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2025 AOM Annual Meeting

MOC

OMT

10023: We Got the Beat: The Role of Music in Management & Organization Theory

Monday, July 28, 2025
15:30 - 17:00 CEST (GMT+2)
Location: Bella Center: MR173
Session Type: Symposium (panel)
Orientation: Research
Shareable link: https://cdmcd.co/gandJq
Thirty years ago, the 1995 Academy of Management meeting in Vancouver featured the groundbreaking symposium “Jazz as a Metaphor for Organizing in the 21st Century,” igniting a tradition of exploring music’s relevance to organizational studies. Since then, music has emerged as a compelling context, metaphor, and theoretical lens, offering insights into organizational dynamics, creativity, strategy, and value creation. Yet, skepticism about its utility persists, rooted in outdated views of organization research as purely practical and emotionless. This panel symposium revisits and expands the dialogue between music and management and organization studies, exploring their mutual contributions. Drawing on research into orchestras, the recorded music industry, and music theory, we will highlight how music as a context has illuminated issues like organizational resilience, innovation, and stakeholder dynamics. Further, we will demonstrate how music theory enriches organization theory, addressing concepts such as timing, rhythm, and dissonance to explain competitive anticipation, temporal decision-making, and value alignment. Bringing together scholars from diverse divisions, this symposium seeks to inspire interdisciplinary research that bridges music and organization studies. By challenging traditional boundaries, we aim to advance innovative perspectives on organizing, strategizing, and creating, while emphasizing the unique insights music brings to the complexities of organizations and industries.