The Actor-Reality Construction - Xth conference

University Of Catania, Virtual
1st– 2nd October 2020

Call For Papers on Pragmatic Constructivism and Construction of Organised Reality

The purpose of the conferences on actor-reality construction is to exchange research ideas and contributions to deepen insight into the problems and possibilities of constructing social human practices and strengthen the output of research articles and books. We welcome submissions within any topics that provide insight into the methods and techniques for the construction of (dys-)functional practices.

Specifically, the Xth conference will focus on the role of different types of specialised language games (professionals, accounting, management, marketing, strategy, etc.) in the construction of (dys-)functional organisational practices. Language game means that human beings construct and organise in their everyday practices around the use of language as a set of narration. Such narration is blended with other forms of action. The language constructions developed in local practices must integrate the four dimensions of reality to function pragmatically, in order to create intentional results of organisational activities. As an organisation runs by multiple interconnected specialised language games that have to function successfully together, the conference will also provide insights on methods by which cooperation among the specialised language games can be successfully created. Additionally, we are curious about the role AI-languages and IT-systems are playing in the construction and management of specialised practices. Finally, the conference will focus on the role of research methodologies and meta-language games in the construction of organisational practices and the form (and deform) of reality constructions they create. A major concern is the soundness, ethics and the role of the emerging language games in creating or negating intelligent learning- and value-oriented organisations.

The possible subject areas of the desired submissions include (but are not limited to) the following:

– Language games of performance management and accounting in professional driven public sector activities, various types of business activities, industries consultancy and firm advisor relation, milieus of user participation facilitated by the social Web, NPD projects, entrepreneurial companies, learning platforms, inter-organisational relations, etc.
– Language games of possibilities, the good, ethics, democracy, digitalisation, organisational cooperation, organisational learning, corporate social responsibility, meta theories, etc.
– Language games of the coronavirus crisis

The conference invites three categories of contributions: i) Full papers, ii) Abstracts and iii) PhD-projects. There will be enough time for in-depth discussions and reflections among the participants, which will  hopefully develop their thoughts and paper writings further.

About pragmatic constructivism and actor-reality construction

Pragmatic  constructivism  conceives  reality  as  a  complex  set  of  constructs  created  by  the  actors  in interaction with their environment. Interacting with others and ‘things’ in the world through language and actions,  actors  produce  common  reality  constructs,  which  are  the  basis  of  practice.  Pragmatic constructivism  offers  some  conceptual  fundamentals  for  understanding  and  analysing  how  actors construct a successful actor-world relationship in a dynamic environment. In particular the following are considered to be conceptual fundamentals: practice constructed through actorship, language games and co-authorship; four dimensions of reality – facts, possibilities, values, and communication – must be integrated in the actor-world relation if the construct is to form a successful basis for effective actions, organisational learning, and an integrative learning theory of truth involving a learning circle between proactive truth and pragmatic truth. The previous conferences have produced various theoretical and empirical contributions within different academic fields.

Organizing committee:
– Antonio Leotta, University of Catania, Italy
– Carmela Rizza, University of Catania, Italy
– Daniela Ruggeri, University of Catania, Italy
– Teemu Laine, Tampere University, Finland
– Lino Cinquini, Scuola Superiore Sant’ Anna, Pisa, Italy
– Daniela Pianezzi, University of Essex, UK
– Hanne Nørreklit, Aarhus University, Denmark

Submission and contacts to:
leottant@unict.it and

hannenorreklit@mgmt.au.dk
Deadline for submissions: 31, August, 2020

 

Program (Presentation 15 min – Discussion 15 min)

 Thursday, 1 October

09:45 – 10:00  Welcome and Hello

10:00 – 12:15 | Session: Language Games
Chair: Antonio Leotta

A Socratic language game of accounting in the performance management of innovative projects
Presenter: Jacob Liboriussen | Discussant: Teemu Laine

Integrated Reporting – What is the integration?
Presenters: Lino Cinquini, Hanne Nørreklit, Giacomo Pigatto, Andrea Tenucci | Discussant: Margit Malmmose

(11:00 – 11:15  Break out room and coffee)

Cases of management accounting practices on Danish dairy farms
Presenter: Morten Jakobsen | Discussant: Lisa Jack

New product development in academic-based research projects
Presenters: Fabio Magnacca, Riccardo Giannetti, Giovanna Mariani | Discussant: Jakob Liboriussen

12:15 – 13:45  Break out room and Lunch

13:45 – 16:00 | Session: Language Games
Chair: Lino Cinquini

The management control system and the impact of digitalization on new product development processes
Presenter: Mariastella Messina | Discussants: Fabio Magnacca, Andrea Tenucci

What’s the Problem? On problems in problem-based research and problem-based learning
Presenter: Lars Bo Henriksen | Discussant: Tuomas Korhonen

(14:45 – 16:00  Break out Salon and coffee)
Introduction: How to analyze Language games?

 

Friday, 2 October

10:00 – 12:15 | Session: Values and COVID-19
Chair: Hanne Nørreklit

Longing for Recognition: An inquiry into NGOs’ accountability and organizational identity formation
Presenter: Daniela Pianezzi | Discussant: Lennart Nørreklit

Control by reason or paranoia – the underpinnings of freedom and fear in language games
Presenter: Lennart Nørreklit | Discussant: Daniela Pianezzi

(11:00 – 11:15  Break out room)

The linguistic dimension of accounting as a mechanism of the Covid-19 related risk governance in public hospitals
Presenters: Antonio Leotta, Carmela Rizza, Daniela Ruggeri | Discussant: Morten Jakobsen

An actor’s perspective to resilience against COVID-19
Presenters: Carmela Rizza, Daniela Ruggeri | Discussants: Tuomas Korhonen, Ossi Heino, Teemu Laine, Hanne Nørreklit

12:15 – 13:45  Break out room and Lunch

13:45 – 16:00 | Session: Values and Universities
Chair: Daniela Pianezzi

The goodness of the best in public administration
Presenters: Margit Malmmose, Hanne Nørreklit | Discussants: Giovanna Mauro, Lars Bo Henriksen

Universities in numbers: An analysis of the role of digitalization
Presenters: Sara Giovanna Mauro, Lino Cinquini, Hanne Nørreklit | Discussants: Giacomo Pigatto, Guven-Uslu Pinar

(14:45 – 16:00  Break out Salon and coffee)
Introduction: Values – Their nature and significance in the neoliberal era. How form other narratives

Break Out Rooms

Group 1
Members: Cinquini Lino, Guven-Uslu Pinar, Jakobsen Morten, Laine Teemu, Liboriussen Jakob, Pigatto Giacomo, Cardillo Eleonora, Saukkonen Natalia

Group 2
Members: Campanale Cristina, Henriksen Lars Bo, Messina Mariastella, Nørreklit Hanne, Rizza Carmela, Tenucci Andrea, Jack Lisa

Group 3
Members: Korhonen Tuomas, Leotta Antonio, Magnacca Fabio, Malmmose Margit, Mauro Sara Giovanna, Norreklit Lennart, Pianezzi Daniela, Ruggeri Daniela