Migration and Organizations Conference
Hosted virtually by the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
May 28, 2021 (Submission deadline: April 10)
Organizers:
Prithwiraj Choudhury, Harvard Business School
Exequiel (Zeke) Hernandez, The Wharton School
Elena Kulchina, North Carolina State University
Dan Wang, Columbia University
Keynote Speaker:
Michael Clemens, Center for Global Development
Migration is one of the defining issues of our time. But despite its importance, migration has not been emphasized in the study of organizations and management. Research from other disciplines has focused on "macro" or policy issues such as the effect of immigration on labor markets (Card, 1990; Borjas, 1994; Peri and Sparber, 2009), knowledge clusters and entrepreneurship (Saxenian, 2006; Kerr, 2019), or cross-border trade and investment (Gould, 1994; Leblang, 2010). These precedents suggest that migration is an important factor affecting the mobility of labor, knowledge, and capital-the very resources upon which organizations and their managers rely to survive, grow, and innovate!
Migration is central to the management and performance of organizations for several reasons. Firms are the primary entities that hire workers and determine their mobility across borders-which requires building and managing diverse teams within and across locations. Further, highly skilled migrants that power knowledge diffusion and innovation either work for established organizations or start their own firms through entrepreneurship in the receiving or sending locations. And organizations strategically determine whether and where to make investments to exploit the resources and markets created by ever-evolving migrant communities. While a growing body of research has provided evidence that migration plays an important role in organizational founding, expansion, innovation, and asset reconfiguration (Foley and Kerr, 2013; Hernandez, 2014; Wang, 2015; Kulchina, 2016; Choudhury and Kim, 2018), the literature linking migration to organizations is young and many important questions remain unanswered.
Now in its third year, this conference seeks to advance rigorous research and strengthen the community of scholars at the intersection of migration and organizations. Due to the COVID pandemic, the format this year will consist of a one-day virtual conference, with all sessions conducted synchronously. We invite submissions linking migration to topics such as:
- Organizational performance
- Employee mobility
- The management of individuals and teams
- Diversity and inclusion in organizations
- The microfoundations of firm capabilities
- Entrepreneurship
- Organizational innovation
- Firm location choice and strategic investments
- Adoption of remote work practices
Any other topic at the intersection of migration and organizations and their management is appropriate. However, this conference is NOT for research focused exclusively on policy or other topics in which the role of the organization or firm is not apparent. Scholars in the fields of strategy, organizational theory, organizational behavior, economics, sociology, and other related disciplines are encouraged to submit.
Please submit papers by April 10, 2021 to immigration@wharton.upenn.edu. Accepted presenters will be notified by late April and should be available to present on May 28. If you would like to participate in the conference without submitting a paper, please email the above address with an expression of interest. We will prioritize slots for presenters, but there will also be slots for non-presenters.
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Exequiel Hernandez
The Wharton School
Philadelphia PA
(215) 746-1984
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