Telling (emotional) stories about management education

Abstract

Countless inhabitants of Earth continue to be insecure, unsafe, and unwell. For many people this situation is an outcome of the neo-liberal influence on market directives in the decade under review in this special edition of IJME. For others, it is a situation with roots elsewhere but not systematically remedied. Many people die or their vitality is diminished because we allow it. My intuition is on high alert. My emotions are aroused. Anxiety, outrage, and fear swirl in me. I struggle to find hope and joy in my profession. I want to write emotionally about the significance of emotions for a conversation with the community of PRME scholars. In past attempts, I have been advised to write a more scholarly piece. My intuition cries a resounding “No!” We are not short of rational and scientific papers on the enabling of systemic degradation of our humanity and the environment by functionally trained graduates of business schools. The work of our intellect, the investment of our time and resources, and the placing of our political influence also entail emotions – stunted, exploited, or intelligently incorporated into our lives. The expression of and reflection on feelings must have a place in the PRME community. I hope to read more about how feelings motivate and inspire us – and through us, an emotionally intelligent pedagogy.