2nd year in a row: largest PDW in Academy of Management history + largest industry commitment
The Space Economy PDW at AOM 2026 marked an important step in building a dedicated management research community around the Space Economy.
The PDW was built around a simple idea: the Space Economy is not only a science, engineering, or policy frontier. It is also becoming a major context for management research.
For the second year in a row, the Space Economy PDW became the largest PDW in the history of the Academy of Management. More importantly, it demonstrated that a serious research community is forming around this timely and important topic.
The session brought together management scholars, space agencies, commercial space companies, investors, entrepreneurs, facilitators, contributors, volunteers, and participants from across the Academy of Management and the wider space community.
Keynotes
The PDW opened with two keynote speakers who helped frame the Space Economy from both the management research and industry perspectives.
The academic panel helped bridge industry challenges with future management research opportunities, exploring how the Space Economy can inform and extend research on strategy, innovation, entrepreneurship, ecosystems, markets, uncertainty, organizations, and governance.
Roundtable discussions
The final part of the PDW was dedicated to interactive roundtable discussions, turning the keynote and panel conversations into focused research discussions across thematic areas.
Community growth
This growth shows that the Space Economy is no longer a niche topic for management scholars. It is becoming a serious research conversation across the Academy of Management.
Primary sponsor: AOM TIM Division. Co-sponsoring divisions and interest groups: STR, ENT, PNP, RM, IM, ONE, OMT, OB, MC, OSCM, CTO, HR, MED, DEI, SAP, CM, CMS, SIM, NEUB, CAR, and ODC. A special thank you goes to Prof. Susanne Beck, the 2026 TIM Division Program Chair, for her support in helping make the session possible.
The 2026 PDW helped create the foundation for the next stage of this community-building effort: the planned Space Economy Conference in Spring 2027.
Photographs from the PDW
Space Economy PDW at AOM 2026 — 86th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Philadelphia.
