Our societies and organizations face unprecedented challenges, including technological disruption, climate change, social acceleration, and the rise of anti-democratic sentiments. In response, organizations must adopt innovative, adaptive approaches as dynamic learning structures to effectively navigate these crises. This symposium examines the integration of care ethics and democratic practices in organizational education as a means to cultivate future-oriented, responsive, and caring organizations through intra- and interdisciplinary dialogue. Central to this inquiry is the concept of democracy as a lived experience (Dewey, 1951)—a dynamic and relational process that intertwines care and organizational education, highlighting interdependence and enabling transformative change.

Drawing on feminist philosophy, which reconsiders how we live and organize our worlds (Held, 2006), and the ethics of care as described by Fisher and Tronto (1990), this symposium highlights care as an essential activity for sustaining and repairing our interconnected world. With an inquiry to discover interconnectedness and interdependence, caring "generates possibilities for other ways of relating and living" (de la Bellacasa, 2011:99).

The symposium critically examines care not just as an interpersonal ethic but as an organizational practice that sustains and repairs interconnected systems, thereby enabling organizations to navigate uncertainty and complexity. By expanding the conceptualization of care within organizational contexts, we seek to uncover new pathways for fostering democratic, caring organizations capable of addressing challenges in organizational education research.

By linking care ethics with pragmatist philosophy (Dewey, 1916, 1934, 1951), we explore how care-centered practices foster democratic, inquiry-driven processes that position uncertainty as an opportunity for learning. These perspectives encourage a shift from traditional organizational models to participatory, relational, and care-centered practices, offering innovative insights for organizational education research and practice.

The first presentation focuses on the concept of "democracy-as-becoming," drawing on Dewey and Derrida to explore how democratic processes and care ethics intersect. It highlights how care, conceptualized through the cycle of care (Tronto, 2013, 2017), can embed democratic potentials into organizational education.

The second presentation builds on this foundation by introducing the idea of co-caring inquiry, emphasizing attentiveness, responsibility, and relationality as core principles that enable organizations to transform tensions and uncertainties into opportunities for growth.

The third presentation examines disability-led initiatives as a lens through which care ethics can reshape organizational practices, fostering inclusive work environments and democratic collaboration. This discussion highlights how care-infused practices challenge neoliberal framings and cultivate inclusive organizational structures.

Together, these perspectives demonstrate how care-centered and democratic practices can transform organizational education and practice. The symposium engages with three critical questions:

-              How does the concept of “democracy-as-becoming”, as a political and relational practice, help organizations navigate uncertain futures?

-              How can care, conceptualized as an inquiry-driven, embodied, relational, and inclusive practice, enable organizations to navigate uncertainty and foster collective learning, creativity, and ethical transformation?

-              How can care-centered and democratic practices reshape organizational practices, offering pathways for inclusive work and democratic collaboration?

de la Bellacasa, M. 2011. “Matters of Care in Technosience: Assembling Neglected Things.” Social Studies of Science 41 (1): 85–106. 2011. Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and Education. In J. A. Boydston (Ed.), The middle works, 1899– 1924, Volume: 9 (1980th ed., ). Southern Illinois University Press. Dewey, J. (1934, 1980). Art as experience. The Berkeley Publishing Group Dewey, J. (1951). Democracy as a way of life. In J. Nathanson, John Dewey: The reconstruction of the democratic life (pp. 82–102). Charles Scribner's Sons https://doi.org/10.1037/11125-004 Held, V., 2006. The Ethics of Care; Personal, Political, and Global. 1st ed. New York: Oxford University Press Tronto, J. C. (2013). Caring Democracy: Markets, Equality and Justice. New York, NY: NYU Press. Tronto, J. C. (2017). There is an Alternative: Homines Curans and the Limits of Neoliberalism. International Journal of Care and Caring, 1(1), 27–43.