Session topics included (a full copy of the program and abstracts is
available on the OSWC web site):
* Organizations and Knowledge: Overview Session
* Organizational Boundary Setting & Collective Perspectives
* Internal Knowledge
* Knowledge Workers
* Critical Activities and Processes
To understand this conference it is useful to appreciate that these
session topics were designed to raise issues and focus ideas, rather than
provide a forum for traditional presentations. We also continued the
practice started in earlier conferences of using Roundtable discussions to
explore specific issues in more depth. In this session, each table
discussed a separate issue regarding Organizations and Knowledge (e.g.,
complexity theory, narratives, economic-based views), with participants
having the option to rotate to more than one table. We also used for the
first time an informal poster session that provided presenters the
opportunity to report results from studies or to explore an issue in
greater detail than is possible in the general sessions.
The link between practice and theory was this year once again central to
many of the sessions with the presence of senior managers from major U.S.
and international businesses. One of the highlights of the conference was
a "fireside" chat featuring John Seely Brown (Xerox PARC), Susanne Kelly
(Citibank) and Larry Prusak (IBM) discussing "Knowledge, Knowing and
Organizations" in their respective companies. The wide-ranging and
informal session in which the panel presented their views and fielded
questions from the audience reflected the conference's hallmark efforts to
understand the interaction between the practice and theory of
organizations.
Because the conference seeks to start rather then end conversations, the
last day participants spent time working in groups discussing the current
state of our understanding and the issues that need to be addressed. One
of the later sessions was devoted to developing a draft "call for papers"
for a special issue of Organization Science. (John Seely Brown, Bruce
Kogut, Arie Lewin and Larry Prusak have since been selected as guest
editors.) Also, from the conference emerged the decision to use the Fall
1998 INFORMS meetings for the next stage in developing our understanding
of "Knowledge, Knowing and Organizations" and to help authors prepare for
the Organization Science special issue. For more information about the
Fall meetings, please contact Jacqueline Meszaros
(meszaros@u.washington.edu). This process of using the Winter Conference
and Fall INFORMS meetings to develop new research parallels that recently
used to develop ideas for applying complexity theory to organization
science (please see the initial call in Organization Science, 7:1).
A special event concluded the events. Arie Lewin was honored for his
service to Organization Science by the creation of the Lewin Spirit Award.
This award acknowledges a Winter Conference participant who models the
goals of innovation, insight, and facilitation. Bruce Kogut received the
inaugural award.
In conclusion, the Organization Science Winter Conference emphasized the
creation of idea-generating interaction informed by practice (in the
conference, on the ski lift, and during "off-line" discussions). The
organizers and participants continue to take risks on topics,
disciplines, and formats. If you are interested in the 1999 OSWC, the
theme of which is "Negotiating Shoals of Chaotic Environments", please
see the Call for Participation on the web site
(http://www.gsm.uci.edu/~olk/oswc/), or in the upcoming issue of
Organization Science.
Paul Olk
1999 Program Chair of the Organization Science Winter Conference
Graduate School of Management
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697
pmolk@uci.edu
(714) 824-2044 (as of April 18th, the area code will be 949)
Conference Steering Committee:
Arie Y. Lewin, Editor-in-Chief, Organization Science
Richard L. Daft, Associate Editor-in-Chief, Organization Science
Kaye Schoonhoven, Incoming Editor-in-Chief, Organization Science
Terri Griffith, Convenor
--"Olk, Paul" <pmolk@uci.edu>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>