The Research Methods and Research Practice (RM&RP) strategic interest group (SIG) exists to promote debates – and stimulate innovation – around all aspects of academic research, from its conception through to its execution, the subsequent development of theory and the dissemination of findings and knowledge. The RM&RP SIG seeks to draw understanding about research methods and research practice from all business and management disciplines including Accounting, Computer Science, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Human Resource Management, Learning and Development, Marketing, Operations Management, Organizational Behaviour, Strategy, and Systems Management. By sharing novel approaches and advancing knowledge about the usefulness of different methods and the facilitators of – and constraints on – the use of those methods in the research and broader environment, it seeks to enable researchers to improve the design and execution of their research and its dissemination. Good research approaches are indispensable to the asking of important research questions, the development of useful theories and meaningful engagement with broader societies. The RM&RP SIG aims to stimulate debate in a supportive environment in which all levels of academic from doctoral students through to senior professors feel at home. The RM&RP SIG aims to promote understanding across national borders and to draw strength from the diversity of research approaches that exist across Europe and beyond. It seeks to generate continuous debate between conferences through its use of a range of different media including electronic newsletters and a presence on the world wide web.
SIG OFFICERS (2024-2025):
SIG Chairs:
Huiping Xian (University of Leicester, UK) – hx58@leicester.ac.uk
Michael Schlaile (Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research – ZALF, Germany) – Michael.Schlaile@zalf.de
General Track Chairs:
Marc Stierand (Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland) – marc.stierand@ehl.ch
David Yates (Sheffield University Management School, UK) – d.g.yates@sheffield.ac.uk
Plenary Organizers:
Marek Szarucki (Krakow University of Economics, Krakow, Poland) – szaruckm@uek.krakow.pl
Oskar Kosch (Krakow University of Economics, Krakow, Poland) – koscho@uek.krakow.pl
Petra Poljsak-Rosinski (BAU International Berlin – University of Applied Sciences, Germany) – poljsak-rosinski@bauinternational-uni.de – Treasurer
Heidi Collins – hcollins@swinburne.edu.my – SIG Communication Officer
RESEARCH METHODS AND RESEARCH PRACTICE SIG STANDING TRACKS
GT12_00 – Research Methods and Research Practice General Track
Management scholars’ contribution to knowledge production depends on their ability to develop and apply suitable methods to achieve and interpret findings and to consider suitable conceptual frameworks to guide action for the application of that knowledge. The RM&RP track invites papers on all kinds of research methods, analytical techniques, epistemological and ontological approaches and management theories. It also welcomes papers on the future challenges facing researchers and research on a variety of methods that would help identify, describe, categorise, analyse, forecast, and/or evaluate those social systems that show adaptability to a level that indicates complexity.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Goal 1: No poverty; Goal 2: Zero hunger; Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people; Goal 4: Quality education; Goal 5: Gender equality; Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation; Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy; Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth; Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; Goal 10: Reducing inequalities; Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities; Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production; Goal 13: Climate action; Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions; Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
Primary Contact
Marc Stierand (Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland) – marc.stierand@ehl.ch
GT12_01 – Actors, Systems, and Coevolution: Methods and Perspectives for a Complex World
Organizations and actors do not evolve in isolation but are embedded within complex adaptive systems shaped by continuous interaction and mutual influence. This track brings together perspectives on coevolution, systems thinking, and complex systems approaches, encouraging research that advances understanding of how dynamic processes shape organizations and socio-economic environments. We invite a broad range of methodological approaches, including computational methods such as agent-based modeling, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, and bibliometric analysis, to explore coevolutionary dynamics, systemic adaptation, and organizational change.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production; Goal 13: Climate action
Primary Contact
Johan Kask , CREDS, University of Inland Norway, johan.kask@inn.no
ST12_02 – Research Methods for Complex Adaptive Systems
This topic is open to research on a variety of methods that would help identify, describe, categorise, analyse, forecast, and/or evaluate those systems that show adaptability to a level that indicates complexity. Organisations show these characteristics and are complex adaptive social systems (CASS). While complexity is not new in management studies, recent technological developments and related methodologies have made it tractable. This ST is directed to any methods—qualitative, quantitative, simulation, hybrid, mixed—that show how CASS are, could, or should be studied.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people; Goal 4: Quality education; Goal 5: Gender equality; Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation; Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy; Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth; Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; Goal 10: Reducing inequalities; Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities; Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production; Goal 13: Climate action
Primary Contact
Davide Secchi – secchi@sdu.dk
RESEARCH METHODS AND RESEARCH PRACTICE SIG TRACKS
T06_10 / T12_03 – Management History, Action Research and Tourism (co-sponsored INNO / RMRP SIGs)
This track integrates historical and philosophical analyses of management theories, innovative practices in tourism management, and Action Research methodologies. It addresses the evolution, philosophical foundations, and contemporary challenges of management theories and practices, exploring tourism’s innovative transitions towards digital transformation, sustainability, and ethical stakeholder collaboration. Furthermore, it incorporates empirical and conceptual Action Research approaches, emphasizing participatory processes and organizational transformations.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people; Goal 4: Quality education; Goal 5: Gender equality; Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy; Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth; Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities; Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production; Goal 13: Climate action; Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions; Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
Primary Contact:
Matteo Cristofaro, University of Rome Tor Vergata – matteo.cristofaro@uniroma2.it