About the Academy of Management
Introductory Guide to AOM and the Annual Meeting
The following guide is meant as a brief overview and user manual for first-time attendees of the Academy of Management's Annual Meeting. This guide was first written by AOM member Alan Meyer in 2012 as "A Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Academy of Management." It was written to orient a group of 25 young African scholars who were about to make their first visit to the Academy of Management and assumes that the reader had no familiarity with AOM or attending a large, academic conference.
Thank you Alan for your inspiration in guiding our new members!
The Academy of Management (AOM) is the preeminent global association devoted to management and organization research, and the oldest and largest community of management and organization scholars in the world.
Mission: To build a vibrant and supportive community of scholars by markedly expanding opportunities to connect and explore ideas.
Vision: We inspire and enable a better world through our scholarship and teaching about management and organizations.
Since its beginning in 1936, AOM has evolved from an organization of 10 members to an organization of over 19,000 members from nearly 120 nations. Read more about AOM's history.
AOM members are management and organization faculty, students and practitioners who are dedicated to enabling a brighter future for society through scholarship, teaching, and practice.
AOM’s 26 professional Divisions and Interest groups (DIGs) promote excellence in established management disciplines. They reflect a broad range of member interests and provide collective relationships among members within a particular subject area.
Each DIG offers a specific range of services, educational sessions and social events at the Annual Meeting. DIG websites offer resources such as professional development opportunities, recognition programs, and member communications specific to each DIG.
DIGs are often considered a member's intellectual home. Members can join 2 DIGs with their membership and many join several more. DIGs can also be categorized into three main areas:
- Micro groups focus on individual people, typically drawing on the discipline of psychology
- Macro groups focus on industries, markets, professions or other large social units, typically drawing on economics and sociology
- Meso groups focus on intermediary social structures and processes that form connections between the micro and macro domains, drawing on diverse social science disciplines.
The Academy of Management mirrors the concept of an Invisible College, a philosophy that dates to the 17th century as a small community of interacting scholars who often met face-to-face, exchanged ideas, and encouraged each other.
AOM’s networks promote scholarly relationships and discussions that elevate members' voices and seek to amplify their ideas. The collective engagement of our members makes AOM a valuable professional network.
At events (Annual Meeting, Specialized Conferences, PDWs, DIG events), members collaborate and are connected with fellow academics, students, executives, and emeriti.
However, for the most part, members connect virtually through our various communications: Connect@AOM, DIG websites, Academy newsletters, and social media.
The first Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management was held in Chicago in 1936 with 24 members in attendance. Today, the Annual Meeting hosts thousands of academics looking to advance research, network with colleagues, and disseminate knowledge addressing the 21st century’s most pressing management and organization challenges. Annual Meeting Historical Timeline.
Each year, AOM’s Annual Meeting includes a specific theme. Throughout its history, the theme of the meeting has evolved to meet the everchanging needs and growth of not only the organization, but of society. From managing diversity and inclusivity to building effective networks and new visions of management in the 21st century, the Annual Meeting has been a platform for discussion, research and knowledge sharing for 80 years.
Annual Meeting Timeline
To help you plan your participation and attendance at the Annual Meeting, use the following dates as approximate times when each of these activities take place.
| Call for Submissions and Reviewers | November |
| Submission System and Reviewer Sign up | December |
| Submission Deadline | January |
| Registration begins | March |
| Program is released | May |
| Annual Meeting | Early August |
Annual Meeting Submission Types
- Professional Development Workshops (PDWs)
- Panel Symposia
- Presenter Symposia
- Showcase Symposia
- Caucus
- Division (Traditional) Paper Session
- Discussion Paper Session
Information about AOM 2020
Virtual Meeting Attendance Tips for AOM 2020
- Fill out your account profile as much as possible so that members can easily identify you and find you through your specified interests and social media handles.
- Check out Birds of a Feather discussions for general discussions related to specific topics. Start your own discussion if you don’t find what you’re looking for.
- Spread out your schedule to avoid Zoom burnout. Remember, this year, attendees have until 31 August to contribute comments and questions to sessions and until 31 October to view all session information on demand.
- Daily Highlights: look for videos by AOM members on the Annual Meeting homepage for tips on making the most of your meeting as well as daily highlights to add to your schedule.
- Searching for sessions: use the search function in the schedule to search for sessions by name, description keyword, session type, DIG or topic area.
- New Members and First Time Attendees: visit the New Member Welcome and Resource Center for a 24/7 Member Forum to post questions and real-time assistance each day at 8:00 pm EDT (UTC-4) and 16:00 pm EDT (UTC-4), in addition to video overviews of member benefits and services.
- DIG Hubs: Visit your DIG Hubs for updates, highlights, Division award winners, service recognition and division leadership contact information.
- Contribute and share your thoughts! Engage fully throughout the meeting with the meetings’ many interactive components:
- Share comments and questions to session presenters
- Contribute to (or start your own) Birds of a Feather discussion which engages members on any topic that interests you
- Look for our conference Polls highlighted on the meeting landing page and share your thoughts
Meeting Session Types
Asynchronous Sessions (on demand)
- Attendees and presenters can contribute to discussion chats
- Attendees have until 31 August to contribute comments and questions to sessions and until 31 October to view all session information on demand
Synchronous Sessions (live and mock live)
Real-time – Presenter(s) / Panel (live-streamed)
- Presenter(s) / panelists can share content (e.g. slides / screens)
- Anyone can chat and ask questions
- Polling of attendees is available
- Session can be recorded
- Maximum suggested audience size: 500 persons
Real-time – Open (live-streamed)
- Presenter(s) / panelists and entire audience are on video
- Anyone can share content (e.g. slides / screens) with organizer’s approval
- Anyone can chat, ask questions, and “raise hand” during the session
- Session can be recorded
- Zoom breakout rooms are available
- Maximum suggested audience size: 250 persons
Mock Live (pre-recorded presentation(s) with scheduled playback and real-time discussion)
- Contributors can upload pre-record presentations and supplemental materials (keeping the videos under 5 minutes in length is recommended)
- Feedback / discussion occurs in real-time chat