PRiBS: The Psychedelics Research in Business & Society Network

The Psychedelics Research in Business & Society (PRiBS) network is an emerging global association of management scholars dedicated to advancing rigorous, thoughtful, and socially responsible scholarship on the rapidly developing field of psychedelics and the organizations, industries, and institutions that surround them.

Founded in 2024, PRiBS brings together a diverse community of academics working in organizational theory, strategy, regenerative economics, innovation, business ethics, entrepreneurship, and related areas. From the outset, PRiBS emphasizes that psychedelics are a domain marked by rich histories, contested narratives, and deeply contextualized ethical considerations. These dimensions shape not only how psychedelic practices are understood but also how they are organized, regulated, and integrated into business and society.

PRiBS provides a collegial platform for management scholars who recognize that the psychedelic ecosystem is not solely a medical or scientific frontier but also a socio-technical system with significant organizational, economic, and ethical implications. By studying how organizations and industries develop in this context, scholars have an opportunity to generate insights that clarify opportunities, illuminate risks, and promote practices that can contribute to alleviating suffering and supporting human flourishing.

The global mental health crisis provides a particularly urgent backdrop. Rates of depression, anxiety, addiction, and burnout are rising, and psychedelics are being investigated as one potential tool for addressing these challenges. Their entry into medical systems, markets, and communities, however, raises complex questions about legitimacy, access, equity, and sustainability—questions that benefit from management scholarship and organizational insight.

PRiBS members pursue these questions through a variety of activities: organizing symposia at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, convening bimonthly research-focused gatherings on Zoom, sharing opportunities and developments through a monthly newsletter, and supporting collaborative projects among early-career and senior scholars.

PRiBS fosters connections that support career development and scholarly advancement, creating opportunities for management researchers to contribute to a timely and consequential area of study while deepening their professional networks. Looking ahead, PRiBS seeks to establish itself as a durable scholarly association that not only produces high-quality research but also contributes to the broader conversation about how business and society engage with psychedelics. In doing so, it aims to advance both the field of management scholarship and collective efforts to reduce suffering and promote flourishing in an evolving social and organizational landscape.