Message from the Congress Chair

Dear colleagues, esteemed members of the Management of Organizations Community, distinguished representatives of the business world, entrepreneurs and managers, researchers, dear students of graduate education institutes, and valued members of our organizing team,

After a three-month interval following our previous gathering on November 1–3, 2024, we have finally initiated the process for the 4th International Congress on the Management of Organizations.

An intensive two-year period awaits us. We are preparing for a three-day event through an approximately two-year process. Two years from now, on November 12–14, 2026, we will successfully hold the fourth edition of our congress. We will prepare for the congress through a series of workshops.

We announced the main theme of our fourth congress on the final day of the third congress: “Leadership Styles and Models for Generations Y, Z, Alpha, and C.”

If Generations Y, Z, and Alpha possess different personalities and expectations, then Generation C—despite the existence of Generation X and Baby Boomers—also requires distinct leadership styles and models due to its similarities with Generations Y and Z in terms of information technology adaptation and behavioral patterns.

We regard management as a broad concept, phenomenon, and practice that also encompasses leadership. We consider management and leadership not as separate domains, but as intertwined realities. A manager must also be a leader, since one of the manager’s essential responsibilities is to provide leadership. We should not remain bound by the familiar cliché that “every leader is a manager, but not every manager can be a leader.” Every manager must also be a leader; that is already part of the role. Every leader, when the power of personality emerges, begins a journey toward management. However, if this leadership does not take place within a formal organization, the individual may remain a leader in social and informal settings, because management requires legitimacy and formality. What truly matters is that wherever management exists, leadership must also emerge and be present.

From this perspective, a formal manager who says, “You do not have to like me, but you must respect me,” is not expressing a fully accurate understanding of management. A manager must also be someone who is appreciated, approachable, and sympathetic.

In any case, let us leave this discussion to our congress and preparatory workshops.

Although the main theme has been determined in this way, papers on all areas of management will be presented within the framework of the 4K Vision of Management. Panels and conferences will also be organized. We expect submissions under the sub-themes of the 4K framework of management:

• K1: Management from a Conceptual and Theoretical Perspective
• K2: Management from a Topical Perspective
• K3: Management from an Institutional Perspective
• K4: Management from the Perspective of Inter-Institutional Transition

We introduced the concept and innovation of the 4K Vision of Management to the scientific world. The 4K Vision of Management refers to the components of management science; in other words, it represents four categorical domains of coverage. We believe that all topics in management necessarily fall under one of these four dimensions.

In this context, we expect papers, conferences, and panels from all areas of management. We also apply this holistic approach to organizations. We believe that all topics within the 4K Vision of Management are relevant not only to business enterprises, but also to public institutions, local governments, political parties, media organizations, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Just as we will discuss management topics, we will also discuss institutions. In short, our congress encompasses all types of organizations.

Those born between 2011 and 2025 are defined as Generation Alpha. This generation is also described as the “screen generation,” as it is innately familiar with information technologies—indeed, one might even say familiar with them before birth. Generation Alpha is characterized as a free, self-directed generation that tends to go beyond what is expected. They are accustomed to living in online environments. Lessons, friendships, communication, and even purchases increasingly take place through digital platforms. Phones are no longer used merely for traditional communication, but for every area reached by the internet. Therefore, we should not merely ask whether adolescents should be given the most advanced smartphones. Although the oldest members of this generation are currently only fourteen years old, organizations must already prepare for this generation and, at the same time, prepare them as future human resources for the business world.

This generation should be inclined toward teamwork and open to personal development. At the same time, a culture of critical discourse must also be cultivated. Innovations may sometimes require adapting to certain classical attitudes and behaviors. For this reason, parents and educators have significant responsibilities.

Generation Alpha is highly capable of self-directed learning. In fact, becoming a personal brand is the result of self-directed learning. Graduating from the most prestigious high school or university does not guarantee becoming a brand. It is necessary to go beyond what is taught, to learn independently, to read and write, and to become intellectually engaged. Knowing what everyone else knows, or studying at a school from which many others have graduated, cannot guarantee distinction. The future general managers, CEOs, and, beyond them, entrepreneurs will emerge from Generation Alpha.

In conclusion, we must begin working very early for a future that may seem distant. Preparing Generation Alpha for life and for the business world requires precisely this. By placing this issue on the agenda of our congress, we will seek to fulfill our academic responsibility. We cannot create difference merely by learning the minimum that everyone else learns; creating difference depends on us. Therefore, let us take Generation Alpha as an example. I both expect and hope to receive a large number of submissions.

The phrase that reflects Generation Alpha is not “Let us go online,” but rather “Let us live online.” For them, leaving the internet is hardly possible.

In any case, let us not go too far into detail. On November 12–14, 2026, we will discuss generations, management, and leadership together.