The year was 2021. In the post-pandemic times of disconnection, SIMA – moved by the desire for change and inclusion – promoted the establishment of a group of young academics to voice the needs, desires, and challenges of doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows, and assistant professors. Through NextGen, young academics collaborate permanently with the SIMA governance to promote targeted initiatives.
Our visual identity well captures SIMA NextGen’s mission. Our logo was born from symbolising a metaphysical place where different generations come together, answering the challenge of finding new paths and interactions among communities that often perceive themselves as far apart. With solid roots in SIMA's identity, NextGen evolves and consolidates the idea of a bridge, becoming an embrace open to external influences and new synergies in trans-generational continuity.
From the very beginning, our mission has been to create a community through actions focused on three pillars: creare comunità attraverso azioni incentrate su tre pilastri:
Inspired by these pillars, the activities organised so far have included social events during Sinergie-SIMA conferences and the Festival of Management, active listening through questionnaires and events on community needs and continuous dialogue with the SIMA-SIM School of Research Methods to suggest new need-based programs. Among the latest events, we can cite the course on the review process – completely free for our members –, and the dissemination activities on the academic prospects in collaboration with the “Mestiere del Docente” project.
The current challenge is to seize the existing opportunity and transform the presence of the delegates into the active participation of a community based on shared and trans-generational values. Our vision is to consolidate NextGen starting from its foundation: the young management researchers within Italian academia. In doing so, we hope to transform our efforts into systemic and systematic actions in favor of our community.
We are not just referring to young academics because “being a NextGen” should not be linked to the academic title. With their promotion, scholars do not stop belonging to NextGen. But their role in the community evolves: from mentees, they turn to mentors. Building on their personal and professional experiences, scholars can guide new researchers-in-training with empathy, responsibility, and a spirit of service.
With this editorial, which we wrote all - past and present SIMA NextGen - together, we launch a collective reflection on our future. We believe and hope that our values and pillars will remain the foundation of future initiatives: enthusiasm, empathy, equity, passion, service, and responsibility. The future of SIMA NextGen and its sustainability depends not only on the present group of individuals but whoever will decide to serve future, young academic generations.
The Annual Sinergie-SIMA Conference in Parma will start with a moment of co-creation to update the NextGen mission. We wish such moments could become recurrent, just like the social events of the pre-conference day.
To join the community and stay updated on the NextGen initiatives, visit our webpage and find us on WhatsApp. nostra pagina ed iscriviti al gruppo WhatsApp.