Charging forward into the unscripted future: Following the script of interconnected action

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a context for the compilation of papers and commentaries included in this International Journal of Organizational Analysis special issue on “Scripting the next wave of exigent issues for servicelearning in our unscripted future: when technology, globalism, and community engagement collide.” Design/methodology/approach – The authors of this paper are the Guest Editors for the special issue. As such, in this paper, they provide a brief history of why the special issue was created and how it serves as an extension to the first special issue (Vol. 17 No. 1, 2009). Findings – There are five papers and six commentary pieces included in this special issue. Each raises a charge, or challenge, to the reader in terms of moving forward with servicelearning in the uncertain, complex, and highly unscripted environments. Practical implications – The practical implications of this paper are those that relate to future research and practice in the servicelearning domain. This is contextualized as part of the collective challenge as the author move forward in a world where local, regional, national, and international connectedness intersects with social, economic, and technological pressures. Originality/value – As the introduction, this paper is unique in that it provides an overview of the contents for the entire special issue.