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EGOS sub-theme: From the Margins to the Mainstream - The Role of Contestation, Competition, and Agency in the Evolution of Novelty

Convenors: Ibrat Djabbarov (Imperial College London); Gino Cattani (New York University); Denise Falchetti (George Washington University)

Format: Virtual with a physical presence at Imperial College London (and possibly other locations).

In this sub-theme, we will explore how contestation, competition, and conflict shape the evolution of novel technologies, categories, and practices as they transition from the margins to the mainstream. Novel ideas, particularly in their early stages, often lack legitimacy and occupy low-status positions within their fields. Understanding how these novel forms emerge on the periphery and evolve into mainstream phenomena remains a critical area of inquiry in organization studies. We invite submissions that explore how different actors' responses to novelty – whether through resistance, adaptation, or competition – shape the trajectories of organizational and field dynamics. We welcome theoretical, empirical, and interdisciplinary contributions that illuminate the role of these forces in redirecting the emergence and evolution of novelty. We encourage submissions that draw on a range of theories, settings, and levels of analysis to explore these themes.

Further details and submission: https://www.egos.org/jart/prj3/egos/main.jart?rel=de&reserve-mode=active&content-id=1756645686117&subtheme_id=1733775222179

Queries: Please contact Ibrat Djabbarov at i.djabbarov@imperial.ac.uk.