Jennifer S. A. Leigh

A Primer on the Principles of Responsible Management Education Intellectual Roots and Waves of Change

“Responsible management education” sounds self-evident; who among us think of ourselves as engaged in irresponsible management education? Yet the practical aspects of how we educate responsibly (or responsibly educate) the next generation of management professionals are complicated. Who defines what is responsible among competing societal, organizational, and ecological values? How is social responsibility, however defined, nurtured in management education? How do educational institutions make decisions about curriculum and programs in a manner that forces recognition of and engagement with the values that those decisions represent? These questions and others related to ethics, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and sustainability provide the basis for the articles in this special issue.

Taking Stock of Management Education: A Comparison of Three Management Education Journals

The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) relies on peer review of scholarship. Although definitions of SoTL vary by discipline, publication of SoTL research is considered an especially robust form of peer review. Understanding the similarities and differences in the management pedagogy publication outlets can help researchers develop their work for publication. This study analyzes the focus and format of the core management pedagogy journals: Journal of Management Education , Academy of Management Learning & Education, and Management Learning. Mission, format, author characteristics, topics, and distinct topic concentrations are examined and compared; an analysis of core concentrations for each journal is presented. Results show distinct topic concentrations for the three journals and higher representation of authors from U.S.-based, research-intensive universities. Findings highlight questions for consideration regarding how SoTL is defined in management.

Team on teams: a collaborative inquiry

Over the course of an academic year, we collaborated to adopt a new instructional design for teams in our classes. We recount the story of our collaboration, outlining our process of inquiry, reflection, and support. Our simple search for better techniques shifted as our colleagues helped us reveal hidden assumptions about our roles as teachers. Our critical reflection allowed us to increase our self-awareness, specifically considering the following: how power influences our classroom interactions, how we contribute to and reinforce elements of the system that are not in our best interest, and the evolving stages of our own development as teachers. We believe our lessons will resonate with other teachers engaged in the challenges and rewards of self-development efforts.

Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME)

Curriculums of business schools have been questioned in terms of the relevancy and practical application of real life scenarios. Business schools have a responsibility to promote and encourage responsible management education within their curricula and learning experience. Being responsible allows business schools to produce graduates who will become responsible leaders who have a lasting impact on businesses, communities, the environment, the country and the world. There is rising pressure for business schools to promote responsible management education through initiatives such as the Principals of Responsible Management Education (PRME). This chapter seeks to identify the challenges and benefits of PRME and the role that business schools play in implementing it in their curriculums.