The Research Committee “Organization and Society” (SSA)
Established in the year 2025, the Research Committee on Organization and Society aims to create a formal home for sociological research that explores the intersection of organizations and society. The RC serves as an inclusive and dynamic platform for exchanging ideas and fostering new insights into organizational phenomena, which may encompass processes and practices of organizing as well as formal organizations, such as hospitals, international organizations, schools, or profit-driven firms. Thus, the committee considers a diverse range of theoretic and thematic orientation to include a variety of research topics and disciplinary angles.
The RC aims to create and strengthen connections, fostering dialogue among these researchers while building a vibrant network and encouraging potential collaborations across language borders and institutional boundaries. This network offers unique opportunities to discuss and reflect on how the Swiss institutional context shapes – and is shaped by – formal organizations, as well as the processes of organizing both within and outside these organizations. Thus, as an inclusive platform, the RC encourages participation from scholars at all career stages and welcomes both theoretical and empirical research, embracing quantitative and qualitative methods alike. It is designed to attract not only scholars who identify as organizational sociologists but also those whose research engages with organizational phenomena—a relevant focus given the increasing influence of organizations in current society.
On the one hand, with a focus on internal networking, exchange and collaboration, the RC seeks to connect researchers at Swiss higher education institutions who produce innovative, cutting-edge work in the field of organizational sociology. On the other, this platform shall create external visibility and provide networking opportunities. Thus, the RC aims to increase the visibility of organizational sociology conducted in Switzerland, both within the SSA and in neighbouring disciplines such as organizational psychology, organizational pedagogy, and management. In addition, the RC seeks to establish strong international links with RC 17 (Organizational Sociology) of the International Sociological Association (ISA) and national initiatives dedicated to promoting organizational sociology, such as the organizational sociology section of the German Sociological Association (DGS) or the American Sociological Association (ASA).
The RC organizes panels and semi-plenaries at the bi-annual Swiss Sociological Association conference. Efforts are made to involve both established and early-career organizational sociologists in the planning and organization of these activities. Moreover, the RC commits to participating in international conferences relevant to organizational sociology. Moreover, a face-to-face workshop is held annually at a Swiss higher education institution, which also includes a members‘ meeting to inform about past activities and plan future ones. The format and thematic focus of the workshop are determined by the organizing team, with support from the RC board if it is not the main organizer.
The RC holds an inaugural workshop to discuss together with international guests the latest organizational sociological research conducted in Switzerland and on developing and deciding the future pathway of the RC in a participatory manner. The goal of the RC board is to develop activities in collaboration with members to ensure that the RC's initiatives will resonate with its membership.
The inaugural workshop will take place on 13 and 14 November 2025 at the University of Lucerne and will run from midday to midday (starting at noon on the first day and ending at noon on the following day). Researchers interested in participating are kindly asked to submit a 2–3-page position paper to the conference website by August 15, 2025. The position paper could address questions such as:
What role do organizations play in Swiss politics, economy and more broadly Swiss society?
What particularities and current trends can we observe in the Swiss organizational landscape?
Do we need a specifically Swiss organizational sociology – and if so, what would that entail?
How do you approach the study of organizations in your own work?
Loading... 
