New Data, New Methods, and New Insights
Join the Annual Organizational Frontlines Research (OFR) Symposium and explore the latest scholarly research and industry trends related to organizational frontlines. This event will take place on February 12, 2026, in Madrid, Spain, before and in conjunction with the 2026 AMA Winter Academic Conference.
Research on the frontlines of organizations is currently experiencing dramatic shifts in the data and methods used to generate new insights. Researchers increasingly use unstructured data, such as video- or audio-recorded interactions from frontline encounters, and analyze them using advanced machine learning methods. They increasingly focus on causal inference using field experiments or observational data. And they increasingly immerse themselves in organizational frontlines through ethnographic methods to build new theories.
The 2026 event will focus on these interesting shifts in data and methods for organizational frontline research. We will discuss the latest trends, learn from experts about key methods for the future, and engage with cutting-edge research that deploys these approaches.
Mark your calendar for this engaging pre-conference that brings together thought leaders from academia and industry to share insights, discuss challenges, and develop a productive path forward for organizational frontline research and practice.
Registration
Are you interested in attending the AMA Winter Academic Conference right after this pre-conference? Learn more and register today!
AMA Event Policies
The full agenda will be announced shortly.
Wednesday, February 11
Reception
OFR/Young Scholar Research Competition Award Ceremony
Thursday, February 12
Breakfast
Welcome and Introductions
Nawar Chaker (University of Tennessee) & Johannes Habel (University of Houston)
Academic Keynote
Chair: Jagdip Singh (Case Western Reserve University)
Presentation
Industry Keynote
Chair: Tom Brown (Bethel University)
Presentation
Coffee Break
Panel Discussion
Chair: Mike Brady (Florida State University)
Topic: “New Data, New Methods, and New Insights”
Discussants: Sascha Alavi (University of Dortmund), Nick Lee (University of Warwick)
Coffee Break
Parallel Workshops
Causal Inference: Identifying Frontline Effects in the Field
James Reeder, University of Kansas
Ethnography: Participating in the Frontline
Timothy Hill, University of Bath
Experiments: Manipulating Frontline Phenomena Beyond Scenarios
Jenny van Doorn, University of Groningen
Sebastian Hohenberg, University of Münster
Experience Exchange
All Attendees
Lunch Break
Young Scholar Finalists’ Presentations (winner underlined)
Co-Chairs: Todd Arnold (Oklahoma State University) and Detelina Marinova (University of Missouri-Columbia)
Discussant: Q&A moderated by Todd Arnold (Oklahoma State University)
Young Scholar Roundtable Breakouts
All Attendees (Initial Table Assignments are Provided on the Final Page of the Agenda)
Coffee Break
Lightning Talks
Chair: Tom Brown (Oklahoma State University)
Discussants: Q&A moderated by Tom Brown (Oklahoma State University)
Closing Comments and 2027 Outlook
Nawar Chaker (University of Tennessee) & Johannes Habel (University of Houston)
Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Center
Avenida de Aragón, 400 – 28022 Madrid, Spain
Phone: +34 91-400-4400
Room Rate:
We’ve secured an AMA room block at a special rate of $200.00 EUR for single occupancy and $230.00 EUR for double occupancy per night. 10% VAT is not included in the room rate. VAT rate to be applied according to legislation at the time of check out.
To make reservations, Reserve online. If you need assistance with reservations, please contact booking@marriottauditorium.com.
Please reserve your overnight accommodations early as a limited number of AMA special rates are available. The reservation cut-off date is December 3, 2025.
At the time of booking, a credit card is required to guarantee your reservation, but no advance deposits will be charged to the credit card. Upon check-in, you can present the credit card used as a guarantee, or you may use a different card for payment.
Please know that any hotel room booked outside the AMA negotiated block may not be eligible for the discounted rate. Those reservations may also have a different cancellation policy and will not be eligible for reimbursement in the event of cancellation.
Transportation
The Hotel provides a complimentary airport shuttle service based on availability (the shuttle has 19 seats).
The Hotel also provides a complimentary shuttle service to Plenilunio Mall. Please contact the Hotel for details.
Area Attractions, Events and Tourism
Visit Madrid Marriott Experiences for hotel and local attractions.
ADA
The AMA is committed to providing equal access to our meetings for all attendees. If you are an attendee with a disability and require program accommodations, please contact the AMA Support Center at (800) AMA-1150. A member of our staff will ensure that appropriate access arrangements are made. If you have specific disability-related needs for your hotel sleeping room, please be sure to communicate those directly to the hotel when you make your reservation. In an effort to provide the highest quality of service to all attendees, we require that details of all access requests be communicated to our office at least 14 days in advance of the beginning of the meeting.
10th Annual Young Scholar Research (YSR) Competition
This competition recognizes exceptional emerging research focused on organizational frontlines—the critical touchpoints where firms and customers interact to create value. We welcome submissions from any discipline that addresses organizational frontline issues.
Eligibility:
- Lead author must be a doctoral student or an assistant professor within 3 years of graduation
- Paper must not be published or under advanced review
- Submissions must be 15 pages max (double-spaced, all-inclusive), plus a separate title/author page
- Awards & Recognition: Cash prize, public recognition at the 2026 OFR Symposium, priority access to the OFR network, and future events
Submission Email: todd.arnold@okstate.edu
Finalists must be able to present in person in Madrid. For full details, see the official CFP using the link below or contact us with questions.
https://olemiss.box.com/s/6708a6kjg6kbw9qakukavernn0px7a4i
2026 OFR Symposium: Call for Research Lightning Talks
We invite you to submit a research proposal for consideration as a brief presentation at the OFR Symposium. Presentations should fit this year’s theme, “New Data, New Methods, and New Insights.”
That is, we are particularly interested in research that:
- explores organizational frontline phenomena using novel types of data (e.g., natural language, videos, diary studies, observations), and
- examines such data using novel types of analysis (e.g., machine learning, embeddings, cutting-edge endogeneity corrections, application of methods from other disciplines), and
- offers novel insights about organizational frontlines.
Submission Format
If you are interested in participating, we invite you to submit a brief PowerPoint proposal (max. 10 slides) that includes the following:
- Title Slide – clearly identify the title of the presentation and all co-authors and their affiliations
- Problem/Research Questions – identify the problem and why it is important for OFR
- Approach – outline your approach (e.g., framework, research design, data)
- Results – highlight your key results
- Implications for Practice – specify how your results can help practitioners make decisions
Presentation Format
We anticipate that final presentations will be no more than 7 minutes and designed to encourage lively discussion among OFR attendees. All presenters will have the opportunity to revise slides before the event. However, we plan to strictly enforce the 7-minute requirement as it will help bolster confidence that all presenters are committed to the spirit of a “lightning talk.”
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should include the names of all coauthors and their university affiliations. Submission to the conference does not preclude your work from being published by any journal. Submissions can be sent directly to this year’s OFR Symposium co-chairs: Nawar Chaker (nchaker1@utk.edu) and Johannes Habel (jhabel@bauer.uh.edu).
Submission Deadline
December 1, 2025
Participants will be notified by mid-December, 2025