Throughout the history of modern business management, traditional managerial theories, and approaches have undoubtedly been affected and enriched by different perspectives and disciplines, such as mathematics, statistics, social science, Cartesian-Darwinian physics, etc., to improve business performances and, in turn, the economic growth of the society (Laszlo, 2020). In this sense, the contamination between management and other disciplines through multidisciplinary research has predominantly been instrumental to business problem-solving and profit maximization while residually creating social value, with the assumption that human beings are isolated and that relationships among them are not the base of business (Freeman et al., 2010).
While in the last two decades, the traditional management domains contaminated by other disciplines have made substantial progress in terms of value creation and paying attention to stakeholders as human beings (Civera and Freeman, 2019; Freeman, 2017; McVea and Freeman, 2005), an unmet need exists for a more holistic and a much stronger connection between management and multidisciplinary perspectives that can bridge the gap between the mechanical world of management theories and the intricate, complex, and intangible ecosystem of harmonized human interactions and emotions underlying successful businesses and sustainable societies (Freeman et al., 2010). Quantum physics, biology, epigenetics, and neuroscience, for instance, can lend new scientific paradigms that conceptualize human beings as “all part of one interconnected fabric of existence” (Lazlo, 2019; p. 89), dynamically linked to each other and their environment (Ball 2011). Similarly, music, literature, and arts applied in management can foster new creative knowledge that reinforces the human nature of business and raise awareness that stakeholder relationships should guide managerial thinking and be the base of business and society harmonization and wellbeing (Dion et al., 2022). Such a dynamic stakeholder interconnectedness can benefit societal ecosystems through innovative management approaches that are achievable only by bridging the knowledge domains (Winn and Pogutz, 2013) and discovering feedback mechanisms that would not be gathered if each discipline would act in isolation (Krehbiel et al., 1999). That is where interdisciplinary research makes management more human-centric (de Colle et al., 2023; Dion et al., 2022; Lazlo, 2019; Freeman et al., 2010). To this end, in 2021, Wasilieski and colleagues launched a call for contributions that integrate natural science, management theories and system transformation for sustainability, with the assumption that “It is becoming clear that many of today’s management theories are inadequate theoretically and practically to move understanding, scholarship, and practice to where it needs to be for scholars, business leaders, and policy makers to cope with an increasing fraught world […]” (p. 7) and with wicked problems such as sustainability (Murphy, 2012).
Yet, as we reflect upon the inherent complexity of contemporary management and the pressing challenges in the society and the environment on business and stakeholders, we align with previous calls for multidisciplinarity (Dion et al., 2022; Wasilieski et al., 2021) and wish for converging various and different perspectives into management. We would like to provide theoretical thinking and empirical evidence of how interconnected knowledge domains can develop innovative management approaches and theories that aim at co-creating value for business and society as one unified and harmonized realm.
In pursuing a more holistic approach to management, we aim to go beyond conventional boundaries and invite contributions that delve into unconventional yet promising fields like quantum physics, computing science, medicine and biology, music, literature, arts, and architecture, just to name a few, applied to management. By embracing a broader spectrum of interconnected knowledge, we endeavor to shape innovative horizons in managerial research that can effectively tap into the rich complexities of human behavior, creativity, and the interplay of various forces outside and inside business organizations, resonating with the complexities of the human experience.
We, therefore, invite researchers, scholars, and practitioners to come together from different but convergent disciplines to submit their research to this innovative track, fostering a space where traditional management theories meet diverse disciplines’ novel and unexplored perspectives. Contributions can revisit, theoretically discuss or empirically demonstrate the resolution of a wicked problem or thought through different but complementary perspectives, intending to challenge and/or enrich the axioms of established paradigms, creating innovative knowledge that can boost value co-creation among stakeholders for both business and society wellbeing and sustainability.
We encourage submissions that examine, but are not limited to, the following themes:
Quantum-inspired Management: i.e. Explore how principles from quantum physics can inform and revolutionize management paradigms, such as decision-making, leadership, and organizational dynamics to strengthen business and society integration and wellbeing.
Information technologies and Management: i.e. analyzing how technologies and their introduction influence thinking skills and how they may support the development of new management approaches in particular for creativity, design thinking, learning, innovation, to define a fertile ecosystem in which players may cultivate their talent, innovate, and improve business activities and its sustainability, creating value for all stakeholders in the society.
Medicine, Biotechnology and Management: i.e. using the emerging pattern method to discover distinctions in a dataset to identify illness at the earliest stage possible, and applying the same method to management, to support, among others, decision-making, organizational process, and the business survival, improving its sustainability and the role that business plays in the society in anticipating challenges and pressures.
Food science technology, Nutrition and Management to foster social innovation practices: i.e. Development and transfer of knowledge and processes between public, private and not-for-profit sectors. International knowledge exchange and evolution of new approaches to nutrition, reducing food waste, addressing food insecurity and enabling civic engagement to improve business and society sustainable outcomes.
Music and Management: i.e. Investigate the role of music in enhancing business practices and stakeholders’ interactions, workplace environments, employee well-being, and its potential as a management tool for stakeholder motivation, collaboration and engagement to foster sustainable goals.
Literature, Arts, Culture and Creativity in Management: i.e. Analyze the impact and implications of literature, art and aesthetics on knowledge circulation, innovation, design thinking, and corporate culture development to create favorable environments where businesses and stakeholders can express themselves and innovate.
Industrial heritage and Management: i.e. Analyze how the regeneration of industrial heritage in terms of cultural/creative re-design can overcome local constraints and favour urban development through a replicable and echoed effect within ecosystems. Such an approach can contaminate management practices and approaches so that they can catalyze innovation dynamics in the whole society.
Sports and Management: i.e. Investigate how sports practices can inform specific context and content management approaches to reconcile business and society expectations; explore how principles from sports discipline can inform managerial approaches and orientations toward developing engaging, collaborative, and sustainable ecosystems of stakeholders.
Social Science and Management: i.e. Explore how social psychology can support business in managing social and environmental problems, by strengthening the understanding of the stakeholders’ interaction dynamics and facilitating more informed decision-making at all levels of organizations and societies.
Please, be aware that contributions do not necessarily have to fall into a specific double field category as indicated above. Researchers, scholars, and practitioners can cover the different disciplines in three (or even four) dimensional combinations, such as merging medicine, technology and management for reaching business and society higher wellbeing or, for instance, computing science, nutrition, food and management for reaching specific sustainable goals in their ecosystem.
Join us in the endeavor to humanize and enrich managerial research by embracing the wisdom of diverse disciplines. Together, let us redefine management’s future in line with humanity’s fundamental essence.

Cecilia Casalegno, University of Turin, Italy
Chiara Civera, University of Turin, Italy
Lea Iaia, University of Turin, Italy
Marco Pironti, University of Turin, Italy
Alex Murdock, London South Bank University, UK