Dear HR Division Members:
I hope you are well and healthy.
Since we will not be meeting in person for the AOM Conference in Vancouver, I would like to provide you with some information about the virtual conference that we are working with the AOM Program Team to put together for you. In the coming weeks, we anticipate more information from AOM with regard to the logistics of the conference. That said, the Division leaders have made some decisions that I would like to share with you.
AOM is committed to providing the technical and administrative resources needed to host the HR Division conference program virtually on August 6-11, 2020. The entire virtual conference will be hosted on a single platform and AOM will provide technical support to the individual divisions as we work to put the virtual conference together. The AOM Program Team has provided a framework for the virtual format which will consist of both synchronous and asynchronous sessions. The framework is versatile, allowing for a small proportion of the total program to be delivered "live." However, we are working within the bounds of several constraints that limit what we can and cannot offer to our members during a virtual conference. With that in mind, we had to make some difficult decisions when deciding how to allocate sessions within the framework. We prioritized providing content that will be of maximum value to our members, particularly to those who might stand to benefit the most from attending the annual meeting of AOM. Nonetheless, we want to emphasize that every paper and PDW accepted as part of the HR Division Conference Program will have the opportunity to be part of the virtual conference in some format.
With regard to the scholarly program, we are working with AOM to identify a small portion of papers that authors will have the opportunity to present synchronously (e.g., Real-time webinar style or open discussion) during the virtual conference. A larger number of authors will be invited to present their accepted papers and/or symposia in an asynchronous format (i.e., Pre-recorded video upload with asynchronous discussion and feedback). Please note that AOM is planning to contact authors of all accepted papers to provide additional information and solicit involvement in the program.
For PDWs, all of our consortia (i.e., Middle-Stage Doctoral Consortium, New Faculty Consortium, and Late-stage Doctoral Consortium) will be presented in a synchronous, real-time format during the conference dates. Conference registration will be required to participate in consortia and there will only be a limited number of slots available in each session. In the coming weeks, the consortia organizers will send out additional information about how to sign up to attend these sessions. All non-consortia PDWs will be presented in an asynchronous format that will be coordinated by individual PDW chairs. Again we are waiting to hear from AOM to hear exactly how this will work.
Finally, based on AOM's communication to us, we know that our members will need to register for the conference ($200 for academic and executive members, $100 for students and emeritus members) in order to attend or access sessions. Importantly, AOM has decided that at least one author on each accepted paper will need to opt-in to register in order to participate in the conference and for their paper to be presented (to be clear, participation is voluntary, but registration will be required by those who wish to participate). Of course, presenters have the option to withdraw their papers and not to present them. Recognizing that many universities are limiting funding for such expenditures, we are currently considering options for providing registration support for student attendees at our consortia.
We know you likely have a lot of questions. We have those same questions, and look forward to receiving more specific information from AOM in the coming weeks. We appreciate your patience as we work to put together content that will be of value to our members. We'd also like to use this as an opportunity to say THANK YOU to all of the volunteers who help make events such as the annual meeting of AOM possible.
Please keep an eye out for future correspondence from AOM regarding the logistics of the virtual conference. Also, feel free to contact any of us if you have questions or concerns.
Take Care,
Chris Rosen
Chair, HR Division
Ingrid Fulmer
Out-going Chair, HR Division
Anthony Nyberg
Incoming Chair, HR Division
David Collings
Program Chair, HR Division
Jill Ellingson
PDW Chair, HR Division