Formation of Standing Working Groups (SWGs)

Formation Procedure

The formation procedure for a new Standing Working Group (SWG) is intended to:

• guarantee clarity and consistency in line with to the principles of EGOS and the interests of EGOS members of the way SWGs are formed;

• ensure that all important aspects for the development of a vibrant SWG are in place; and

• provide potential SWGs with the opportunity to assess how well they are likely to serve the needs of potential participants.

All applications for the formation of new SWGs should be made by the SWG coordinators in writing to the EGOS Board. The application should not exceed 25 pages, plus appendices. The application must be sent to the EGOS Executive Secretariat no later than May 31 (to be considered during the Board Meeting in July) or by October 31 (to be considered during the EGOS Executive Board Meeting in January).

The EGOS Board will decide in line with the ‘Principles Governing SWGs’ on the application of the SWG during its Board Meetings. The applicants will be notified of the Board's decision by September or February. The approved new SWGs will be announced in the General Assembly of the annual EGOS Colloquium.

Please be aware that approved SWGs will become operational two years after their formal approval. As an illustration, in the event that an application from either October 2024 or May 2025 is accepted, the SWG will be approved for the EGOS Colloquia 2027 to 2030 (a total of four Colloquia).
 

Criteria for the formation of SWGs

SWGs should address topics in social sciences/organization theory and meet the following criteria:

• stand to make a substantial contribution to the advancement of organization studies;

• are not covered adequately by other SWGs and need an organizational umbrella;

• have a European/international perspective; (d) are interdisciplinary.

 

Guidelines for applications for new SWGs

The application for the formation of a new SWG is prepared by the SWG coordinators. It should contain detailed information on the research domain, academic aims, planned activities and targeted outputs of the SWG during the period applied for. Information should be provided in relation to the following items:
 

I. The SWG’s research domain and academic aims

II. The organizing of the SWG

1. Governance structure. Describe the SWG’s governance structure, including information on the coordinators’ affiliation, position, and academic record as well as on the process (e.g., mid-year meetings) that will be used for managing the SWG. It is a requirement that one of the coordinators should be a senior scholar and another one a young scholar. Coordinators must come from different academic systems/countries.

2. Convening. All SWG coordinators (as indicated on the proposal) should be actively involved in the convening of the SWG at some point during the four-year period. Guest convenors are encouraged, but at least one of the coordinators should be on the list of convenors for the SWG sub-theme each year. Other coordinators (i.e., not acting as convenors) are expected to contribute in other capacities, such as session chairs, discussant, keynotes, or panelists. SWG coordinators cannot be convenors for other EGOS sub-themes during the life-span of the SWG.

3. Succession. Should one of the SWG coordinators need to step down from their role during the life-span of a SWG, it is important to ensure continuity. The application should outline procedures that will ensure a smooth succession and, in particular, the methods used for identifying and selecting candidates.

4. Feedback from participants. Please indicate how the coordinators will seek to obtain feedback from the participants regarding their satisfaction with the ongoing activities of the SWG.

5. Communication with the EGOS membership and Board. In which ways will the EGOS membership and EGOS Board be kept informed about the SWG’s research activities and results? Is an organization of panel discussions at the annual Colloquia envisaged by the SWG, and if so, what might their potential content be?

 

III. Annual activities and program of the SWG

1. Pre-Colloquium activities. Please describe what activities the SWG envisages to organize for its life-span. Available formats, during the EGOS Colloquium, for such activities are – modules for the PhD workshop, the organization of a half-day PDW, the organization of a complementary experience outside of the official schedule (e.g., site visits, post-Colloquium event). The SWG could naturally also plan activities at other periods and locations during the year outside the period of the EGOS Colloquia (e.g., PhD Summer School, development workshops…).

2. The SWG’s EGOS Colloquium program. Please identify and describe the topics and research questions that the SWG strives to develop in the SWG sub-themes organized in the context of the annual Colloquium during the four year application period. Please indicate the procedures that will be used to select abstracts and to organize the sub-theme meetings.

3. Networking. Please state any planned activities aiming at networking with other EGOS SWGs or other institutionalized research groups.

4. Other activities. Please indicate whether the SWG plans to issue newsletters, develop electronic communication services (e.g. websites, social media platforms) and establish forms of exchange on teaching and practice on the topics within its academic domain.

IV. Participation in the SWG

1. Please provide a list of the names and signatures of at least 30 scholars from the international scholarly community who endorse the formation of the SWG and agree to participate actively in its activities, ideally over the entire life-span of the focal SWG. Potential signatories have to be aware that their expression of support indicates a commitment and therefore they are expected to participate in SWG activities.

2. What is the anticipated participation in the SWG during the years of its life-span? At which groups of scholars (i.e. in terms of research areas and academic disciplines) is the SWG particularly targeted?

3. Please describe planned efforts to involve interdisciplinary perspectives in the activities of the SWG.

4. How will the SWG encourage diversity of potential participants in terms of academic position, gender, geographical origin, and academic discipline?

5. How will the SWG secure openness to access of interested outside scholars during its life-span?

 

V. Targeted outputs

Please state the targeted outputs of the SWG as compared to its aims, in particular with regard to:

1. Planned collective publications (i.e. edited books, special journal issues);

2. Envisaged activities that will assist participants and EGOS members in teaching (i.e. teaching programs, text books) or facilitate the practical application of the knowledge within the SWG’s domain;

3. Other targeted outputs.
    

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Guidelines for applications for 2-years extension of SWGs

SWGs are initially approved for a period of four years. An extension of two years can possibly be granted. For that coordinators should be sending an “Application for Extension” in year 3 and before June 10 of that year so that the EGOS Executive Board can make its final decision during the July EGOS Board meeting.
 
The “Application for Extension” should provide information on the following items:

1. Achievements of the SWG so far. The report should provide an overview of achievements of the SWG and show how and why they fall within, below or beyond initial expectations and plans.
2. Objectives of the extension. Why does it make sense to envision an extension of the SWG? What are the main objectives identified for those extra two years?
3. Detailed thematic, activity and output propositions for those two years with names and bios of proposed convenors.

Altogether, this intermediary report and application for extension should be no longer than 4 to 5 pages.