SIM-ONE Online Workshops 2026
We are delighted to introduce a new initiative, entitled Advancing Sustainability Research through Transdisciplinary, Systems Thinking and Complexity Approaches. This project is supported by a grant awarded by the Research Committee of the Academy of Management (Strategic Project Fund for Methods Training).
In this project, we are delivering three online workshops, as follows:
Workshop 1: Philosophies of transdisciplinarity, complexity, and systems for sustainability research
(Tue 31 March 2026, 8:30-10:30 GMT)
This workshop introduces ontological and epistemological perspectives on which transdisciplinary research applied to global sustainability issues can be founded.
Organisers: Cristina Neesham (Newcastle University/Swinburne University), Wendy Chapple and Miriam Wilhelm (Vienna University of Economics and Business)
Contact: Cristina Neesham, cristina.neesham@newcastle.ac.uk or cneesham@swin.edu.au
Workshop 2: Principles of systems thinking in sustainability research
(Thu 30 April 2026, 13:30-15:30 GMT)
This workshop explores how sustainability research can be developed based on systems theory. It focuses on synthetic, dynamic, and closed-loop thinking as key principles of systems thinking, and illustrates how these principles inform our research methods and strategies through hands-on examples.
Organisers: Steve Kennedy (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Sylvia Grewatsch (Brock University), Agnes Toth-Peter (University of Queensland), Marija Roglic (EADA Business School)
Contact: Steve Kennedy, skennedy@rsm.nl
Workshop 3: Addressing complex sustainability problems with visual, participatory, and experiential approaches to systems thinking
(Fri 22 May 2026, 13:00-15:00 GMT)
This workshop examines how complexity theory can support and advance sustainability research. It provides insights into participatory approaches of sensemaking and envisioning meant to address complex sustainability problems with stakeholders and within communities.
Organisers: Domenico Dentoni (Montpellier Business School), Amanda Williams (EM Lyon), Marija Roglic (EADA Business School)
Contact: Domenico Dentoni, d.dentoni@mbs-education.com
Each workshop will last approx. two hours. Every effort has been made to schedule accessible times for as many members as possible. We aim to provide opportunities for engagement with the audience and to collect feedback from the participants at the end of each workshop. The live workshops will be recorded and posted on the Connect@AOM websites of the SIM and ONE communities. Initially, they will be offered as a research methods resource for SIM and ONE division members. In the longer term, the plan is to grow this initiative and extend it to other divisions across the Academy of Management, depending on member interest.
In support of this workshop series, three virtual group mentoring sessions will be offered, within 1-3 weeks after each workshop, with emphasis on guiding and mentoring PhD students and junior faculty (early-career scholars), to encourage and empower them to explore and develop innovative methodological perspectives on sustainability research. A Call for Expressions of Interest will be released to SIM and ONE (prospective) members by 3 April.
Following these online workshops and mentoring sessions, interested participants are invited to join a Sustainability Research Methods Group, which will continue to develop this project further by adding new resources, as needed, for advancing sustainability research.
For any general queries related to this project, please contact Cristina Neesham (Project Leader) at cristina.neesham@newcastle.ac.uk or cneesham@swin.edu.au.
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Amanda Williams
emlyon Business School
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