Philadelphia Awaits: Your Guide to the 2026 SIM Program
Posted on behalf of Punit Arora, SIM Program Chair
Every Academy of Management Annual Meeting offers opportunities to learn, connect with colleagues, and discover new ideas. This year's Social Issues in Management (SIM) Division program brings together a wide range of conversations on the questions that matter most to our community, from responsible AI and crises of global sustainable development to management challenges and opportunities connected with geo-politics, human rights, social enterprise, business ethics, and societal impact.
Whether you are joining SIM for the first time or returning as a long-standing member, the program offers numerous opportunities to present research, engage in thoughtful discussion, develop new collaborations, and strengthen existing ones. Alongside paper sessions and symposia, members can participate in Professional Development Workshops (PDWs), award sessions, networking events, and community gatherings throughout the conference.
Our Division's sessions are catalogued here. A selection of highlights follows to help with your Philadelphia planning.
Friday: Starting Strong and Building Foundations
Friday offers opportunities to connect with colleagues and lay the groundwork for the days ahead.
The program opens with All the World's a Stage: Theatre as a Method for Rethinking Scholarship and Teaching (ID:13482) to explore how theatrical approaches can enrich research and teaching.
This year's cohort of doctoral students will spend the day at the SIM Doctoral Student Consortium (ID: 22437). Experienced scholars are invited to participate in the new Seasoned Researcher Connection – Conversations for Experienced Social Impact Scholars (ID: 10735), an initiative that fosters conversations among mid-career and senior researchers on topics including funding, collaboration, dissemination, AI, and career development.
The afternoon features two PDWs with distinct but complementary perspectives. The SIM Division Teaching PDW: Transforming Management Education for System Flourishing (ID: 15636) explores how educators can cultivate dignity, flourishing, and human-centred management in the classroom. It features a panel moderated by Sandra Waddock of Boston College with distinguished speakers including Donna Hicks and Matthew Lee of Harvard and Michael Pirson of Fordham. Running concurrently, The Role of Management Scholars in Influencing Corporate Action for the SDGs: What Will it Take? (ID: 20707)
examines how management research can contribute to sustainable development.
Featured Friday Events
✔ SIM Doctoral Student Consortium (ID: 22437).
✔ Seasoned Researcher Connection (ID: 10735)
✔ SIM Division Teaching PDW (ID: 15636)
✔ The Role of Management Scholars in Influencing Corporate Action for the SDGs: (ID: 20707)
Saturday: Learning Together
Saturday centers on scholarly development and community.
The morning begins with the SIM Research Development Workshop (ID: 22422) and the SIM–ONE Junior Faculty Consortium (ID: 12374), providing opportunities for emerging scholars to receive feedback and engage with experienced mentors.
Later in the morning, Navigating AI in Business Education: Responsible Pedagogy from Resistance to Integration (ID: 11700) brings together colleagues to examine one of the most pressing issues facing management educators today: how to integrate generative AI into teaching in ways that are thoughtful, responsible, and aligned with SIM's values.
In the afternoon, members are invited to pre-register for the annual event Speed Networking with the SIM Division (ID: 17985). The day concludes with the SIM Plenary Keynote featuring R. Edward Freeman of the University of Virginia ((ID: 22447), winner of the 2025 Ann Buchholz Mentoring Award. His keynote, The 10 Most Critical Problems in Business, Society, and Ethics, promises to stimulate discussion on some of the field's most important contemporary challenges.
Sunday: Reflecting on Grand Challenges and a Moment of Remembrance
Sunday's program examines the broader societal questions that increasingly shape management scholarship including societal governance in times of polycrisis, research that matters, philosophical approaches to management, stakeholder governance, peace, sustainability, and regulatory change.
Joint sessions explore Societal Governance in the Face of Polycrisis (ID: 12041) and Research That Matters in a Context of Polycrisis (ID: 10497)
Also timely and recommended: the All-Star panel discussion on The Framers of 1776 vs. The Nation's Leadership In 2026; Is the Vision Now Vivid or Blurred? (ID: 18267).
A particularly meaningful event will be the Andy Wicks Remembrance (ID 22461). Members of the SIM community will gather to celebrate the life and contributions of our former Division Chair through prepared reflections, shared memories, and informal conversation.
Andy Wicks Remembrance (ID: 22461) )
Join members of the SIM community in celebrating Andy Wicks' lasting contributions to our Division through this shared gathering of remembrance and reflection.
Sunday also features the Division's ongoing engagement with artificial intelligence, including Using AI for Good: Systems Thinking and the New World Game in the Classroom (ID 21237)). Another highlight of the day features my changing hats to answer the members of the Business & Society's review and advisory boards
Monday: Celebrating Excellence
Monday recognises the outstanding scholarship produced across our community.
Throughout the day, finalists present their research for several of the Division's major awards, including the Outstanding Student Paper Award, Outstanding Ethics Paper Award, Outstanding Conference Paper Award, Outstanding Dissertation Award, and Outstanding Book Award.
The day also introduces a new initiative, SIMpact Community Gatherings. These four sessions reflect the Division's commitment to strengthening connections within our community and between scholarship and societal impact.[JT2]
The day culminates in two of SIM's most important events. Please plan to attend the SIM Business Meeting and Awards session (ID: 22450), where Division updates are shared and awards are presented. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Immediately following the Business Meeting, don't miss the much-anticipated SIM Social (ID: 22452). Come celebrate another successful Annual Meeting with colleagues old and new from across the world.
Insider tip: Come early to claim your drink ticket and be the first to toast others you want to impress.
The SIM Social is generously supported this year by the Manning School of Business, University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Tuesday: Looking Ahead
Tuesday remains one of the richest days of the program, offering further opportunities to engage with many of the conversations that define contemporary SIM scholarship. Sessions continue to explore hot topics including ESG transparency, stakeholder theory, labour, corruption, political activity, philanthropy, human rights, and more AI ethics. We encourage you to postpone your travels home until end of day, at least!
Themes across the Week
While the program spans many topics, several themes run throughout this year's program and are worth tracking if they map to your interests.
Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Accountability
From discriminatory AI advice and anthropomorphic design to responsible pedagogy and AI in stakeholder relations.
Corporate Sociopolitical Activism and Political Polarization
Sustained conversation across multiple sessions on activism, democratic backsliding, and partisanship in organizations.
ESG, Greenwashing, and Measurement
Assurance gaps, the ESG–financial performance link, materiality, and the eternal question of whether anyone agrees on the metrics.
Stakeholder Theory and Corporate Purpose
Purpose under pressure, the relational firm, and the micro-foundations of purpose.
Social Entrepreneurship and Grand Challenges
Hybrid organizing, community revitalization, and impact in weak institutional contexts.
On-Demand Content
Full slate of on-demand paper sessions (numbered 24040–24058) covering everything from social innovation diffusion to board quotas and moral agency. Perfect for the panel you missed because you were in another panel.
We look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia!
A big #THANKYOU!
The 2026 program reflects the collective efforts of organizers, panelists, reviewers, volunteers, presenters, and members who shape the SIM community through their scholarship and service.
Whether you are presenting research, attending workshops, connecting with colleagues, meeting the SIM community for the first time, or simply hiding in the back row with a coffee taking it all in …
You are WELCOME and there's a place for you in the SIM community.
We hope you will find opportunities throughout the week to learn, contribute, and build lasting connections.
We look forward to welcoming you to Philadelphia.
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Nabi Ebrahimi
PhD in Management
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Lowell MA
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