Following up on my previous post on universities’ role as sustainability leaders, there is a very interesting podcast/chat with Professor James AF Stoner who was interviewed by oikos* PhD Fellow Kim Poldner at the Eastern Academy of Management in Bangalore 2011. Professor Stoner (Management Systems, Fordham School of Business, New York) talks about his passion to change business schools to further global sustainability – seeing some progress but also much ignorance and a tendency to try maintain the established (nevertheless obsolete) paradigm of never-ending economic growth and market self-regulation.
Despite this still prevailing only-economic-growth-leads-to-prosperity paradigm, there are, in fact, many promising initiatives to move business schools closer to environmental and social realities – most of them conveniently summarized and rated by Beyond Grey Pinstripes, an independent, biennial business school survey and ranking hosted by the Aspen Institute. It’s purpose: to highlight “how academic institutions prepare students to meet the business challenges of tomorrow, including coursework, research and activities that prepare MBA students for social, ethical and environmental stewardship”, but also taking into account “faculty research on social, ethical and environmental topics published in peer-reviewed business journals”.
Leading universities have long understood that sustainability is not only about increased costs and ‘green’ efforts. In fact, it is as much about gaining strategic advantage, as they teach in a new executive program over at University of California (Berkley). Many other universities and business schools now run sustainability MBA programs (check Aspen Institute’s current top ten list of sustainability teaching and research champions). Considering that universities are only as good and innovative as their staff, one can only hope that more and more teachers and scholars dare to think outside the box of established paradigms and get themselves ready to join the Beyond Grey Pinstripes group.
*Oikos is the international association of students for sustainable economics and management, based at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland
Picture credit: christmasstockimages.com
This is timely. I’ve just started reading Tyler Cowen’s The Great Stagation in which the author shows that the drivers for the “growth paradigm” have been used up in the USA. It’s time for a pradigm shift and it lookes like sustainability models may be the only way forward.
Posted by Sue Ni | September 6, 2011, 12:33Hi Sue
Yes, I also believe that sustainability models are the only way forward. The only alternative I can think of is war for resources which in so many ways is the least desirable path to go. If there is a chance to get this solved then through mutual effort.
Posted by Florian | September 6, 2011, 16:16