Join us for the GRONEN Workshop on "Insider Social Change Agents: Research, Education, and Impact" on October 10, 2025, at Utrecht University.
This in-person event will dive into the pivotal role of insider social change agents-individuals within organizations who drive initiatives addressing societal and environmental challenges.
In the workshop, we will collaboratively explore:
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Research: Examining the diverse identities, motivations, and organizational roles of insider social change agents and how their efforts can aggregate to catalyze broader societal transformations.
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Education: Discussing strategies to equip current and future practitioners with the skills to act as effective change agents within their organizations.
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Impact: Understanding the activities and outcomes of insider social change efforts, including the challenges they face and the broader social impacts they aim to achieve.
The workshop will provide a collaborative space to co-create new insights and materials, fostering a deeper understanding of how insider change efforts can lead to significant social impacts. This event is open to all interested individuals, from PhD students to full professors, as well as practitioners eager to contribute to the conversation.
We are thrilled to announce Maureen Scully, UMass Boston, as our keynote speaker. We take the 30th anniversary of Meyerson and Scully's pioneering work on tempered radicalism (Meyerson & Scully, 1995) as an opportunity to further explore the critical role of committed individuals in driving systemic change from inside organizations.
An editorial panel (incl. Christopher Wickert, Journal of Management Studies & Minna Halme, Organization & Environment, and others) discussion will follow her keynote. More program information will be released in due course.
We plan for an in-person event. The workshop will be free of charge, but participants will need to cover their own travel. Utrecht University is just a 30-minute train ride away from Amsterdam.
We have spots available for both presenters and participants who want to attend without presenting a paper:
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If you would like to present your work on research, education, or impact, please submit an abstract of 200-400 words via the link below. You can also send in a proposal for an entire panel or other setup as a team. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application soon after the submission deadline.
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If you would like to attend the workshop without presenting, please submit a 200-300-word statement of your background and motivation via the same link.
Submit via this link: https://tinyurl.com/GRONENWS2025 by August 15, 2025.
As spots are limited, we will notify you as soon as possible after August 15 whether we can offer you a spot in the workshop.
Note: The GRONEN reading group will meet in person the day before (9th October 2025) in Utrecht. The GRONEN Reading Group (GROReG), a platform dedicated to discussing sustainability-related papers at the 'revise & resubmit' stage. If your work is under review with a journal ranked at least 3 in the ABS list, this is an excellent opportunity to gain valuable feedback in a supportive environment. You can find the call for submissions here.
We look forward to welcoming you!
If you have any questions, please email c.m.bidmon@uu.nl with k.s.heucher@rug.nl in cc.
Topic Hosts: Katrin Heucher (U Groningen) & Sara Soderstrom (U Michigan)
Local Host: Christina Bidmon (U Utrecht) & GRONEN Workshop Team: Leyla Azizi (TU Dresden), María del Mar Martínez-Bravo (U Almeria)
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GRONEN workshops aim to foster the exchange among members between the biannual GRONEN conferences. GRONEN workshops aim to advance relevant and strong research and to encourage innovative thinking on organizations and the natural environment.
This workshop is generously supported by Utrecht University - Pathways for Sustainability - Sustainability Education & Engagement and the University of Groningen's strategic theme, Sustainability and Future Prosperity.
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Katrin Heucher
Assistant Professor
University of Groningen
Groningen
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