A New PDW on Demystifying the Research Gap Is Coming to the AOM Annual Meeting
Are you struggling to articulate your research gap in a way that convinces reviewers your study is necessary? You are not alone. Gap identification is one of the most foundational - and most misunderstood - skills in scholarly inquiry. This Professional Development Workshop is designed to change that.
"Demystifying the Research Gap: A Practical Framework for Doctoral Students" is a 90-minute, fully interactive Professional Development Workshop sponsored by the Research Methods Division and of interest to members of the Management Education and Development (MED), Organization and Management Theory (OMT), and Career (CAR) divisions. Drawing on peer-reviewed frameworks - including Alvesson and Sandberg's (2011) problematization approach, MacInnis's (2011) contribution logic, and Locke and Golden-Biddle's (1997) contribution construction model - this session equips participants with practical tools to move beyond superficial gap-spotting toward rigorous, theoretically grounded gap identification.
In This Session, You Will:
● Distinguish four types of research gaps: empirical, theoretical, methodological, and contextual
● Apply the problematization framework to challenge assumptions in your literature rather than simply identifying absences
● Use a four-part gap statement scaffold to draft a defensible, reviewer-ready gap claim
● Stress-test your gap statement against six common pitfalls that lead to desk rejection
● Map your gap to a coherent contribution claim using the gap-to-contribution framework
Fully Interactive - No Passive Listening
This session is built for active engagement from start to finish. Participants will take part in a Think-Pair-Share exercise in which they analyze and classify real gap statements drawn from published research. In small-group breakouts of 4–5 participants, groups will receive sample abstracts to evaluate, rate, and improve together. Each participant will then complete an individual writing exercise, drafting their own gap statement in real time. The session concludes with a gallery walk where participants post their gap statements for structured peer feedback. Participants leave with a draft gap statement tailored to their own research.
Who Should Attend
|
• Doctoral students at any stage of their dissertation
• Junior faculty refining manuscripts for submission
• Dissertation advisors seeking a structured framework to share with advisees
• Any scholar who has received reviewer feedback questioning the necessity or significance of their study
|
Organizers:
This PDW is organized by Dr. Hamid H. Kazeroony (Senior Contributing Faculty, Walden University), Dr. Tom Butkiewicz (Core Faculty, Walden University), and Dr. Teresa Lao (Contributing Faculty, Walden University).
|
Reserve your spot at the AOM Annual Meeting and add this session to your schedule. Space is limited. Come ready to work - and leave with a stronger research identity.
|
July 31, 8:00-9:30 AM, Marriott Downtown, Level 5, Salon A
------------------------------
Dr. Hamid Kazeroony, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Adjunct Professor, PhD MGMT Program
Walden University, USA
------------------------------