Dear OB Division Members,
In a division of over 6,000 scholars spanning 60+ countries, finding your intellectual home can feel daunting. That's why we're excited to spotlight our MicroCommunities initiative—your gateway to meaningful connections and collaborative research within our global community.
WHAT ARE MICROCOMMUNITIES?
MicroCommunities are small, self-organized groups that bring our vast division down to human scale. These dynamic networks connect members around shared research interests, career stages, or professional goals—creating spaces for deep conversations, ongoing collaboration, and authentic belonging.
CURRENT MICROCOMMUNITIES:
• Affect, Organizational Cultures, & Multicultural Management
• Leadership and Emotions Community
• Modern Team Arrangements
• New Directions in Gender Research
• Relationships Across Differences (RADs)
• Social Networks Society
• Trust
• Work-Nonwork
• Workplace – Rethinking Where Work Happens
HOW THEY WORK:
Each MicroCommunity finds its own rhythm. Some meet virtually throughout the year for research collaborations. Others share resources, develop symposia, or work on joint publications. The cornerstone is our MicroCommunity Coffee Hours at AOM—welcoming gatherings designed to launch new connections and strengthen existing ones.
AOM 2025 OPPORTUNITIES:
We've created customized itineraries for six MicroCommunities at AOM 2025 in Copenhagen, helping you navigate the conference with your scholarly tribe. Visit ob.aom.org/about-us/microcommunities to download your community's roadmap.
GET INVOLVED:
• Join an existing MicroCommunity by contacting its leaders (details on our website)
• Start a new MicroCommunity around your research passion
• Attend Coffee Hours at AOM 2025 to explore different communities
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
We're actively seeking field leaders to create and sustain new MicroCommunities. If you're interested in stewarding a group, contact:
• Kira Schabram, Pennsylvania State University: schabram@psu.edu
OR
• Fadel Matta, University of Georgia: fmatta@uga.edu
• Kate Zipay, Purdue University: kzipay@purdue.edu
Whether you're exploring cutting-edge research on hybrid teams, advancing gender scholarship beyond binary frameworks, or investigating trust dynamics in global organizations, there's a MicroCommunity waiting for you.
Transform your OB Division experience from overwhelming to intimate. Find your people. Stay connected year-round. Advance scholarship that matters.
With warm regards,
OB Division Executive Committee