PDW on Platform Research: Assessing the Past and Exploring the Future
Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2026
Sunday, August 2, 3:45–5:45 PM (ET)
Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 107B
What are the future directions of platform-related research?
Dear colleagues,
We would like to invite you to join us for an exciting Professional Development Workshop titled "Platform Research: Assessing the Past and Exploring the Future" at the upcoming 2026 AOM meeting in Philadelphia!
The PDW will feature four presentations, discussions, and the opportunity to interact with four prominent scholars whose work has helped shape current research conversations on platform business strategy, platform innovation, platform ecosystems, platform governance, platform competition, and more. Distinguished Speakers and Panelists include:
- Dr. Brian Wu, University of Michigan
- Dr. Cameron D. Miller, Syracuse University
- Dr. Kevin Boudreau, Northeastern University
- Dr. Shiva Agarwal, The University of Texas at Austin
Don't miss this valuable opportunity to hear these scholars reflect on the development of platform-related research, discuss its current challenges, and identify promising directions for future work. Drawing on their research programs, the panelists will address recurring conceptual disconnects, emerging research opportunities, and ways to connect platform scholarship more closely with some of the broader conversations in strategic management.
We organize the workshop around three interconnected pillars:
- Platform Governance: How platforms use rules, controls, and incentives to shape participation, quality, and value capture;
- Platform Ecosystems: How interdependence among actors, organizations, and technologies affects innovation and value creation;
- Platform Dynamics: How platforms and their participants evolve, compete, and reconfigure over time.
Following the opening presentations by the speakers, we will hold a moderated panel discussion. Participants will then have an opportunity to join breakout roundtables with the panelists to discuss platform research topics of interest. The PDW provides a valuable opportunity for participants to engage directly with leading scholars in platform research and gain new insights and perspectives on platform research opportunities.
All scholars and practitioners interested in platform businesses are welcome to join us for this lively and informative PDW. We particularly welcome doctoral students, junior faculty, and established scholars currently engaging with or interested in entering platform research from strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation, international business, information systems, and related areas.
We hope you will join us in Philadelphia for an engaging conversation with four distinguished platform scholars about the past, present, and future of platform research.
Shijian Fred Wei, Paul Drnevich, and Devin Stein
Organizers
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Shijian Wei
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa AL
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