Call for Submissions

2026 Call for Scholarly Program Submissions

Division Program Chair: Payal Kumar, Indian School of Hospitality, India

The Management, Spirituality, and Religion Division (MSR) welcomes scholarly submissions to the AOM 2026 meeting to be held in Philadelphia, USA from 31 July to 4 August 2026. Given the cross-disciplinary nature of our mission, we welcome submissions that span different domains, scholarly fields and research methods. 

Important dates 

• Submission Center opening:  early December 2025
• Submission Deadline: Tuesday, 13 January 2026 at 17:00 ET (UTC-5/GMT-5)
• PDWs will take place Friday, 31 July through Sunday, 2 August 2026
• Scholarly sessions (paper sessions and symposia) will take place Sunday, 2 August through Tuesday, 4 August 2026
• Poster sessions will take place Friday, 31 July through Tuesday, 4 August 2026.  

MSR Domain Statement 

Management, Spirituality, and Religion is a community engaged in interdisciplinary theoretical and applied research and pedagogy related to the relevance and relationship of spirituality and religion in management. MSR explores how spirituality and religion influence organizational dynamics and affect management outcomes. MSR research has made important contributions 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 wellness and wisdom for the common good. 

MSR Theme for 2026 AOM Annual Meeting 

Theme: Integrating Wisdom and Purpose in Management 

Here are some representative questions of interest to the division: 

• How can elevated states of awareness reshape leadership and organizational culture?
• What insights from spirituality and contemplative traditions enable leaders and followers to effectively navigate volatility and moral complexity?
• What insights from spirituality and contemplative traditions can we bring to the classroom in terms of content and insightful pedagogy?
• What innovations in organizational policies, processes, and practices can help managers cope with intractable problems while staying true to their purpose?
• How could spirituality and/or religion encourage or discourage collaboration and fulfillment for workers?
• What is the role of inner transformation in ensuring wide-reaching outer impact, such as planetary sustainability?
• How to develop and abide by inner development goals in the workplace and at higher education institutions?

These questions are not exhaustive, and we welcome topics of interest beyond these.  

Four types of submissions 

We welcome four types of submissions: scholarly papers, presenter symposia, and/or panel symposium, and poster submissions for the 2026 MSR Scholarly Program: 

Paper submissions

This involves one or more authors submitting an academic paper. If accepted, scholarly papers are then grouped by the MSR Program Chair into themed paper sessions.   

• Full paper submissions should not exceed 40 pages 
• In addition to full paper submissions, MSR also invites developmental papers of up to 3000 words. Developmental papers should be clearly marked “Developmental Paper” on the front page and their purpose is to enable authors to discuss their work while it is in its developmental stage, so comments and feedback obtained at the conference can be incorporated in the final stages of research and writing up. The developmental papers should typically include:
  • Introduction and proposed research question
  • Brief literature review
  • Proposed methodology and/or initial findings
  • Potential contribution

Presenter Symposia

Involve a series of authored papers that you, the submitter, organize around a theme of your choosing.    

Panel Symposia

Intend to engage a group of panelists in an interactive discussion. Proposals should include a clear description of the topic and the procedure that will be used to manage the discussion among panelists and with the audience. 

Poster Sessions

A great way for researchers to share their work in a less formal setting. Poster presentations will be scheduled in one-hour in-person poster sessions taking place in a highly visible location at the annual meeting. 

Based on the reviewers’ feedback, the MSR Scholarly Program Chair selects specific submissions as:  

• MSR Showcase Symposium – These are the best symposium submissions received and are expected to attract a large audience. They do NOT need to address the conference theme. The MSR Scholarly Program Chair may select up to 10% of symposia accepted by their division to be designated as showcase symposia.
• MSR Best Paper Award – This is the best paper submission that received highest reviewer ratings
• Nomination for the William H. Newman Award for Best Paper Based on a Dissertation 
• Nomination for the Carolyn Dexter Award for Best International Paper 

Final Notes 

• The “rule of three” applies: individuals may submit, appear in, or be associated with up to three scholarly submissions.
• We encourage all submitters to sign up as reviewers.
• Submitters do not need to be members to submit a proposal to the Annual Meeting.
• If a proposal is accepted, participants must register to attend the Annual Meeting.
• All participants attending the Annual Meeting must be AOM Members and registered for the Annual Meeting.
• On-Demand Sessions (pre-recorded presentation): This option allows accepted presenters who are unable to attend in person to pre-record their presentation and share it with others through our secure online platform. These recordings can be viewed by attendees before, during, and after the Annual Meeting.  

You may send any queries to: [email protected].