Rethinking Responsibility During Crisis Times

The conference 

This two-day international conference brings together academics and professionals from various disciplines to rethink organizational responsibility during times of crisis. What does it mean for organizations to act responsibly during a crisis (e.g., in terms of processes they put into place, people they involve, changes they make or do not make)? How can organizations prepare to be able to act responsibly in future crises? How can the organizations deal with the fall-out of a crisis to ensure they act responsibly? This conference seeks to encourage and outline answers to these questions by promoting conversations about responsibility in organizations during times of crisis.

The research questions

We invite submissions for qualitative, quantitative, and theoretical papers that address, but are not limited to, the following questions:

• What is organizational responsibility during crises? What does it mean to be a responsible organization, and what actions does it involve? Does it depend on context (e.g., time, place)?
• What are the people, practices, and processes involved in how organizations act (ir)responsibly during crises? What enables and constrains their roles?
•  What are the critical questions regarding organizational responsibility during crises today? How can researchers and educators approach these questions?
• What have we learned about organizational responsibility from past crises? How can these lessons apply today?
• What theories can we use to rethink responsibility during crises (e.g., from economics, sociology, philosophy, political science)?

Submission modalities 

The deadline for submitting abstracts is December 31, 2021. Please submit your abstract (approximatively 500 words) using two documents, one blind (without author names) and one full (including author names), via email, using the subject line “Responsibility Conference Abstract.” To simplify the logistics, the conference team will consider the submitting author to be the corresponding author. All submissions will be peer-reviewed, and acceptances will be sent out to each corresponding author by January 15, 2022. Detailed information regarding conference registration (which is free), transportation and accommodation will then be provided as well. If your abstract is accepted, the full paper is due by March 31, 2022.

Pandemic safety measures

In planning the conference, the team follows the safety guidelines and requirements of Concordia University. The conference is scheduled to be held in person. However, should the pandemic context change and in-person events not be possible at the time of the conference, the conference will be held remotely. 

Conference details

The conference starts in the early afternoon of Thursday, April 21, 2022, at the John Molson School of Business, with an opening session that presents the conference’s aims. After that, the first conference workshop will welcome participants who have been accepted to present their work during 30-minute sessions that include a discussant. Each conference participant discusses a paper. At the end of the afternoon, all participants are invited to welcome drinks. Refreshments are served all afternoon. On Friday, April 22, 2022, the conference workshops will proceed throughout the day. All conference participants are invited to the conference luncheon, and refreshments are served throughout the day. The conference concludes in the afternoon with a discussion that presents critical lessons.

There is no registration fee for the conference.