Social Networks Society (SNS) Paper Development Workshop

Hosted by Fudan University School of Management (Zhengli Campus),

Shanghai, China

Date: Friday, June 5, 2026 | Format: In-person | Language: English

Supported by: International Association for Chinese Management Research (IACMR)

About the Workshop

The Social Networks Society (SNS), in collaboration with Fudan University School of Management, invites submissions to a Paper Development Workshop focused on advancing cutting-edge social network research within and across organizations, markets, and institutional environments. Relevant topic areas include, but are not limited to, strategy, organization theory, human resource management, organizational behavior, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The workshop is designed to provide constructive, developmental feedback on network-focused research proposals or papers and to offer guidance on publishing network research in leading management journals. To maintain a highly developmental format, the workshop will accept approximately 20-25 submissions.

Confirmed Panelists

• Julia Brennecke — Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg; University of Liverpool; Academy of Management Journal Associate Editor; SNS Executive Committee

• Fabio Fonti — NEOMA Business School; SNS Co-President

• Elisa Operti — ESSEC Business School; Journal of Management Associate Editor

Additional panelists may be confirmed and announced prior to the Workshop.

Who Should Apply?

We welcome applications from scholars at all career stages who seek detailed developmental feedback on a short paper or research proposal grounded in social network theory and/or methods (e.g., network formation and dynamics, multiplexity, brokerage, social capital, network interventions, and multilevel networks). Consistent with SNS's developmental mission, we especially encourage submissions from early-career scholars, including PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and assistant professors. We prioritize substantive feedback, mentorship, and dialogue with senior scholars and journal editors.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit a single PDF file that includes:

1. Cover page

• Title of the proposal

• All authors' names, affiliations, and emails

2. Short CV of the presenting author (max 2 pages)

3. Proposal or extended abstract, including:

• Research question(s) and intended contribution(s)

• Hypotheses/propositions (if applicable)

• A visual depiction of the conceptual model (if applicable)

• Proposed data, research design, and key measures (as relevant)

• Proposed analytic strategy (e.g., ERGM/SAOM, longitudinal models, experiments, interventions, computational approaches, or qualitative methods)

• Proposals should be double-spaced, use a 12-point font, have one-inch margins, and include no more than 10 pages of text.

• References and any applicable figures and tables should be included but are not counted in the 10-page limit.

Timeline

• Submission deadline: May 8, 2026 (23:59, Beijing time)

• Notification of decisions: mid-May 2026

• Workshop date: June 5, 2026

  
  

How to Submit

Please submit your application and the single PDF via the submission link below:

https://fdsm.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0uLf1OippPHajTU

Each applicant may submit only one proposal.

Originality: proposals must be unpublished and not currently under review elsewhere.

Registration and Costs

Only authors of accepted proposals will be invited to participate in the workshop. Registration instructions will be included in the acceptance notification.

Contact

For questions, please contact the organizing team via email at sns2026@fdsm.fudan.edu.cn

• Professor Fabio Fonti, NEOMA Business School

• Dr. Hongzhi Chen, Fudan University School of Management

About the Panelists

Julia Brennecke is Professor and Chair in Organization and Leadership at the University of Oldenburg, with a part-time affiliation at the University of Liverpool Management School. She serves as an Associate Editor at the Academy of Management Journal. Her research focuses on networks and collaboration within and between knowledge-intensive organizations, with particular interest in multiplex networks and dynamic network processes. Her work has advanced understanding of how networks emerge and evolve, and how network structures shape innovation. It has been published in leading management journals such as Academy of Management Annals, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, and Research Policy.

Fabio Fonti is Full Professor at NEOMA Business School and Co-President of the Social Networks Society. His research focuses on the antecedents and consequences of social networks – including network evolution, embeddedness, and multiplexity – and their implications for organizations and strategy. His work has helped shape contemporary research on organizational and interorganizational networks, and he is widely recognized for connecting network theory with broader questions in organization theory and strategic management. He has also pioneered the use of sports contexts for management and network research, both methodologically (by showing how sports data can test and refine theory at scale) and empirically (by examining how relational structure and its dynamics shape performance). He is a Fellow at the Center for Sports and Business at the Stockholm School of Economics. His work has appeared in leading journals such as Academy of Management Annals, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, and Strategic Organization.

Elisa Operti is Professor of Strategy at ESSEC Business School and an Associate Editor at the Journal of Management. Her research examines how social networks affect behavior and innovation at the individual, organizational, and regional levels, with particular emphasis on positive and negative ties and multilevel network processes. Her work bridges social network analysis and strategic management and offers important insights into how relational structures shape learning, innovation, and competitive advantage. Her work has appeared in leading journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, and Research Policy.

More info: SNS-Fudan Network PDW Call for Proposals.pdf