Caucus Proposals Submission Instructions
The Caucus Committee invites proposals for caucus sessions to be held at the 2015 Academy of Management (AOM) Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada. Caucuses encompass a wide variety of topics and we encourage proposals that feature nascent ideas or ongoing themes that would be interesting to the AOM community. The number of caucus sessions in any given year varies. In 2010, there were 88; however, in other years space constraints reduce the number of caucuses (i.e., 25 in 2013 and 30 in 2014). Typically, Caucus sessions are scheduled during the scholarly program on Monday and Tuesday.
What is a “caucus”?
The premise of a caucus is primarily to provide an opportunity for scholars to innovate, share and discuss emergent ideas that are still in the incubatory stage. We encourage submission of innovative proposals that provide conference participants with opportunities to network, collaborate and develop new ideas that include, but are not limited to, the conference theme, “Opening Governance”. Caucuses are designed to provide a convenient, informal way for AOM members with shared interests to find one another and to develop a sense of community within the larger AOM structure as well as explore potential collaborations in a forum open to all interested AOM members.
How does a caucus differ from a Professional Development Workshop (PDW)?
PDWs tend to offer structured learning experiences led by experts in the topic being presented with intended takeaways for the participants. PDWs run from Friday to Sunday with a minimum of 2 hours in length. Caucuses’ deliberations are more of an informal exchange with facilitators rather than a designated presenter/s. Caucuses are usually scheduled on Mondays and Tuesdays together with the refereed scholarly program.
How does a caucus differ from a symposium?
A caucus session differs from a symposium in a few ways. First, there is no requirement for authored papers for a caucus as is typically the case with a presenter symposium. The submissions for a caucus should detail the ideas for discussion and the format planned by the organizers and is typically no more than two pages in length. Second, while a panel symposium consists of a group of panelists in a formal interactive discussion, a caucus is more informal where AOM members with shared interests can discuss common issues and explore potential research collaborations. It is essentially designed to provide conference participants with opportunities to network with colleagues who share similar interests and develop new ideas, emerging topics, and expansion of the conference theme. The organizers typically serve as discussion leaders but do not make a formal presentation. Finally, a symposium requires sponsorship by the All-Academy Theme committee, a division, or interest group. A caucus requires documented interest from 5 AOM members with affiliations and contact information.
How should the caucus proposal be structured?
In order to be considered, caucus proposals must include the following:
� A Title
� Abstract or short program description of 50 words
� Name, email address, and phone number of up to TWO Caucus organizer(s)
� Short description (up to 500 words) of the topical content including two key words in bold
� Names, affiliation and contact information of five AOM members, in addition to the organizer(s), who support the proposal
**Note that these five names will NOT be listed in the program and will NOT be counted in the Rule of Three + Three. We ask that you include them as a way to verify that the topic is one that is likely to appeal to several AOM members.
IMPORTANT: Caucus proposals that do not follow these guidelines may not be reviewed.
Here are some questions to guide you as you prepare your caucus proposal
Does the proposal encourage development of new ideas or address emerging topics?
Does the proposal appeal to multiple constituents from the AOM community?
Does the proposal encourage collaboration and the free exchange of ideas?
Does the proposal address the conference theme?
Does the proposal state desired goals and outcomes?
Submission information and deadlines
All Caucus submissions must be made via the AOM submissions website. The site opens for submissions in early November and the deadline is January 13 at 5:00 PM ET (New York Time). If you have any questions, please contact the Caucus Committee Chair, Eileen Kwesiga ([email protected]). We look forward to receiving interesting and innovative caucus proposals.