Participation of the MCI UNESCO Chair at the AOM Conference in Copenhagen

Research on future-oriented entrepreneurship in an international context

Copenhagen, July 25–29, 2025 – At the end of July, the MCI UNESCO Chair in Futures Capability for Innovation and Entrepreneurship participated in the Academy of Management (AOM) Conference, one of the world’s leading platforms for management research.

In the lead-up to AOM, Chairholder Antje Bierwisch and Julia Vögele participated in the Foreshadow Seminar, organized by Matthew Spaniol in Roskilde. There, international researchers and practitioners came together to explore the role of Futures & Foresight in science, society, and organizations. The interdisciplinary exchange provided valuable impulses and fruitful connections that continued during the AOM conference.

AOM 2025 – Futures Meet Entrepreneurship

A central highlight of the conference was the Professional Development Workshop (PDW) titled “Meeting the Future: Debating how we think, research and teach entrepreneurship”,
co-organized by Julia Vögele and featuring a talk by Antje Bierwisch.

The workshop marked a strong call for a paradigm shift in entrepreneurship thinking: rather than viewing entrepreneurship as a linear path toward a singular future, it embraced Futures Thinking to explore and co-create multiple, plausible, and desirable futures.

Through Pecha Kucha-style talks and a dynamic group discussion, the session raised key questions:

• How can we rethink entrepreneurship beyond growth narratives?
• What role does uncertainty play, and how can we engage with it constructively?
• Which tools and approaches from Futures Studies can enrich entrepreneurial thinking?

Speakers

Jelena Spanjol – LMU Munich

Stefano Magistretti – Politecnico di Milano

Silvia Sanasi – Free University of Bozen-Bolzano

Stratos Ramoglou – University of Bristol

Steffen Korsgaard – University of Southern Denmark

Antje Bierwisch – MCI The Entrepreneurial School®

Discussants

René Mauer – ESCP Business School Berlin

Malin Brännback – Abo Akademi University

Matthew Spaniol – Roskilde University

Marieshka Barton – Durham University

Organizing Team

Kathleen Randerson – Audencia Business School

Claire Champenois – Audencia Business School

Adam Vigdor Gordon – Aarhus University

Julia Vögele – MCI The Entrepreneurial School®

Workshop Takeaways

• Imagination as a resource: The future is not linear. We need creative spaces to envision and explore alternative futures.
• Fostering critical thinking: Students must learn to navigate uncertainty and challenge their assumptions.
• Promoting Futures Literacy: Entrepreneurship education should integrate systems thinking and social responsibility.
• Re-embedding the economy in society: Entrepreneurship should serve not only economic goals but also societal ones.
• Embracing ambiguity: The future is not a fixed destination, but a space of multiple possibilities.

Networking & Exchange in Copenhagen

At AOM, it was particularly enriching to gain insights into other research communities, such as those working on future-making, and to engage in meaningful exchange across disciplinary boundaries. To extend the discussions initiated during the PDW and explore opportunities for future research collaborations, a social gathering was held in the heart of Copenhagen. The informal setting provided space for personal exchange, reflection, and international networking — in the spirit of open and collaborative futures.

We warmly thank all contributors, speakers, moderators, and participants for their inspiring input. We look forward to developing new perspectives together and to strengthening the role of Futures Literacy in research, education, and entrepreneurship.

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