Organizational leaders today make strategy in an increasingly open world. Leaders face growing calls for transparency and accountability. Traditional hierarchies are including even more diverse voices and perspectives. Organizational boundaries are becoming increasingly permeable and fluid. Markets and industries are open to new competitive and disruptive forces. Sources of advantage are more visible and open business models are widespread.
Openness can deliver many benefits for organizations and society. In a knowledge-based economy characterized by competitive and dynamic markets, valuable insights and innovations are increasingly likely to come from the periphery of organizations rather than from managerial elites at the centre. The complexity of contemporary issues, and the proliferation of wicked problems, demands the inclusion of previously excluded viewpoints and enlisting stakeholders from outside traditional organizational boundaries.
Today’s Societal Grand Challenges require innovative partnerships across organizations and geographies if solutions are to be found and implemented. The SMS 42nd Annual Conference called for research contributions that will help organizations create innovative, sustainable, and resilient strategies for this more open world.
The annual conference of the Strategic Management Society (SMS) brought together international thought leaders from academe, business, and consultancy interested in strategic management. More than 1000 attendees participated in sessions with scholars presenting their cutting edge research, keynote speeches, practitioner panels, workshops, as well as a variety of networking events. Attendees come to SMS conferences to establish personal contacts, network, and identify new and emerging research in the field. Being a sponsor at the SMS Annual Conference builds visibility for your company or university and connects you with educators and field leaders. For more information, contact Anna Allen at aallen@strategicmanagement.net.