Co-creating curricula with industry partners: A case study

Abstract

The case study explores how a mid-sized business school in Australia co-created the curriculum in its Master of Human Resource Management program with industry partners in a bid to cope with tensions between academic rigor and industry relevance. Using a tensions theory lens, we identify other inherent tensions that the curriculum co-creation processes must cope with - tension between individuals and groups, between various stakeholders that inform curriculum design, and between the needs of experienced older versus less experienced younger students. Our analysis suggests that the rigor versus relevance debate is a false debate. We contribute to the management education literature by analyzing a curriculum development process with industry partners that produces learning outcomes that are both relevant and rigorous. The following factors were found necessary for effective curricula co-creation: support from senior management; capability to recruit suitable industry partners; effective leadership that manages emergent tensions; preparatory work to identify the level of industry involvement; processes that make it easier for industry partners to contribute; and importantly, strong relationships with executive champions from partner organizations. Finally, we propose a matrix that plots curriculum content along ‘organizational relevance’ and ‘theoretical abstraction’ axes to demonstrate the nature and effectiveness of industry involvement.