The Future of Work and Organizational Psychology

EAWOP SMALL GROUP MEETING

CALL FOR PAPERS

THE FUTURE OF WORK AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

16-18 May 2018, Breda, the Netherlands

Abstract submission deadline: 28 February 2018

The field of Work and Organizational Psychology (WOP) is flourishing. Every EAWOP conference attracts more attendants, and the rising number of small group meetings, worklabs, and summer schools organized by EAWOP are all indicative of a field that is thriving. However, the field also faces many challenges which need to be addressed. Some of them relate to the relevance of the research within WOP, while others pertain to more general concerns around the work stress experienced by many academics, WOP-scholars included. It is therefore of utmost importance that the WOP-community engages in debate and plans to build on the future of WOP. Every academic should have the opportunity to be actively involved in discussions about the future of WOP. Hence, we organize a SGM where all members can be actively involved in debating and co-creating scenarios for the future of WOP. As learning and reflection are immanent in the context of work and development of individuals and workplaces/scientific disciplines, the SGM will facilitate reflection upon the current state of affairs in WOP, and the opportunity to share views, debate whether we are still doing what we want to do, and what the future of the discipline could look like, and which steps need to be taken in order to achieve that. More specific information about the meeting, a more elaborate description of the goals and the program can be found via Researchgate and in the Proposal.

The meeting will last two and a half days, and consist of two main parts. The first part (first day) aims to discuss ontology, while the second part (second day) aims to discuss epistemology. Hence, on the first day we will debate the ontology of WOP research, reflecting on the following questions: What are the underlying assumptions of our research? Why do we conduct our research? What do we want to achieve with our research? The second day is about the epistemology of our research, and is based on: How do we conduct ‘good’ research in WOP? This day will be particularly about the ways we conduct our research, both in terms of methodologies as well as how we manage our academic lives in universities and teaching institutions.

The SGM will take place on Wednesday 16 May until Friday morning 18 May, 2018, so that participants have ample time on Friday afternoon to travel home. The meeting will take place at NHTV University of Applied Sciences, Breda, the Netherlands. We are planning to publish selected papers in a special issue of a journal, e.g., EJWOP. More information will follow and to be discussed during the meeting.

Submission of Abstracts
We welcome a range of different submissions. As people who want to participate will not necessarily have projects under way that relate directly to the theme of the meeting, participants are invited to submit an abstract based on work that is in progress or emerging ideas. Scholars are invited to come with creative ideas for how discussion can unfold. Abstracts can be submitted around:

(1) Presentation of a paper or poster.
(2) A debate around one of the questions raised above or the theme of the meeting.
(3) A new idea or proposed solution, and opportunity to engage in discussion.
(4) A practical activity to elicit new discussion (e.g., an exercise or a game).

We also welcome symposia/panel debates to be submitted to the Meeting, consisting of 3 or more contributions around one of the subthemes of the conference. Initial ideas are invited to be sent to mbal@lincoln.ac.uk.

Abstracts should have a description of the topic, goal, motivation, relevance and organizations of the presentation/debate (around 500 words). Abstracts should be submitted to mbal@lincoln.ac.uk before 28 February, 2018. Participants are explicitly invited to submit an abstract to either Day 1 (ontology) or Day 2 (epistemology). Decisions will be communicate around mid-March. There are limited places available due to the nature of the SGM (max. 25 places).

Costs
The costs will be €100 regular fee and €50 for PhD-students. This includes refreshments, lunches and conference dinner. Registration will be open early 2018.

Organizing Committee
The meeting will be organized by Matthijs Bal (University of Lincoln), Edina Dóci (VU University Amsterdam), Xander Lub (NHTV Breda), and Yvonne van Rossenberg (Radboud University Nijmegen). For any questions, please email Matthijs Bal: mbal@lincoln.ac.uk.