Social Issues in Management SIM

Discover the SIM PDWs: Where ideas, methods, and communities emerge

Posted on behalf of @Jegoo Lee, SIM PDW Chair

Dear fellow SIMians,

As we get ready for the 2026 Academy of Management Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, let's think about what each of us is looking forward to most each year. I find myself reflecting on a question:

What am I most looking forward to? 

There's something uniquely energizing about PDWs: the enriching platforms where we discover a fresh take on a challenge we've been wrestling with, whether in our research, teaching, or professional life. Also, PDWs are usually where some of the most impactful connections begin and often extend far beyond the annual meeting.

This year, the SIM Division is proud to bring you approximately 30 PDWs to the AOM 2026 Philadelphia, as listed in the table below. While all of these workshops offer wonderful settings for learning, networking, and developing, I'd like to highlight the five signature PDWs sponsored by the SIM Division. These flagship PDWs represent the tremendous dedication of our organizers, who have thoughtfully designed each program and brought together outstanding panelists to offer timely topics, stimulate discussions, and create valuable connections with colleagues across the SIMian community.

·     SIM Doctoral Student Consortium (ID: 22437)

·     SIM Division Teaching PDW: Transforming Management Education for System Flourishing (ID:15636)

·     SIM Research Development Workshop (ID: 22422)

·     SIM-ONE Junior Faculty Consortium (ID: 12374)

·     Speed Networking with the SIM Division (ID: 17985)

Also, I would like to draw your attention especially to the following three PDWs, which would be exciting, memorable, and worthwhile. In particular, these three workshops reflect what great PDW programming aspires to be:

(1) a sustained engagement in communities of shared interests that outlast a single conference

(2) a bridge between our scholarship and the real-world phenomena we study; and

 (3) an open forum where the most substantive connections often arrive by serendipity.

Professional Development Workshops (PDWs) are one of the most valuable spaces in the SIM programme. They are designed not only to share knowledge, but to create spaces where scholars can engage in deeper conversations, test ideas, build collaborations, and develop new ways of thinking about research and teaching.

This year's SIM PDW portfolio reflects the diversity and urgency of contemporary social issues in management research.

Featured PDWs

While the full programme includes approximately 30 workshops, , I would like to draw your attention especially to the following three PDWs, which would be exciting, memorable, and worthwhile. In particular, these three workshops reflect what great PDW programming aspires to be: (1) a sustained engagement in communities of shared interests that outlast a single conference; (2) a bridge between our scholarship and the real-world phenomena we study; and (3) an open forum where the most substantive connections often arrive by serendipity.

·       Seasoned Researcher Connection: Conversations for Experienced Social Impact Scholars (ID: 10735), (organized by the SIM Research Committee)

This is a brand-new initiative from our SIM Research Committee, and it represents something we've been working on, i.e., PDW programs that don't end when each annual meeting does.

This workshop launched in April with a virtual pre-conference gathering, and the in-person session in Philadelphia is designed to continue that momentum by addressing a range of research- and career-related challenges, including funding, methods, co-author relationships, dissemination strategies, social impact, and AI.

The SIM Research Committee's vision to build a year-round community of mid-career and senior scholars is exactly the kind of forward-thinking leadership our division needs. A sincere thank you to the SIM Research Committee for making this happen.

What makes this PDW unique: A structured yet open conversation space designed to support long-term community building among experienced scholars.

·       Purpose-Driven Organizing and Experiential Learning with Saxbys Coffee (ID: 13842)

(organized by the SIM Membership Committee, Friday afternoon, off-site)

This one gets me excited for a different reason: it is an experiential workshop that moves us of the conference hotel into a real-world setting.  On Friday afternoon, the SIM Membership Committee has organized an off-site PDW at Saxbys Coffee, where students are directly involved in running the business. You'll have the chance to experience a living case study in purpose-driven organizing and experiential learning firsthand. Also, by discussing its implications for both research and teaching, this PDW is the kind of immersive, hands-on workshop that you simply can't replicate in a conference room.

Want to know more about this 100% student-run and led by a Student Cafe Executive Officer (CEO)® ? Visit  https://www.saxbyscoffee.com/ 

MORE INFO:

1.     Pre-registration is required to confirm attendance (first-come, first-served due to limited capacity) using the following form:  https://forms.gle/AY31cUoB8ZbFTY8HA

2.     Participants will need to travel to the off-site meeting point: Saxbys at Drexel University, 65 N 34th St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

·       Navigating AI in Business Education: Responsible Pedagogy from Resistance to Integration (ID:11700)

This PDW addresses one of the most pressing questions in management education today: how to engage with artificial intelligence responsibly in teaching and learning. Building on prior SIM plenary discussions, this session brings together an international group of scholars to share experiences, concerns, and pedagogical strategies.

Lastly, this year's full SIM PDW program, including titles, times, and locations, is available in the table below and on the official AOM 2026 Program website. If you have questions about any of our workshops or the PDW program, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Join the conversation

Whether you are exploring new methods, refining your teaching, or developing collaborative research projects, PDWs offer a unique opportunity to engage deeply with the SIM community.

#SayHello and chat at one (or more!) of our SIM PDWs in Philadelphia! That's where SIMpact happens!

SIMcerely,

Jegoo Lee
2026 SIM PDW Chair

Explore SIM PDWs and join conversations that shape the future of the field.

ü  Attend interactive workshops

ü  Meet collaborators

ü   Develop new ideas

SIM Division PDWs at AOM 2026 Philadelphia

·       Venue: Loews Philadelphia Hotel, unless noted otherwise. (Marriott: Philadelphia Marriott Downtown; Sheraton: Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown)

·       Skyblue highlights indicate SIM-sponsored PDWs, orange indicates PDWs featured in this news blast.

·       * Pre-registration or application required.

Date	Time	Title	Room/Note
Friday, July 31	8:00am-9:30am	All the World's a Stage: Theatre as a Method for Rethinking Scholarship and Teaching	Parlor P1
	8:30am-9:30am	Seasoned Researcher Connection – Conversations for Experienced Social Impact Scholars	Adams
	9:30am-5:30pm	SIM Doctoral Student Consortium*	Washington A
	9:45 – 11:15	When Payment Systems Lose Trust	Online
	12:00pm-1.30pm	Purpose-Driven Organizing and Experiential Learning with Saxbys Coffee	Off-site
	2:00pm-4.00pm	SIM Division Teaching PDW: Transforming Management Education for System Flourishing	Commonwealth D
	2:00pm-3:30pm	The Role of Management Scholars in Influencing Corporate Action for the SDGs: What Will it Take?	Regency C
	3:00pm-4:30pm	Candid Discussions on Legitimacy: Advancing the Conversation and Moving the Field Forward	Parlor P1
Saturday, August 1	8:30am-10:00 am	SIM Research Development Workshop*	Washington B
	9:00am-2:00pm	SIM-ONE Junior Faculty Consortium*	Congress A
	10:30am–12:00pm	Navigating AI in Business Education: Responsible Pedagogy from Resistance to Integration	Washington B
	2:00pm – 4:00pm	Speed Networking With the SIM Division*	Commonwealth B
	4:00pm – 5:30pm	Universities on a Mission: Developing a Research Agenda for Academia and Social Value Creation	Adams
Sunday, August 2	8:00– 9:30am	Societal Governance in the Face of Polycrisis	Sheraton Seminar D
	8:00– 9:30am	Using Philosophical Methods in Management Scholarship	Commonwealth B
	8:00am– 9:30am	East Asian Paradox Thinking: New Directions for Management Philosophy, Ethics, and Social Well-Being	Congress B
	9:45am-11:15am	The Framers of 1776 vs. The Nation's Leadership In 2026; Is The Vision Now Vivid or Blurred?	Marriott 405
	9:45am-11:15am	Doctoral Students' Perspectives on Emerging Questions at the Business–Society Interface	Adams
	9:45am-11:15am	Closing Loops, Engaging Communities: Circularity, Social Issues, Scholarly Networks	Congress B
	9:45am-10:45am	When Teaching Comes Under Fire: Practical Strategies for Managing Attacks on Faculty and Courses	Commonwealth B
	10:15am–11:45am	Research That Matters in a Context of Polycrisis	Washington C
	11:00-12:30pm	Organizing for Peace: Building Theory, Methods, and Community	Commonwealth B
	11:30am-1:00pm	The Challenge of Governing of Non-Contributing Stakeholders: How to Enfranchise Them Without Hold-Up	Marriott 409
	1:15pm-2:45pm	Doing African Sustainability Research and Doing Sustainability Research in Africa	Marriott 409
	1:30pm-15:30pm	Human in the Loop: Connection, Partnerships, Equity and Embodiment in a Digitally Transforming World	Washington A
	1:45 pm – 3:15pm	Using AI for Good: Systems Thinking and the New World Game in the Classroom	cancelled
	1:45pm-3:15pm	Competing for Stakeholders: The Role of Competition in Stakeholder Theory	Commonwealth D
	3:00pm-4:30pm	The Shifting Global Regulatory Environment of the Firm: Regulatory Territory as a Management Issue	Sheraton Salon 8
	3:45pm-5:15pm	Navigating Moral Uncertainty: How Do Businesses Manage Changing Definitions of Responsibility?	Washington C
	3:45pm-5:15pm	Impact in Action: Pathways for Advancing Scholarship Across Stakeholders	Congress B

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Nabi Ebrahimi
PhD in Management
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Lowell MA
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