AOM 2021 - From "Scientific Activist" to "Activist Scientist"

A growing number of management scholars aim to combine their academic research with real-world impact, through taking a stance on pressing societal issues and combining activism with scientific rigor (e.g., Tihanyi, 2020; Alvesson et al., 2017). Scholars' focus can vary from prioritizing their "activist" role or their "scientist" role. In this PDW, we explore how research may engage in societal change not only through the traditional instruments of activism (e.g., protests, demonstrations, public education) but also through the traditional instruments of science (e.g., conducting scientific research to advance knowledge). 

The purpose of this PDW is to initiate a more structured discussion about being in the spectrum from "Scientific Activist" to "Activist Scientist" with the aim of establishing rigorous methods for engaging closely with managers as a commonly accepted practice. We do so by offering a platform for scholars to debate and discuss the different forms of such activities with each other. 

We structure the PDW in two parts. Part 1 is a panel of three leading management researchers as well as a practitioner panelist who have engaged in different types of science and activism. Part 2 includes several breakout-room roundtable discussions that allow emerging researchers as well as scholars that are new to the area to dive deeper into the different aspects. Overall, the PDW aims to empower researchers to effectively engage with practitioners and design research to better serve practicing managers to deal with the challenges they face.

Download the output from this session here:

Organized by:

• Katrin Heucher, University of Michigan
• Johannes Meuer, ETH Zurich
• Sara Soderstrom, University of Michigan
• Amanda Williams, ETH Zurich