Allen C. Amason SMA President

I attended my first SMA in the fall of 1993.  We were meeting in Atlanta, as best I recall.  I was young and uncertain and so spent a lot of my time attending sessions, listening and watching.  I wanted to learn how this organization worked and determine whether it was a place where I could plug in and find a home. 

I remember being impressed by two things.  The first was the quality of the membership.  The program was great; the scholarship was strong and there were many leaders in the field in attendance, presenting their work and discussing their ideas.  The second thing that impressed me was the open and friendly atmosphere.  Unlike some others, this meeting afforded the time and opportunity to connect and relax.  People were not only there to work, they were also there to meet and to enjoy their time together. 

I still recall the impression my first visit to SMA made on me.  I found an organization whose people were among the best at what they did.  Yet, they were also some of the friendliest, most encouraging, and most inviting that I had ever met.  It convinced me that you can have something both ways.  You could have a great organization that valued scholarship, that supported the professional needs of its members, and that published meaningful work that impacted the field, but that was also a great group of friends. 

Now, as president of that organization, it’s nice to reflect on those early experiences and think about what has changed, and what has stayed very much the same.

In terms of what has changed, SMA is now larger, more diverse internationally, and stronger financially than it has ever been.  Indeed, the past several meetings have all broken or nearly broken attendance records.  Our most recent meeting was no exception.  Thanks to the good work of program chair, Peg Williams, we had a great conference in St. Petersburg Beach, attended by 415 people.  Thanks to our past president, Charlotte Sutton, and our new membership chair, Amy Henley, our membership continues to stand at nearly 1000. 

We have launched a host of new initiatives over the years, such as the Research Incubator and the Developmental Paper workshop.  We offer a robust preconference program with a faculty consortium, offered every other year, a series of seminars on research methods and other topics of timely importance, and a doctoral student consortium that provides scholarships for its participates.   We continue to sponsor the Journal of Management and this year welcomed Talya Bauer as the new editor.  Since its founding, the Journal has grown to be respected around the world.  Through our partnership with Sage and through the leadership of some great editorial teams, the Journal has grown to be among the strongest in the field in terms of impact and circulation.  Finally, we now also offer a host of events designed to make our meetings friendlier and more accessible.  This year’s costume party held on Halloween, being the most recent (and most rambunctious) example.   

These various changes have made SMA stronger, and more vibrant, certainly.  But they have not changed the heart of the organization.  Indeed, SMA today remains very much the same as the organization that I encountered in 1993.  We are still committed to scholarship, to professionalism and to the support of our members.  We are still working to put on meetings that are intellectually and socially satisfying.  We are still inviting, still encouraging, and still open to all who share our values and purpose.  And, perhaps most importantly, we still have the best membership of any organization of our kind.  Our board is outstanding, our officers are dedicated and hard working, and our members are bright, engaging, and committed to excellence.  

Allen C. Amason
SMA President