The Evolution of Social Issues in Management

Abstract

The field of social issues in management, the issues we study, the world in which we live, and the members of the field ourselves have undergone considerable changes in the period since the Social Issues in Management Division was formed in 1972. This address is intended to highlight some of these more significant changes in an admittedly impressionistic and slightly irreverent manner. It provides editorial commentary on the development of the field over this period and offers recommendations for the future. In particular, it suggests that we should focus on those enduring issues and underlying principles that we ourselves determine to be important, but at the same time that we not forget to have some fun while we are doing so.