Identifying and overcoming barriers to innovation in responsible management education

The need to integrate Responsible Management Education (RME) within the business school curriculum is widely recognised and increasingly considered a key requirement for developing future-ready graduates. Specifically, individuals who are cognisant of and responsive to social, environmental, and economic challenges and opportunities at the local, national, and global levels. Beddewela et al. (2017, p. 264) define RME as ‘any teaching, research or enterprise activities in the areas of ethics, sustainability and responsible corporate practices, which business schools engage with in order to develop a more responsible strategic focus’. Increased interest in RME has been driven by a range of factors, including rising awareness of global challenges, such as climate change, environmental pollution, and social inequality; changing expectations of business school stakeholders, including current and potential students; increasing pressure on businesses to adopt socially responsible and sustainable practices, particularly in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis; regulatory and policy-related developments at the national and international levels; and, not least, fundamental questions about the role (and necessity) of business schools within society. Despite this, progress to date in regard to developing and implementing RME has been slow and fragmented. This can be attributed to a range of persistent barriers, including institutional resistance to change, lack of faculty expertise and engagement, resource constraints, curriculum overload, and misalignment with business community expectations.

To support educators to overcome the obstacles to advancing RME, the United Nations (UN) supported Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) UK & Ireland Chapter established a ‘Seed Funding Competition for Innovative Pedagogical Approaches and Teaching Practices in PRME’ in 2020. The competition has funded over 15 novel projects to date across a variety of academic disciplines, including accounting, human resource management, marketing, organisational behaviour, and travel and tourism. This interactive session will share key insights in regard to promoting innovation in RME gleaned from the competition, provide inspirational examples of novel teaching practices, and highlight a range of free, research-informed educational resources. In addition, participants will be encouraged to share their own experiences and suggest ideas for how to enhance innovation within RME that could be actioned within the PRME Chapter UK & Ireland community. Although targeted at business school educators, the session will also be of value to anyone within an interest in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the higher education curriculum.