Top scholars gathered in Bergen to rethink how imagined futures shape today’s decisions.
Andrea Mennicken is a highly respected scholar in the field of accounting and organization studies, particularly known for her work on the social, political, and institutional dimensions of accounting. She is a Professor of Accounting at the London School of Economics (LSE) and co-editor-in-chief of Accounting, Organizations and Society (AOS) — one of the top-ranked journals in the field (level 4* in ABS/UK).
Hosted by the Management of Data-Driven Organizations (MaDDO) research project (at the Department of Accounting, Auditing and Law at NHH), this week’s workshop Accounting for Futures has brought together leading scholars to explore how various futures are constructed in the present through practices of future-making.
`You have a very vibrant department at NHH´, says Associate Professor Andrea Mennicken of the London School of Economics (LSE). She was one of the international guests at this week’s workshop Accounting for Futures, at the Norwegian School of Economics.
Organized by Dan-Richard Knudsen, Katarina Kaarbøe, Bino Catasús, Martin Kornberger, and Clarissa Schott from the MaDDO research project, the event has brought together leading voices in accounting, organization studies, and critical social theory.
‘Hosting events like this workshop is very important not only for our research project, but also for NHH more broadly,’ says Dan-Richard Knudsen, project manager of the MaDDO project.
‘This event has enabled young scholars from NHH to significantly expand their professional networks. Moreover, it allows us to not just stay informed about but actively shape the research agenda in our field. Finally, it firmly positions NHH as a key institution in the field of accounting and organizational studies,’ Knudsen concludes.
`The theme of ‘Accounting for Futures’ is very important in my view. It is not only about making the future calculable, but also about bringing imagination to the future, or hope or what a better future could be´, says Mennicken.
As co-editor-in-chief of Accounting, Organizations and Society (AOS) — a leading 4* journal in the field — Mennicken is known for her research on the social and political dimensions of accounting. She brings a critical lens to what might otherwise seem like purely technical questions.
‘With the rise of sustainability accounting and its contributions to 'saving the world,' some might argue that it is crucial to consider how it should be positioned within a more critical debate—not only regarding the futures being imagined, but also what it means to account for the future,’ she says.
The workshop programme reflects this broad perspective. Sessions cover a range of themes, from the politics of future and market imaginaries to emotions, uncertainty, and the institutional infrastructures that shape long-term governance.
Presentations included topics such as “The Stand-by Mode” (David Twardowski Crvelin, HEC Paris), “Climate Risk and the Politics of Hope” (Anette Mikes, Saïd Business School University of Oxford) and “Imaginative Intersections: Enacting FinTech Imaginaries” (Rita Samiolo, Kings’ college London). In the concluding panel, Mennicken was joined by Jan Mouritsen (CBS Copenhagen), Martin Kornberger (WU Vienna), and Katarina Kaarbøe (NHH) to reflect on key takeaways and possible future directions.
In summary, Accounting for Futures was not just about better predicting what lies ahead. It is about asking deeper questions: Whose future? On what terms? And how should we be held accountable for the futures we help create?
Maddo is funded by Equinor.
