About the Conference

Objectives

The purpose of this conference is to advance the literature by promoting leading-edge thinking on all aspects and forms of commitment in organizational contexts regardless of level, bases, mindsets or targets (e.g., commitment to organizations – employing or other, people, teams, occupation, goals, change efforts, decisions, values, etc.) The conference brings together a community of scholars interested in the phenomenon of commitment to share and discuss ideas and findings relating to the conference theme.

Conference theme

Under the broad theme “Rethinking workplace bonds in contemporary employment contexts”, we aim to bring together a diverse collection of perspectives and approaches addressing topics such as (but not limited to) the following:

  • How do commitments and commitment systems change over time? What are boundary conditions of change trajectories?
  • Under what circumstances do commitments come into conflict? How does this affect broader commitment systems?
  • How do individuals (re-) prioritize commitments within commitment systems? (How) do they maintain a balance among commitments?
  • What external events (e.g., career shocks, organizational change) shape commitment trajectories and commitment system evolution?
  • How are commitments and commitment systems affected by HR interventions?
  • Do commitments and commitment systems vary across societal cultures, different subpopulations (e.g., refugees, immigrants), and various forms of work and employment (e.g., gig workers, remote workers)?
  • What novel insight into commitment can be provided by underutilized research approaches, such as (but not limited to) interpretative, critical and reflective perspectives?

We are open to empirical (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, field, experimental, meta-analytic reviews), conceptual (e.g., theory development and integrative reviews) as well as methodological contributions that contribute to the advancement of knowledge and to provide clear and actionable recommendations to guide future commitment scholarship.

The conference will be a mix of invited (30%) and peer reviewed (70%) presentations. There will be a single track of presentations of a variety of lengths and formats. The small size of the conference promotes opportunities for informal interaction and dialogue among attendees to facilitate networking, collaboration, the sharing of ideas, and in-depth discussions.

Conference Format

The conference will begin Monday July 21st, 2025 and end on Wednesday, July 23rd.  There will be a single track of presentations of a variety of lengths and formats. Registration is required to attend the conference events.

Publication Opportunities

We are currently working on several opportunities for publication of research on the conference theme, including an edited book and a special issue. Participation in the conference does not guarantee a publication opportunity and neither the book nor special issue would be restricted to conference participants. The conference will, however, facilitate interactive sessions for developing your work in relation to these opportunities which we hope to offer to the best conference contributions.

Awards

Three awards are given out to recognize the best presentations and contributions made at the conference.

  • Best student paper. This award will be based on the submitted abstract and is designated to the best accepted submission first or sole authored by a student as evaluated by the program committee. To be considered for this award, please indicate in the submission that the first or sole author is a student.
  • Most innovative paper. This award will be based on the submitted abstract and is designated to recognize the accepted submission with most ground-breaking or innovative content (conceptual, empirical, or methodological) as evaluated by the program committee.
  • Best presentation. This award will be based on what is delivered at the conference, as evaluated by conference attendees, rather than what is submitted. The award will be given to the best delivery of content at the conference in terms of the quality of the presentation and the insights provided as evidenced by the generated discussion.

Location and Connection with AoM

The conference will be held at Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The dates have been chosen to match the AoM 2025 Copenhagen dates (25 – 29 July, in Copenhagen) so that you do not have to plan separate trips. Nijmegen is just a 90-minute train ride from the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and train connections to Copenhagen from Nijmegen are also an option.  Please keep this opportunity in mind as you plan out your research agenda and conference travels. See the Hotel Registration page for details on lodging and transportation.

We are working to establish connections between CoC and AoM, making it attractive to participate in both.  There are several travel options between the CoC in Nijmegen to AoM in Copenhagen such as bus, train and airplane. Next to providing information on those options, we are currently looking into the opportunities to facilitate a bus directly from Nijmegen to Copenhagen on the 28th of July.

Currently, we have fully developed three symposia proposals for AoM, yet there are some more ideas and research from several of us to develop additional submissions. If you’re interested in participating in both conferences and are still looking to connect to submit to AoM in a collaborative format (paper / panel symposium, Professional Development Workshop

Conference Organizer

 Yvonne GT van Rossenberg, Radboud University

With assistance from the program committee listed below.

2022 Program Committee

Assisting the conference organization is a committee of highly respected commitment scholars listed below. The program committee will select the invited presenters, review the competitive submissions, and determine which conference contributors will receive conference awards.

  • S. Arzu Wasti (Chair), Sabanci University
  • Leon Hupkens, (Assistant Chair) VU University, Amsterdam
  • Matthijs Bal, Lincoln University, United Kingdom
  • Heiko Breitsohl, University of Klagenfurt
  • David Cross, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
  • Howard J. Klein, The Ohio State University
  • John P. Meyer, University of Western Ontario
  • Daniela Moscon, Universidade Federal da Bahia
  • Mehmet Orhan, Nyenrode Business University, The Netherlands
  • Ana C. A. Rodrigues, University of São Paulo
  • Sascha Ruhle, Tilburg University
  • Lucas dos Santos-Costa, University of São Paulo and Radboud University
  • Juani Swart, University of Bath
  • MD Oliur Rahman Tarek, University of Klagenfurt
  • Yvonne van Rossenberg, Radboud University
  • Zeynep Yalabik, University of Bath

2022 Local Arrangements Committee

  • Lucas dos Santos-Costa (Chair), University of São Paulo and Radboud University
  • Leon Hupkens, VU University, Amsterdam
  • Sharel Nunoo, Radboud University
  • Yvonne van Rossenberg, Radboud University

Inquiries about the conference can be emailed to: commitmentconference@ru.nl