-- Last Updated: Friday, 15 August 2008 --
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS DIVISION OF THE ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENTARTICLE I: NameThe name of this organization shall be the Organizational Communication and Information Systems Division of The Academy of Management, hereinafter referred to as the Division.ARTICLE II: PurposesSection 1. The primary purpose of the Division is to encourage professional scholarship in the fields of organizational communication and information systems among members of the Division and the Academy of Management. The stimulation of interest in conducting research in organizational communication and information systems and the application of this research to practical problems constitute major aims of the Division. High priority goals are the assessment of and the development and improvement of methods of communicating and processing information. In addition, the purposes of the Division include designing and carrying out a variety of projects relevant to those interested in organizational communication and information systems; promoting the interchange of professional ideas, research, and other information among academicians and practitioners; providing for fellowship among persons with professional interests in organizational communication and information systems; and engaging in other activities and services of interest to the membership.Section 2. The specific domain of the Organizational Communication and Information Systems Division (OCIS) deals with the study of behavioral, economic, and social aspects of communication and information systems within and among organizations or institutions. Major topics include: interpersonal communication; verbal, nonverbal, and electronic communication; vertical, horizontal and diagonal communication; inter-group and intra-group communication; communication networks; applications of information technology in business and society; organizational adoption of communication and information technology; communication and information strategy and policy; communication and organizational culture; communication and information research methodology; managing information technology services; virtual teams, virtual work, and virtual organizations; the management of information systems professionals; e-communications; information systems development; managing IT-related organizational change; e-business, e-commerce, and e-markets; electronic value systems, value chains, and value webs; privacy and ethics; knowledge work, knowledge workers, and knowledge networks; IT infrastructure; governance of IT services; and organizational networks.ARTICLE III: MembershipMembership in this Division shall be open to members of the Academy of Management who are interested in the Division’s purposes and goals.ARTICLE IV: Officers and Their Duties
Section 1. The elected officers of the Division shall consist of a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Past Chair, a Program Chair, a Program Chair-Elect, a Treasurer, three general at-large representatives, four international representatives (one internal representative-Asia Pacific, one international representative- Europe, and two international representatives-at-large), a practitioner representative-at-large, and two student representatives-at-large. All elected officers will serve for one-year terms except for the Treasurer and the general and international at-large members, who will serve three-year terms, and the student representatives-at-large who will serve two-year terms and must be a student during those two terms. The terms of the at-large members are to be staggered. To achieve this, one general at-large member will be elected each year, one student at-large member will be elected each year, and two international members-at-large will be elected every three years. The treasurer will stay on for an additional year after her/his term ends to assist the new treasurer transition into her/his position. Appointed officers shall include a Chief Technology Officer, a Chief Information Officer, a Secretary, a Practitioner Representative-at-large, and other officers as may be deemed necessary by the Chair. All appointed officers will serve for three-year terms, except for the Secretary, who will serve a 5-year term. The terms of the Chief Technology Officer and the Chief Information Officer are to be staggered.
Section 2. The Chair shall be the chief executive officer of the Division and shall administer all affairs of the Division under the coordination of the President-Elect of the Academy of Management and its Professional Division Policy Committee. The Chair is responsible for the conduct of the Division’s activities in a manner that will assure the accomplishment of the Division’s purposes, subject to the provisions of the Division Constitution and the Academy of Management Bylaws. The Chair shall have the responsibility for the appointment of a Chief Technology Officer, a Chief Information Officer, a Secretary and other officers as deemed necessary, as well as all committees of the Division. The Chair shall be responsible for coordinating Division committees, but may delegate this responsibility to the Chair-Elect. The Chair will also be responsible for information management functions as specified in the job descriptions. The Chair will also chair the Communications Committee, which consists of The CIO, CTO, and Secretary, as well as any other invited members, The Chair shall present a report on the status and progress of the Division at its annual business meeting. The Chair cannot serve two consecutive terms, but may be re-elected for a later term.Section 3. The Chair-Elect shall serve in the absence of the Chair and shall succeed the Chair at the termination of the Chair’s year in office. The Chair-Elect shall serve as assistant to the Chair, organize professional development workshops for Division members as deemed appropriate, and carry out such duties as may be delegated by the Chair. The Chair-Elect will also be responsible for information management functions as specified in the job descriptions.Section 4. The past Chair shall serve as counselor to the Chair and serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee. The past chair will be responsible for coordinating the Divisions international efforts and initiatives. The Past Chair will also be responsible for information management functions as specified in the job descriptions.Section 5. The Program Chair shall be responsible for planning and supervising the Division’s program at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management and information management functions as specified in the job descriptions. The Program Chair shall become the automatic candidate for the Chair-Elect position at the end of her/his term of office.Section 6. The Program Chair-Elect shall assist the Program Chair in planning the Division’s program at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, shall be responsible for planning and supervising the Division’s pre-conference program at the Annual Meeting, and shall carry out such duties as may be delegated by the Program Chair. The Program Chair-Elect will also be responsible for information management functions as specified in the job descriptions. The Program Chair-Elect shall succeed the Program Chair at the end of his/her term of office.Section 7. The Treasurer shall be responsible for understanding the Division’s income and expenses, and providing this information to members of the executive committee so they can decide how to prudently spend the Division’s money. The Treasurer will also be responsible for information management functions as specified in the job descriptions.Section 8. The Chief Technology Officer, the Chief Information Officer, and the Secretary shall be appointed by the Division Chair. The Chief Information Officer shall be responsible for ensuring currency and archival of the content in Division’s Internet Website and for contacting appropriate contributors to update content. The Chief Technology Officer shall be responsible for setting up tools and content areas within the Division’s Internet Website that enable the presentation, archival, and security of Division’s information and for enabling, maintaining, and trouble-shooting access to this information. The Chief Technology Officer shall also be responsible for recruiting and training ad-hoc volunteers to provide technical assistance and for briefing the Division’s Executive Committee about potential enhancements to electronic support provided by the Division to its members. The Secretary shall be responsible for recording minutes at the meetings of the committees s/he is a member of and the Division’s Business Meeting. The Secretary will also assist in the archival of old records aimed at the preparation of the 5-year report. To facilitate completion of the 5-year report, the Secretary will be appointed for a 5-year term that coincides with the term covered by the 5-year report.Section 9. Representatives-at-Large (general, international, student, and practitioner) shall be responsible for talking with members of OCIS about their interests and concerns and representing these interests and concerns in executive committee meetings and during discussions among executive committee members. International, Student, and Practitioner Representatives-at-Large, should focus in particular (but not exclusively) on the concerns of these members. In addition, Representatives-at-Large are encouraged to lead and/or participate in initiatives that serve the interests of OCIS members.ARTICLE V: Election of OfficersSection 1. Nominating Committee.
a. A Nominating Committee shall consist of the following: the Past chair and four Division members elected at the annual business meeting of the Division. The Past Chair shall serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee.
1. During the annual Division business meeting Division, members in attendance will nominate candidates for the Nominating Committee. Members of the Division Executive Committee may not be nominated.
2. From the list of candidates thus developed, each attending member may vote for two.
3. The four candidates with the greatest number of votes who are willing to serve will be members of the Nominating Committee. In the event of a tie, all will be members.
b. The Nominating Committee shall annually, prior to or during the month of January, solicit by email nominations from the Division membership for Program Chair-Elect and any other positions on the OCIS Executive Committee that need to be filled. The Nominating Committee will select a small number of nominees for each open position based on these nominations. Then, prior to or during the month of April, a final vote solicitation containing instructions for obtaining information on the candidates and voting on the following candidates shall be emailed to the membership:
1. for Chair-Elect, the current Program Chair’s name as the automatic candidate (unless some unusual circumstance prevents this, in which case the same procedure as for the Program Chair-Elect shall be used) and a space for a write-in candidate;
2. for Program Chair-Elect, the names of at least two and not more than four people willing to serve in this position.
3. for any other position that needs to be filled, the names of at least two and not more than four people willing to serve in these positions.
c. The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall be responsible for verifying prior to ballot preparation the willingness of all nominees to serve.
Section 2. Vote Tabulation. Voting will be managed by the Chair of the Nominating Committee, or an appointed representative, prior to or during the months of April-May, as determined by Academy Headquarters. All votes shall be tabulated not later than May 30. The Member Services Specialist at Academy Headquarters who is responsible for elections shall be notified in writing by the Chair of the Nominating committee of the vote count for each candidate. The vote count shall be considered confidential information and shall not be disseminated further. The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall notify the Executive Committee, each candidate, and then the Division membership of the winners of the election.Section 3. Terms of Office. The normal terms of all elected Division officers shall expire immediately upon the announcement of election results at the annual business meeting. The terms of all appointed positions shall expire at the discretion of the Chair.Section 4. In case of a vacancy occurring among these Division officers, the Nominating Committee shall, as soon thereafter as possible, appoint a replacement for the unexpired term of that officer. If such an appointee is necessitated for the office of Chair-Elect, who in conformance with the Academy of Management by-laws would succeed to the office of Chair, this appointee shall be subject to confirmation by the membership by means of an emailed vote solicitation before evaluation.ARTICLE VI: CommitteesSection 1. The committees of the Division shall include an Executive Committee, a Nominating Committee, and a Communications Committee, as well as other ad hoc or standing committees as deemed necessary by the Chair of the Division.Section 2. Executive Committee. Membership on the Executive Committee shall consist of the following Division officers: the Chair, the Chair-Elect, the Past chair, the Program Chair, the Program Chair-Elect, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Chief Information Officer, the Chief Technology Officer and nine at-large members. This committee shall meet prior to the Annual Division Business Meeting to review the agenda and make recommendations for consideration by the membership and the Chair.Section 3. Communications Committee. Members of the Communications Committee will include the Division Chair, the Chief Technology Officer, the Chief Information Officer, the Secretary and the volunteers recruited by the Chief Technology and Chief Information Officers. The committee shall meet minimally in January and in August to review existing site content and architecture and plan/consider OCISNet updates.Section 4. Ad Hoc and other Standing Committees. Membership on each ad hoc and standing committee shall be determined jointly by its appointed chair and by the Division Chair, but appointments of the chair and of committee members are made by the Division Chair. Such membership shall provide, insofar as is possible, for representation from each of the National Academy’s five geographical divisions: Eastern, Midwestern, Southern, Southwest and Western.Section 5. All committees shall be coordinated by the Division Chair or by the chair-elect as delegated by the Chair.ARTICLE VII: Ratification and AmendmentsSection 1. This constitution may be ratified by a two-thirds vote of the Division members present at the Annual Business Meeting of the Division or by a majority vote of all members who vote through an email ballot sponsored by the officers of the Division.Section 2. Amendments to the Constitution shall be by a two-thirds vote of the Division members present at the Annual Business Meeting of the Division or by a majority vote of all members who vote through an email ballot sponsored by the officers of the Division.Last Updated: Friday, 15 August 2008