Charting a New Course for the Scholarship of Management Teaching and Learning

Abstract

T he scholarship of management education is in transition. The diverse interests and passions of the more than 70 educators who gathered at a recent symposium 1 to explore new directions for the field and to forge strategies and alliances for bringing the vision to fruition attest to its health and vitality. After slowly gaining traction and legitimacy within the academy over the past 35 years, the scholarship of teaching and learning in the management sciences is anchored and alive-and at a time when its contributions are most needed. Management education is at a crossroad, shaken at its core by the economic, environmental, technological, and social transformations that are changing the work world and the way the world works. Management education scholars have a unique opportunity to shape and frame the larger dialogue about the purpose of management education in light of these shifts, about the appropriate forms and content of management schools and programs for a new generation of learners in a technology-rich environment, and about how best to educate and train organizational citizens and leaders for a rapidly changing global world. The capacity to deliver on these aspirations, however, requires a different way to think about the role and responsibilities of the field; deeper appreciation for its possibilities; and more intentional, rigorous, and interdisciplinary approaches to the work. Bottom-line, the time is right to chart a new course for the scholarship of management teaching and learning. There is much important work to be done. Historically, the field has largely meant public sharing of pedagogical activities, practices, and exercises that facilitate knowledge transfer from Guest Editorial

Understanding management students' reflective practice through blogging

“…As such, managers often complain that their MBA classes are irrelevant to their challenges and experiences in the workplace (Daft & Lewin, 2008;Pfeffer & Fong, 2002). Management education needs to address the link between theory and practice through critical reflection (Berggren & Soderlund, 2011;Cunliffe, 2004;Gallos, 2008).…”

“…However, a common complaint is that professional development opportunities often focus either on theory or practice, but rarely establish the links between them (Berggren & Soderlund, 2011). According to numerous researchers, professional education needs to bridge that divide by encouraging reflection, awareness, and experimentation with new concepts (Berggren & Soderlund, 2011;Gallos, 2008).…”

Encouraging the managerial imagination: ethnography, smart phones and novel ways of seeing

“…There have been renewed calls to excite the sociological imagination (Wright-Mills, 1959) in our management students pursuant to developing the critical and complex thinking required to ensure that managers can cope with and respond to the often unrelenting pace of change in a globalised world (Cunliffe & Linstead, 2009;Duarte, 2009;Gallos, 2008). To possess a sociological imagination is to have 'the capacity to shift from one perspective to another, and in the process to build up an adequate view of a total society and its components' (WrightMills, 1959:232).…”

“…There is growing concern over the effects of business education as financial crises have engulfed developed western economies and managers are accused of greed, profiteering, mismanagement and reward for failure (Gallos, 2008;Cunliffe & Linstead, 2009;Croft and Binham, 2012;The Economist, 2012). The suspicion is that the lessons offered by business schools have done little to mitigate the problems faced by the wider world (Gabriel, 2009), indeed, we stand accused of producing the graduates who brought the global economy to its knees (Alajoutsijärvi, 2012) as we equipped future leaders with a priori categories that are unquestioningly inflicted on the world (Chia, 1999) and manufactured management students bored with the very idea of managing (Vaill, 1983).…”

Analyzing Student Teacher Critical Thinking through Blogs in an Electronic Community of Practice

“…To effectively bridge the gap between theory and practice, teacher education programs must encourage awareness, reflection, and experimentation with new concepts (Berggren & Soderlund, 2011;Gallos, 2008). Teacher preparation programs must reach beyond traditional methods to immerse preservice teacher candidates into field experiences (e.g., student teaching), and guide them in a dual process of constructing practical knowledge while integrating reflection with a purpose (Pena & Almaguer, 2012;Perry & Power, 2004).…”