Utopias, Dystopias & Organizational Imaginaries: Organization Studies in a Brave New World

The 21st century is a century of dystopian nightmares and utopian dreams. Perpetual, parallel crises are creating a sense of impending doom – alongside an increasing sentiment that the established ways of coordinating social life are not only incapable of addressing these crises but might, in fact, be part of the problem. Simultaneously, new technologies and the (re-)discovery of marginal forms of organizing are spurring a renewed organizational imagination, causing key social actors to fundamentally rethink how we might organize society. In a world of collapsing and challenged institutional logics, practices, and sensemaking, what role can and should management scholars play? And how to fulfill this role in a way that enables “alternatives” that are more conducive to the flourishing of people and the planet? This symposium spurs a conversation around the potential of organization studies to both contribute to and learn from alternative (organizational) imaginaries. It aims to foster an international community of scholars from across disciplines, career stages, and regions of the world around the shared interest in understanding the organizational processes surrounding the recursive construction, maintenance, and disintegration of utopias, dystopias, and organizational imaginaries.