2025 Management Spirituality and Religion Division

Promising Dissertation Proposal Awards

 SUBMISSION DEADLINE:  April 11, 2025, 5:00 PM EDT 

The Academy of Management MSR Division is pleased to announce the 2025 MSR Promising Dissertation Proposal 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 continue a tradition of awarding stipends to the top three finalists to support dissertation research and/or conference attendance 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 impactful discipline of scholarship within the Academy of Management, MSR seeks to encourage quality doctoral dissertations as a springboard to ongoing contributory research and inquiry.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

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 effects 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 do not include identifying information in your proposal.  

Instead, include a separate cover sheet that contains your name, institutional affiliation, proposal title, email address, physical mailing address, and a digital headshot photo with all submissions. Submission of materials for this award shall be deemed as an acknowledgment by applicants that they authorize the MSR Division 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 2025 Academy of Management meeting, July 25^th through July 29^th, 2025, in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Note: optional this year due to conference location)
• Attend the MSR virtual pre-conference Research Colloquium which precedes the AOM conference.  Dates for this meeting will be announced by early summer.
• Be prepared to present and discuss progress to date on your research proposal as well as receive feedback during the Research Colloquium.
• Attend the dissertation awards presentation during the MSR business meeting scheduled during the conference. (Note: optional this year due to conference location)
• 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:

Dissertation proposals must be submitted by Friday, April 11, 2025, 5:00 PM EDT to be considered for an award. Finalists will be notified in advance of the Academy of Management Annual Meeting to allow time to make appropriate plans for participation at the conference. Additional information on the AOM 2025 conference may be found here.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

Please email your dissertation proposal and separate cover letter to the MSR Promising Dissertation Proposal Committee Chair by the April 11^th due date. NO MORE THAN FOUR (4) DOUBLE-SPACED PAGES MAY BE SUBMITTED FOR YOUR PROPOSAL, 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 MSR Promising Dissertation Proposal 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.  Please contact the MSR Dissertation Proposal Committee Chair for questions regarding the qualifications or eligibility of your submission.

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 either the MSR Dissertation Proposal Committee Chair or the MSR Division Chair if interested.

Thank you for your support and interest in MSR.  We look forward to your participation in this program.

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Orneita Burton

Chair, MSR Promising Dissertation Proposal Committee

oxb00a@acu.edu

Joan Marques
Chair, MSR Division, Academy of Management

Joan.Marques@woodbury.edu
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