INNOVATION IN EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIETAL TRANSFORMATION: THE MACARTHUR FOUNDATION, JESUIT BUSINESS SCHOOLS, AND THE WORLD.

ABSTRACT INNOVATION IN EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIETAL TRANSFORMATION: THE MACARTHUR FOUNDATION, JESUIT BUSINESS SCHOOLS, AND THE WORLD. This session/paper reports on a 2016 MacArthur Foundation 100 million dollar competition to solve a significant societal problem; a 2016 IAJBS/CJBE/Jesuit business school application in that competition; and evolving next steps in leadership for educational, business, and societal transformation inspired by the MacArthur foundation competition and by that 2016 IAJBS/CJBE application. The paper and session emphasize three aspects of innovation at the core of the 2016 application and an evolving 2019 application: (1) Innovation in teaching and research content – transforming teaching materials and research topics in Jesuit and other business schools, (2) Innovation in the processes of organizational transformation – participating business schools transforming their teaching and research in an impossibly short period of time of only three years, and (3) Innovation in the processes of societal transformation – achieving collaborative transformation of business schools, the business community, governmental agencies, spiritual and religious organizations, social enterprises, and not-for-profits. The MacArthur Foundation competition On June 2nd 2016, the MacArthur Foundation announced a $100 million competition to solve a significant societal problem. July 10th the possibility of joining the competition was suggested at the 19the Annual Meeting of the Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education (CJBE) at Le Moyne College. July 18th the following resolution passed unanimously at the 22nd Annual World Forum of the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools (IAJBS) in Nairobi, Kenya: The annual meeting of the IAJBS requests the IAJBS leadership, CJBE leadership, and the rest of the network of Jesuit business schools to work together to apply for the MacArthur Foundation 100 million dollar 100&change competition with a project to transform Jesuit business education to be fully aligned with the wisdom in Laudato Si, with our universally-valid Jesuit educational tenets, and with the need for global sustainability, social justice, and poverty alleviation. On October 2, 2016, a proposal to utilize the network of Jesuit business schools as a vehicle for transforming not just Jesuit business education but all of business education and the world’s producing–distributing–consuming system was submitted to the MacArthur Foundation. That proposal did not win the hundred million dollar prize but its basic conceptual structure is inspiring a new initiative to transform business education, our entire producing-distributing-consuming system, and our ways of being in the world. The 2016 IAJBS/CJBE/Jesuit business schools application and a 2019 application The 2016 IAJBS/CJBE/Jesuit business school application envisaged 40 business schools each receiving 2.1 million dollars to transform their teaching and research to be in alignment with the needs for a sustainable world. An evolving 2019 application follows a similar framework and emphasizes starting the transformation immediately whether or not any MacArthur monies are awarded. One of 40 possible business school transformational initiatives The June paper and July session will report progress on one innovative concept for transforming Jesuit business schools’ teaching and research in alignment with the Nairobi resolution and on other concepts and projects that are formulated, started, and/or funded by then.