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 21^st 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

Website: http://www.MOPAN2014.info 

Conference lead: Dr Paul Jackson, pjackson@brookes.ac.uk 

Administration support: MOPAN2014@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

Call for papers for MOPAN 2013 at Newcastle University Business School

Multi-Organisational Partnerships, Alliances and Networks (MOPAN 2013)

The 20th MOPAN conference is to be held on 15 - 17 July 2013 at Newcastle University Business School

Conference Theme - Innovating Relationships in Partnerships, Alliances and Networks

Call for Papers

Register for the conference

People who work together within organizations are confronted with all sorts of challenges. They have to divide tasks, set rules, design an organizational structure, mediate conflicts, take decisions, change and innovate, develop a strategy, and so forth.

The current societal, economic and technological developments have raised the stakes in terms of interdependency between organisations and these challenges increasing the interest in the inter-organizational domain.

Societal challenges in sectors like ageing, sustainability and social renewal are technically and organizationally complex issues. Such complexity requires a commitment by companies, government agencies, civic organisations and interest groups improve their collaboration skills, governance and structures.

A variety of partnerships, alliances and networks have developed in response to these challenges both within and across the business, government and civil society sectors.  

In a world of increasing interdependencies, driven by real-time information provision, a globally interconnected economy, pressure on vulnerable ecosystems, and complex flows of people, ideas and resources, local problems can take on geopolitical dimensions, and the decisions of multinational corporations can directly affect local populations around the globe.

The complexity of drivers, processes and outcomes at any given place and time makes for wicked problems that confront us with profound uncertainties as to what exactly is happening and where we are heading, and with considerable ambiguity resulting from the broad variety of perspectives brought to bear on these wicked problems.

All of this provides sufficient rationales for engaging in multi-actor collaboration and to invest in joint knowledge creation, in interactive sensemaking, in the integrative negotiation of interests, in adaptive planning etc.

At the same time collaborations can be understood as experiments in social innovation, which are greatly complicated by these uncertain and ambiguous conditions.

While a certain rate of failure is a common and accepted occurrence in developing innovative products or services, for many government-sponsored projects (even pilot projects) official failure is often not an option.  

Innovating relationship in Partnerships, Alliances and Networks raises questions like:

• What are key innovations affecting inter-organisational relations?
• How can collaborations recognize and ameliorate problems in relationships?
• What and how can collaborations learn and innovate from success or failure?
• Are there innovative ways approaching the designing/re-designing of organisations and collaborations to support improvements in relationships?  
• What are the appropriate scales for innovation and collaboration in responding to the challenges of societal challenges such as social renewal?
• How do actors innovate their relation and relationships in specific contexts, and with what effect?
• What are the role of institutions such as Universities in promoting innovations, brokering partnerships or intervening in relationships in areas as diverse as the co-production of the care of older people to large infrastructure projects such as the Olympics?     

Register for the conference here

Conference contacts:

Conference lead: Dr Robert Wilson, rob.wilson@ncl.ac.uk

Administration support: Ruth Warwick, ruth.warwick@newcastle.ac.uk