-cutting matrix-style row across the existing divisional columns -- a
row that draws together critical scholarship from throughout Academy.
Moreover, we bring new members -- particularly international ones -- into
the
Academy; many attend the CMSW meeting and then go on to join the parent
organization.
Our bibliography of critical organizational research, soon to be posted on
the website, indicates by volume alone that critical maneagement studies is
a burgeoning domain within the field of organization studies. So does our
current listserver subscriber base of over 350.
If you are a current AOM member and would like to endorse IG status for the
CMSW, please send us your signature as soon as possible. If you'd like to
see the full application document, contact me. If you have problems with
or queries about our proposed change in status, be in touch too. Thanks
for your support!
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Prof. Paul S. Adler
Management and Organization Dept,
Marshall School of Business,
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0808
USC office tel: (213) 740-0748
Home office tel: (818) 981-0115
Home office fax: (818) 981-0116
Email:
padler@usc.edu
List of publications and course outlines at:
http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~padler/
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