FALL 2020 NEWSLETTER
Greetings from the STR Division Chair
Timothy B Folta
University of Connecticut
STR Division Chair
What a year it has been for us all! Many have struggled to grow personally and professionally during these difficult times. Sometimes, it is helpful to be part of a vibrant and inclusive community of scholars, teachers, and mentors. We certainly hope the STR Division is that for you. I am happy to provide a brief update on our Division, including the many steps we are taking to adapt our community to our new reality.
Even before the crisis hit, the STR Leadership Team concluded that STR should grow beyond the annual conference to be a more present resource for members' intellectual and professional development throughout the year. The pandemic put those plans on overdrive, and now we are institutionalizing many such initiatives. Download the STR calendar from the homepage of the STR website, connect to STR social media and YouTube Channel, and be alert to announcements on STR Discussions to stay informed of the many opportunities for intellectual growth, networking, mentorship, and overall health (mind-body-soul). A few highlights include:
- Teaching resources, including workshops, and improved materials on the website to help navigate virtual teaching.
- Research symposia around our eight research tracks, plus research methods.
- Meet the Scholar interviews with top Strategy scholars.
- Regional paper development workshops planned for Chile, Turkey, and Australia
- PhD mentoring opportunities designed to receive feedback from established scholars.
- Fun opportunities to network, socialize, and energize. (I have been doing the MOVEMBER Fitness Challenge and just participated in Virtual Pub Quiz night!)
These initiatives are facilitated by a changing infrastructure to accommodate demands outside the annual conference, including:
- A STRonger Together Task Force and Teaching Committee tasked with professional development initiatives around teaching, research, and mentorship.
- Global Representatives helping identify opportunities for global impact.
- A Membership Engagement Committee hosting networking and socializing activities to enhance member well-being and sense of belonging to the division.
Speaking of the annual conference, there are lots of highlights from the 2020 conference, so please see the slide deck presented at the STR Division Business Meeting for more detail, and our division website for all the awards. A special highlight was the first Distinguished Scholarship Award, bestowed on Margaret Peteraf and Jay Barney for contributions in advancing the resource-based view. Hereafter, the award will be given biannually to recognize an individual or individuals having either made a specific theoretical or empirical discovery or having developed a core set of ideas that fundamentally advance research and understanding in the field of strategic management. It is noteworthy that this is not a lifetime achievement award, even if this year's winners might qualify under such a criterion. This award is meant for those whose work represents a discontinuity, a discrete jump in the evolution of science.
You should know the 2021 AOM Annual Meetings will be virtual again. This year's theme is "Bringing the Manager Back in Management". Submit your papers, symposia proposals, and PDW proposals, and PLEASE volunteer to review!
Finally, thanks to all contributing to STR. It is an honor to serve as your Division Chair through August 2021. You have an extraordinary leadership team, so do not hesitate to contact us to find a way to serve more formally. Find a way to engage in our many activities, and let us grow together as strategy scholars, teachers, and mentors!
Tim
Timothy B Folta
STR Division Chair
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Timothy Folta
STR Division Chair-Elect
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