Applying the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm to renew Jesuit Business Education

Much of the focus of the work to date to implement the Inspirational Paradigm for Jesuit Business has centered on “Renewing Business Curricula.” However, that is only the first of the four elements the text suggests are necessary to renew Jesuit business education. The other three include: “use of the Ignatian pedagogical paradigm;” a vision of the essential skills needed for this new kind of leadership;” and “the role of key stakeholders.” Use of the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP), despite its prominence in the document, has received relatively little attention. Perhaps that is because faculty are unsure how to apply the IPP in their disciplines? Anecdotal evidence suggests that many faculty at Jesuit business schools are unfamiliar with the IPP, and/or do not believe it can be applied in their disciplines. To increase familiarity with the IPP, as well as provide examples of how it can be applied in various business disciplines, we conducted a review of the literature on application of the IPP in business curricula. The bulk of the papers on implementing the IPP were published in Journal of Jesuit Business Education and Journal of Jesuit Higher Education, but papers also have appeared in mainstream journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics. The literature shows broad application of the IPP and offers insights into how the IPP can be adapted to special situations. This paper includes an overview of the IPP, followed by the review of the literature on implementing the IPP in business curricula, and the lessons that emerged from it. The paper concludes with suggestions on adapting the IPP in business disciplines in which few/no studies yet have been reported.