Hello Colleagues
We are pleased to announce a Call for Papers for a Special Issue of the Journal of Management Studies: "Organizational Practices for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Institutionally Contested Times."
Submission Window: 15–31 March 2027
GUEST EDITORS
Eddy Ng, Queen's University, Canada
Pasquale Massimo Picone, University of Palermo, Italy
Yi-Ren Wang, Asia School of Business, Malaysia
Cristina Leone, University of Palermo, Italy
JMS Editor: Tiffany Trzebiatowski, Colorado State University, USA
OVERVIEW
The political contestation surrounding Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) marks a critical turning point for organization and management research. Contemporary contestation has moved beyond generalized disagreement over norms to organized backlash directed at the language, programs, and governance arrangements associated with EDI. Some jurisdictions are rolling EDI back through executive action and contracting rules; others continue to formalize equality obligations through pay-transparency and disclosure requirements. Organizations are caught in the middle.
This special issue examines EDI as a contested domain, one marked by retrenchment, reversal, symbolic relabeling, compliance-driven redesign, and "reverse translation" across multinational networks. We invite research that explores how organizations manage EDI when the political and legal ground keeps shifting beneath them, and welcome comparative, longitudinal, discourse-analytic, processual, and multi-level designs.
Consistent with JMS's "big tent" ethos, we seek contributions that develop generalizable theory beyond HRM–OB silos, speaking to Organizational Theory, Strategy, International Business, and Critical Management Studies audiences. Useful lenses include institutional theory (e.g., Oliver's strategic responses framework), translation theory, social role theory, and critical perspectives on power.
ILLUSTRATIVE THEMES
• Business implications of politically pressured EDI practices (institutional and organizational level)
• EDI translation and "reverse translation" in multinational enterprises (cross-national level)
• Leadership, HRM, and organizational responses to EDI contestation (managerial level)
• Employee fairness judgments, voice, and resistance in EDI (group and individual level)
We are especially interested in work that distinguishes symbolic retreat from substantive change, and that examines how organizations navigate the legal ambiguity between lawful equal-opportunity practice and allegedly unlawful preferential treatment.
KEY DATES
• Online pre-submission PDW: 1 October 2026, 12:30 GMT (registration deadline: 25 September 2026)
• Submission window: 15–31 March 2027
• In-person developmental PDW for R&R authors: October 2027, University of Palermo, Italy
Participation in the workshops does not guarantee acceptance, and attendance is not a prerequisite for publication.
SUBMISSION
Manuscripts should be prepared following the JMS Manuscript Preparation Guidelines and submitted via ScholarOne (https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jmstudies). Articles will be reviewed according to the JMS double-blind review process.
Full call for papers, guiding questions, and PDW registration:
https://journalofmanagementstudies.ac.uk/special-issue-call-for-papers-organizational-practices-for-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-in-institutionally-contested-times/
We welcome informal inquiries regarding the special issue and potential fit. Primary point of contact before submission: Pasquale Massimo Picone (pasqualemassimo.picone@unipa.it).
We look forward to your contributions and would be grateful if you would share this call with interested colleagues and PhD students.
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Eddy Ng
Queen's University
Kingston ON
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