Management Spirituality and Religion Interest Group
Announcing the 2016 Most Promising Dissertation Awards
The Academy of Management MSR Interest Group is pleased to announce the 2016 Most Promising Dissertation Awards. These awards are made available annually to doctoral candidates approaching completion of comprehensive exams, beginning the formulation of their dissertation topics, and/or currently performing dissertation-related research. This year, we are pleased to continue a tradition of awarding cash stipends to top finalists for the purpose of offsetting dissertation research and conference travel costs.
Purpose
The purpose of these awards is to honor and assist doctoral candidates working in the domain of Management, Spirituality, and Religion (MSR) to develop quality dissertations that can: (1) Integrate management with spirituality and/or religion, and (2) reflect novel and/or significant evidence-based theoretical and/or applied contributions to the field. As an emerging discipline of scholarship within the Academy of Management, MSR seeks to encourage quality doctoral dissertations as a springboard to ongoing contributory research and inquiry.
Objectives
Objectives of the Most Promising Dissertation Awards includes, but is not limited to:
• Acknowledging the value of intended or current dissertation work as competitively reviewed by an international panel of scholars.
• Helping to establish contacts with MSR researchers who share common interests in the proposed or current area of study and who can afford valuable coaching.
• Providing an opportunity (through the MSR Scholarship and Publishing Consortium) to interact with scholars and other doctoral candidates in refining the theoretical and methodological foundations of theses, and to explore action implications.
• Assisting with the refinement and/or implementation phases of research projects if and when feasible.
Submission Requirements
NO MORE THAN FOUR (4) DOUBLE-SPACED PAGES MAY BE SUBMITTED, INCLUDING REFERENCES AND/OR FIGURES, providing an overview ("executive summary") of the proposed research, setting forth the topic of interest or study, its relevance to MSR, links to interesting theoretical concerns, preliminary or current methodological approaches, and connection to managerial actions or practice. “Refined" proposals and/or research findings are not required. An aim of the Most Promising Dissertation Awards is to capture early ideation or research of significant promise and to provide subsequent assistance in the refinement of quality scholarly efforts. Already completed or defended dissertations are ineligible.
A SEPARATE COVER SHEET SHOULD ACCOMPANY EACH SUBMISSION, CONTAINING THE SUBMITTER’S NAME, FULL ADDRESS, EMAIL, AND PHONE NUMBER. NO IDENTIFYING INFORMATION SHOULD APPEAR IN THE FOUR-PAGE DISSERTATION OVERVIEW.
Submissions should generally align with the MSR domain statement: “MSR explores how spirituality and religion can influence organizational dynamics and affect management outcomes. In that regard, MSR is devoted to defining the relevance and impact of spirituality and religion in management, organizations and society. Major areas of study include theory building and empirical research around the issues of faith, spirituality and religion as they influence principles and practices in management. Important contributions have been made in MSR research to better understand the meaning of work, the impact of spirituality and spiritual leadership in the workplace, the purpose of business, the affects of religious pluralism in the workplace, and the distinctive elements of individual religious and spiritual beliefs that cultivate inner awareness and promote wisdom for the common good.”
Please include a digital photo with all submissions. Submission of material for this award shall be deemed as an acknowledgement by applicants that they authorize the MSR Interest Group to publish photos, biographical information, and/or portions of submitted material for press releases or other purposes that the organization may deem appropriate.
Expectations of Finalists
• Attend the 2016 Academy of Management meeting in Anaheim, CA
• Attend the MSR Scholarship and Publishing Consortium which precedes the AOM conference. This year’s Consortium is scheduled for Thursday, August 4, 2016, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Red Lion Hotel - Leon Room, located at 1850 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim, CA 92802. Early registration is encouraged as space is limited to 30 individuals. While there is no registration fee for attending the Consortium, MSR membership is required. More details are available on
http://group.aomonline.org/msr/2016_Flyer.pdf. For questions, please contact the Consortium chair, Dr. Julie Burkey at (
julie.burkey@shu.edu).
• Come to the Consortium prepared to discuss progress to date on your research proposal as well as receive feedback during the session.
• Attend the awards presentation during the MSR business meeting tentatively scheduled for Sunday evening of the conference. Meeting schedules will be finalized before the conference date.
• Submit a scholarly paper to MSR through the Academy of Management review process when the thesis is completed. This would normally occur within one or two years after receiving the award.
Submission Deadline
Award applications should be sent electronically to Orneita Burton,
orneita.burton@coba.acu.edu , no later than Friday, April 29, 2016,5:00 PM Eastern time. Finalists will be notified approximately two months in advance of the Academy of Management Annual Meeting to allow time to make appropriate travel plans for attendance. Additional information on the conference may be found at the Academy of Management website,
http://aom.org/annualmeeting/.
Selection Committee
The selection committee for the Most Promising Dissertation Awards in any given year may consist of MSR Interest Group officers, distinguished Academy of Management scholars, and external invited reviewers. All decisions by the selection committee are final. Anyone who wishes to serve on the selection committee should contact Dr. Burton.