Experience level: 
Intermediate
Intended Audience: 
All
Authors: 
Ken Sagendorf, James Stoner, James Weichert, Frank Werner

Jesuit Business Schools Leading for a Sustainable, Inclusive, Just, and Reconciled World 

ABSTRACT PURPOSE: This submission proposes a 60 to 90 minute workshop session designed to inspire members of the World Forum to take their commitments to creating a Sustainable, Inclusive, Just ,and Reconciled World to the next level: Transforming all of the world’s business schools into leading forces to meet the greatest challenges our species’ has ever faced.  The paper describing the workshop and the initiative on which it is based will be submitted by May 15th. The workshop and paper will  1. define those challenges, 2. describe the strategy and tactics being followed to meet the challenges, 3. report progress being made in Jesuit and other business schools in transforming their research, teaching, and activism to meet the challenges, and 4. describe how the World Forum and other conference sessions are being used to meet the challenges. CONTEXT: Laudato Si’, Catholic Social Teaching, and the Inspirational Paradigm for Jesuit Business Education provide the opportunity for Jesuit business schools to play a leading role in working with all the world’s business schools to create a sustainable/flourishing/regenerating world. WORLD FORUM SESSION: In the symposium/workshop, we will report —briefly — on a number of initiatives to transform research, curricula, and activism in ways that inspire students, faculty, administrators, and alumni to take immediate action to meet the challenges of global warming and the rising harms of global unsustainability. The heart of the workshop will be collaborative conversations to enroll audience members in committing to make similar changes in their own business schools and universities and to inspiring their colleagues to do the same.  SUPPORTING SESSIONS: This workshop is one of a series of similar conference workshops proposed for the Eastern Academy of Management, Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society, Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education, Chaminade University, and Academy of Management. Those sessions seek to build a vibrant, collaborative network of business schools leading the way to a sustainable world.  THE PAPER AND WORLD FORUM SESSION: The paper and speakers in the sessions will report: how schools are replacing the neoliberal narrative that provides the CONTEXT and foundation for much of the world’s business education, and research and discourages students and faculty from taking actions to deal with global warming and related challenges. See, e.g., Laszlo, Sroufe, and Waddock, "Torn between two paradigms: A struggle for the soul of business schools", AIPractitioner, 2017. how schools are rejecting and replacing the widely accepted idea that THE PURPOSE of for-profit business enterprise is to maximize current stock price (and top executive compensation) under the guise of “maximizing shareholder wealth.”  how schools are inspiring faculty and student activism to deal with the URGENT problems of ending the burning of fossil fuels and providing leadership in dealing with the many other problems of global unsustainability.  Audience members will be supported in joining this global initiative to transform business education and practice.