ONE Makes Division Status

The Academy of Management Board of Governors resolved to grant the former Organizations and the Natural Environment Interest Group the status of an Academy division earlier this year.

There is little doubt that interest and attention to natural environmental issues are high in public consciousness and are rising as business issues. However, the ONE Division has its roots back in the early 1990s, with interest group status granted in 1994 and its first pre-conference and conference programs at the 1995 annual meetings in Vancouver. Over time, significant growth and depth in ONE professional development and program offerings has occurred, with strong linkages forged with many other divisions and interest groups.  ONE was commended on the strength and stability of its efforts by the Board of Governors and the Division and Interest Group Relations Committee who were unanimous in supporting ONE’s request for division status, and recommended the renewal of the ONE Division for another five years.

The intellectual contributions of ONE members have been such that the Division has become a major international focus for ONE related scholarship. The multi-disciplinary approach taken has clear application to practice. ONE has experienced major growth in membership - and has strength across US and international members, as well as a growing cadre of doctoral student members.

Two ONE Founders Awards were made at the ONE meetings in Philadelphia in 2007 - to Mark Starik (Gerge Washington U) and to Gordon Rands (Western Illinois U) who have demonstrated a longstanding commitment to ONE and its mission of bringing organizations into balance with the Natural Environment. The involvement of both goes back prior to ONE's inception in 1995 and both are former ONE chairs who were instrumental in ONE's successful bid to gain division status in 2007.

ONE is grateful for the inspiration of these and other ONE visionaries, and the commitment and involvement of many others over the last decade and a half, including past chairs, officers, team members and of course its members.

Kate Kearins
ONE Chair 2006-2007