Transforming Management Education: Insights from Social‐Ecological Systems and Social Innovation Research

Abstract

AbstractIt is clear that contemporary management education (ME) needs to be transformed to tackle complex social‐ecological crises effectively. However, the concept of transformation is often ill‐defined in the context of ME; while there is also a lack of understanding about what concrete transformation trajectories (also called scaling pathways) are available to management educators. This conceptual paper adopts a social‐ecological systems lens to shed light on the basics of transformation (the why, what, where, when and who); combined with a social innovation lens to provide more clarity on transformation's practical specificity (the how). Rooted in a vision of ME aimed at cultivating social‐ecological flourishing (i.e. a civic ME), this paper integrates different theoretical lenses to assert the possibility of–and outline trajectories for–transformation in the business school. This work contributes to developing a social‐ecological systems approach to ME; while proposing multiple concrete scaling pathways to support a civic transformation of ME. It highlights that ME stands at a crossroads: management educators could passively wait until transformation is forced by the unintended crossing of tipping points; or deliberately and collectively navigate it. Ultimately, transformation emerges from the delicate interplay of structure (i.e. inescapable structural barriers) and agency (i.e. intentional transformative actions).