Thirtieth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

As the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic wanes, the (re)emergence of multiple existential threats raises multiple questions concerning higher education’s place in society and its role in addressing these crises. Much scholarship now focusses on Business Education, in particular, as either central to consolidating neo-liberal hegemony, as “hypocrites” (Gioia & Corley, 2002), or even as “silent partners in corporate crime” (Swanson & Fredrick, 2003) whose very “theories and ideas have done much to strengthen the management practices that we are all now so loudly condemning.” (Ghoshal, 2005, p. 74) Transforming Business Education curriculum has potentially significant socio-political implications. Overseeing some of the most popular and populous course and program offerings in Higher Education globally, business school leaders hold the keys to this transformation. This paper considers what values and characteristics business education leaders must possess to fulfill this, and what organizational challenges they face in their quest. As such, it interrogates the relationship between educational leaders and the organisation, in particular the structures and cultures of business schools in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).