The Experience of Setting up a New Learning Environment Model in Management Education: Challenges and Frustrations

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to describe and to reflect on the experience of the authors in setting up a new model of learning environment in management education in a University in Brazil, which was initially called Management Practice Laboratory (MPL). The MPL environment was conceived as a physical and conceptual space where students could learn and practice the principles and techniques of working in organizations in its three levels: operational, tactical, and strategic. The foundations of the project come from social constructivist perspective on learning, from experiential learning literature and from researches that call for a new epistemological ground in management learning. In this paper, the authors will stress some challenges and frustrations with the project since these could be helpful to those interested in similar initiatives. Due to limited space, only two challenges will be stressed: (1) the construction of legitimacy for the project; and (2) the persistent dissonance between theory and practice. The authors conclude that there is room for innovation in the way management is taught and learned in universities since one shows courage to overcome the challenges and frustrations one will certainly deal with.