PDW INVITATION: RESEARCH IN UNCONVENTIONAL CONTEXTS: REFLECTIONS AND FUTURE AVENUES
Sponsored by the Research Methods Division
Organized by Farooq Ahmad and Farooq Mughal
📅 Sunday, August 2, 2026, 12.30 to 2.30 PM
📍 Marriott Salon C, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Philadelphia
Join us at the AOM 2026 Professional Development Workshop on conducting research in extreme and unconventional contexts, sponsored by the Research Methods Division.
Global polycrisis, geopolitical disruption, and organizational fragmentation are reshaping the conditions of scholarly inquiry. Researching in extreme contexts has become more urgent and, at the same time, more methodologically demanding. This workshop brings together scholars to reflect on the value, the challenges, and the lessons of fieldwork in settings where conventional approaches routinely break down.
The workshop asks what unconventional contexts make visible that stable settings conceal, from hidden power dynamics to organizing processes straining under pressure. It takes up methodological improvisation, the ways researchers adapt data collection when classical approaches fall short under risk, urgency, and uncertainty. It also confronts the human side of extreme fieldwork. Emotional strain, identity tensions, and ethical questions that exceed standard protocols rarely make it into method sections, yet they shape what we learn. We will consider how knowledge generated at the margins can achieve rigor and find a home in top management journals, and early-career scholars will have space to receive direct feedback from experienced fieldworkers.
Running Order
12.30 to 12.40 Welcome and framing of the theme. The organizers open the session, introduce everyone, and set up the conversation.
12.40 to 1.15 Panelist reflections. Short provocations of around six minutes each on the challenges and rewards of researching unconventional contexts, from Kisha Lashley, Hatim Rahman, Nishani Bourmault, Olivia Brown, and Luke Hedden.
1.15 to 2.00 Roundtable and small-group discussion. Participants split into groups led by the panelists to dig into getting into the field, whether the barriers are political or practical, along with the methodological, ethical, and theoretical questions that come with it.
2.00 to 2.20 Plenary share-back. Discussants share their reflections on what came out of the provocations and the group conversations, then help steer the room toward a forward research agenda.
2.20 to 2.30 Q&A
Pre-registration is required. Space is limited.
📝 Register here 🔗 fahmad@siena.edu
For any questions, feel free to reach out. Farooq Ahmad (Siena University), Farooq Mughal (University of Bath)
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Farooq Ahmad
Siena University
Loudonville, NY
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