Michael Reynolds

Critical Reflection and Management Education: Rehabilitating Less Hierarchical Approaches.

In response to the growing interest in applying a more critical perspective within management education, this article proposes an approach thatwould reflect critical principles in both its contents and its methods. The essential characteristics of a critical approach to management education are summarized, followed by a discussion of the significance of educational methods and of the ways in which less hierarchical methods in particular could, with some provisos, provide the basis for a critical management pedagogy. The article ends by drawing attention to some of the potential pitfalls of introducing management students to a critical perspective.

Grasping the Nettle: Possibilities and Pitfalls of a Critical Management Pedagogy

The focus of the paper is a review of the more problematical aspects of introducing a critical perspective into the practice and content of management education. As an introduction, the author summarizes the arguments for critical reflection in the education of managers, the characteristics which distinguish it from ‘reflection’– the more familiar concept in the literature – and ‘critical thinking’. The ways that a critical perspective can be reflected in educational method as well as in the content of the curriculum are also elaborated before describing the problems and complications of implementing such an approach from accounts in the literature of adult and management education. The paper outlines the reasons why critical reflection might be resisted, the mental or social disruption which can result from its application and the implications of both for the practice of management teachers.

Critical management education:from pedagogy of possibility to pedagogy of refusal

In this article we use the frame of the debate between Ellsworth and the Freirean education movement over a decade ago to examine the current state of critical management education (CME). We question why an equivalent debate has not taken place within the field of critical management education, which also positions itself as a critical pedagogy. Our argument is that CME theory and practice need repositioning, much in the same way that Ellsworth’s challenge to critical pedagogy attempted to do for that field. We conclude that to define CME using ‘traditional’ emancipatory aims is to misread its possibilities and position as pedagogy. Instead we use the concept of ‘colonizers that refuse’, borrowed from Memmi to illuminate some of the dilemmas critical management educators face and to think through the implications of our ‘Pedagogy of Refusal’.

Consensus, difference and ‘multiple communities’ in networked learning

The article reviews the popularity in networked learning designs for values of collaboration, and in particular, of community. Examples of this are drawn from the networked learning literature, highlighting corresponding arguments for networked learning providing the basis for a more democratic ethos within higher educational programmes. The authors critique the notion of ‘community’, especially its association with consensus and pressures to conform. They argue for an interpretation of community which would be more likely to take account of differences, without suppressing or ‘managing’ them, and cite examples of network learning structures which seem to be based on principles more sympathetic to this aim.

Reflective practice: origins and interpretations

The idea of reflection is central to the theory and practice of learning – especially learning which is grounded in past or current experience. This paper proposes a working definition of reflection and reviews its origins and recent developments. The author also provides an account of ‘critical reflection’, including its rationale and characteristics, and argues for its particular suitability in the practice of action learning.

Learning the ropes

B ecause educational institutions have been acknowledged as playing an important role in social control and the acquisition of values, aspects of education that might otherwise be treated as given come in for closer scrutiny. The decision-making process within the classroom, the power structure of the institution, and the institutions relationship with employing organizations become of at least as much interest as the curriculum to the researcher. The way the curriculum is formulated, what is included and excluded, the extent of its specialization or integration, and its implicit priorities are as important in understanding its function as the subject matter which it comprises. The connection between education and the workplace, school and industry, is not in doubt. The design of curricula and the scope of examinations are influenced by perceptions of future occupational or professional requirements. Leaders of industry and commerce are represented on the governing bodies of the institutions responsible for promoting educational research and teacher training. There is constant pressure for education at all levels to be relevant to the needs of the workplace as defined by management. In industrial training, the link between education and work is even more direct. Training policy is designed to meet specific organizational requirements. Systems of accountability ensure that training codes and curricula are closely adhered to. Yet it is not always clear precisely how this link is forged or how it works in practice. Industrial training, whether for apprentices, shop stewards, supervisors, or managers, is within the ultimate control of senior management. The content and method of training programs are intended to support the company mission and to develop the skills and knowledge believed appropriate to its tasks. Equally, it is through training that employees learn the behavior expected of them if they are to be accepted as trustworthy and effective members of the work force. Thus training reinforces the values that underlie the culture of the organization. E.H. Schein, in comparing induction programs with the coercive persuasion experienced by prisoners of war, wrote: New members must also be taught to be loyal and productive, which is tantamount to saying that they must accept the ideology, participate actively, and refrain from resistance or sabotage.

Wild Frontiers—Reflections on Experiential Learning:

Experiential learning is currently prominent in management—including ‘critical’ management, pedagogy. This article reflects on the contribution of experiential learning to management education and on the resistance it has sometimes evoked, both from academics and managers. On the basis of these observations I suggest that the significance of experiential learning is not only as an alternative way of learning but in the social and political values that it brings to both educational and organizational contexts. In view of recent post-heroic developments in conceptions of leadership, I speculate that there could be currently a better match between experiential learning approaches and organizational practice than had previously been the case.

Manager-Educator Relations from a Critical Perspective

This article explains alternative ways of understanding the nature of the relationship between managers and management educators. The authors examine contrasting views of the relationship as expressed in the “critical” management literature. Based on Antonio Gramsci’s ideas, the article develops the position for a less hierarchical relationship in which managers’ ideas are given equal standing with those of educators and researchers.

Issues in Practice

In our paper we examine the seeming reluctance to discuss in any depth the issues implicit in the practice of Management Education and Development. We ask whether this is a case of myopia or phobia. The paper serves as an introduction to the overall theme of this special issue.

Decision-making using computer conferencing: a case study

Abstract In January 1991, the members of the Centre for the Study of Management Learning at Lancaster University replaced their monthly departmental meetings with an online conference for a six-month trial. The paper describes the procedures followed and reviews the experience of department members and the effect of using the conference on discussions of departmental business, planning and decision-making. Advantages and disadvantages of using conferencing for this purpose are discussed in relation to a democratic approach to work and working relationships. Of particular interest was the way the change interacted with the ethos of the department.