Saturday, November 30, 2013

Call for papers for MOPAN 2014 conference at Oxford

Call for papers for MOPAN 2014
The Collaborative Economy
Oxford Brookes University
14-16 July 2014

People in organisations are confronted by many challenges. They have to divide tasks, set rules, design (and redesign) organisational structures, mediate conflicts, and decide on strategies for change and innovation. In doing this, current societal, economic and technological developments have heightened interdependencies between organisations – raising interest in the inter-organisational domain. 

Partnerships, alliances and networks now proliferate both within and across the business, government and civil society sectors. Customers, too, are increasingly drawn into new patterns of collaboration and consumption. And in a world driven by real-time information provision, a globally interconnected economy, pressure on vulnerable ecosystems, and complex flows of people, ideas and resources, local issues can take on geopolitical dimensions.

The complexity of drivers, processes and outcomes at any given place and time make for wicked problems and profound uncertainties. All of this provides compelling rationales for engaging in multi-actor collaboration and investing in joint knowledge creation, in interactive sense-making and in the integrative negotiation of interests. 

This is the landscape that the 21st Conference on Multi-Organisational Partnerships, Alliances and Networks will be addressing on 14-16 July 2014 at Oxford Brookes University. Key themes will include:
·  Public sector collaboration in an era of austerity
·  Internationalisation of networks and alliances
·  Collaborative consumption: new models of purchasing and use
·  Digital technology in support of network forms of organisation
·  Collaboration for business model innovation
·  Leadership skills for networks and collaborations
·  University and industry collaboration: supporting research and innovation
·  Systems thinking in multi-organisational partnerships and networks.


Who Should Attend

Delegates from a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives that address any of the areas above are welcome, including academics, practitioners and policy-makers. Papers from doctoral and early‑career researchers are especially welcome.


Location

Oxford Brookes University Faculty of Business
Wheatley Campus
Oxford
OX33 1HX

Paper Submission Details

Abstract deadline: 13 January 2014
Paper submission: 1 July 2014

Submission of abstracts
If you would like to present a paper at MOPAN 2014, please email an abstract to MOPAN2014@brookes.ac.uk by 13 January 2014, putting the words “MOPAN Abstract” as the email  subject. Abstracts should be between 300-500 words long and contained in an attachment to your email. The abstract should include a title, 5-7 keywords, and names, affiliation and email addresses of authors.


Contact

Websitehttp://www.MOPAN2014.info 
Conference lead: Dr Paul Jackson, pjackson@brookes.ac.uk 
Administration supportMOPAN2014@brookes.ac.uk


Event Price
 
£260: EARLYBIRD Registration (available until 31 March 2014)
£175: PhD Student Registration
£300: Standard fee

To book your place please go to: http://www.MOPAN2014.info


Sunday, October 27, 2013

Appreciative Inquiry in Spanish: new book by Miriam Subirana and David Cooperrider

Interesting announcements from Miriam Subirana on Spanish-language resources on the topic of Appreciative Inquiry:
"I am glad to inform you about the new and first Spanish book on AI by David Cooperrider and myself. You can see it in my website, www.miriamsubirana.com and obtain it directly from the publisher http://www.editorialkairos.com/catalogo/indagacion-apreciativa 
We recently launched the book in Barcelona and Madrid, and soon, on 5th November, we will launch it in Santiago de Chile. See http://goo.gl/EKBo4I for information.
Also I would like to inform you of the new Institue IDEIA, Institute on Dialogue and Appreciative Inquiry. Please discover more about it at www.institutoideia.es It is in Spanish and in English."

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Symposium on Wicked Problems at Wageningen University

You are cordially invited to attend the symposium on ‘Developing theory and practice to address wicked problems’ on 10 June 2013, with Marco Verweij (Bremen University) and Thomas Hartmann (Utrecht University).

‘Developing theory and practice to address wicked problems’

10 June 2013
Room C63, Leeuwenborch, Hollandseweg 1, Wageningen

Many of today’s multi-dimensional and multi-scalar problems in the field of food and environment can be characterized as wicked problems, that is, problems that are complex, ill-defined, messy and unsolvable in any traditional sense.
There is a kind of permanent lack of agreement on what the problem is, where the problem starts and what is the frame the problem in the first place. The emergence of new actors and governance arrangements that claim political authority to solve multi-dimensional and multi-scalar problems may both help to solve wicked problems but also create new ones. 
Presenting state-of-the-art work on wicked problems: guest speakers Prof Verweij (University of Bremen) and Dr Hartmann (University of Utrecht); from Wageningen University Prof Termeer (PAP) and Dr Dentoni (MST) will challenge the audience to critically reflect on theories and practices to address wicked problems.
The symposium is jointly organized by PAP and MST, with support of the WASS.
Contact persons are Dr Otto Hospes and Dr Domenico Dentoni.
Please send your name, position and affiliation to office.pap@wur.nl if you would like to attend.

Programme

09.00-09.10     
Welcome by prof dr Onno Omta (MTS)
09.10-09.30     
Brief introduction to workshop and the nature of wicked problems, by Dr Art Dewulf (PAP) and Dr Otto Hospes (PAP)
09.30-10.45     
Developing theory to analyse wicked problems.
Dr Thomas Hartmann (Utrecht University): Using cultural theory to work with wicked problems in flood systems
Dr Domenico Dentoni (MST): Managing wicked problems - a framework on resources, processes and effects of multi-stakeholder engagements 
Panel debate with two presenters, two discussants (Dr Otto Hospes, PAP; Prof Marco Verweij, Bremen University), with chair (Dr Art Dewulf, PAP) and empty chair (where people from the audience can take a seat) 
10.45-11.15
Coffee and tea break
11.15-12.30
Coping with wicked problems: clumsy solutions and governance capabilities.
Prof Marco Verweij (Bremen University): Messy institutions for wicked problems: how to generate clumsy solutions.
Prof Katrien Termeer (PAP): Governance capabilities to address wicked problems in social-ecological systems
Panel debate with two presenters, two discussants (Dr Art Dewulf,Dr Thomas Hartman), with chair (Dr Otto Hospes) and empty chair (where people from the audience can take a seat)
12.30-14.00
Lunch
14.00-15.00
Open discussion on future research agenda (chaired by Dr Otto Hospes)
15.00     
Closing of workshop 


Friday, January 4, 2013

All the best for 2013!

Special New Year's greetings from Cycloop member Marc Craps in Montevideo, and by extension from the whole Cycloop team!