Experiential learning for leadership and sustainability at IBM and HSBC

Gitsham, Matthew

doi:10.1108/02621711211208925

Cited by 40 publications

(44 citation statements)

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“…The use of ISAs is a new trend in business practice in general (Hills and Mahmud, 2007) and in management development (Colvin, 2009;Gitsham, 2012) in particular. A growing number of companies explore ISLP as a new way of building awareness for the broader social and environmental challenges facing mankind (climate change, poverty, access to food and water, pandemics) and developing talents for dealing with the challenges of managing in a global stakeholder setting.…”

Section: Discussion and Suggestions For Further Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first program was set up in 2001 by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Apart from empirical studies of this program (Pless et al, 2011(Pless et al, , 2012) and a few case study descriptions of other programs (Marquis and Kanter, 2009;Stolz et al, 2012;Gitsham, 2012), no systematic investigation of corporate programs using ISA has been undertaken. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of various ISA-based programs, describe their characteristics (objectives, design, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pless et al, 2011Pless et al, , 2012Marquis and Kanter, 2009;Stolz et al, 2012) on how individuals learn to become better, more responsible leaders through service learning assignments and the benefits are for all parties involved. Other studies have explored both the nature of the outcomes achieved by ISLP and participants' perceptions of what aspects of these programs were most important in achieving these outcomes (Gitsham, 2012). The company-related benefits identified in the literature include: greater staff engagement and performance (Guarnieri and Kao, 2008); talent attraction and retention (Hewlett, 2012); increased trust in the company culture (Guarnieri and Kao, 2008); and a generally high return on investment (ROI) in the form of new knowledge of the countries important to business expansion (MacArthur, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Comparative analysis of International Service Learning Programs

Pless

Borecká

2014

Journal of Management Development

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Purpose -International service learning is a new trend in management development and a new field of research. International Service Learning Programs (ISLP) are experiential corporate volunteering initiatives designed to give employees the chance to work for a short spell abroad (often in a developing or emerging market) on a service assignment with a partner from the social sector (e.g. NGO, social enterprise). The service assignment is a project defined with a social-sector partner on which the corporate employee works full-time on a pro-bono basis and contributes his/her knowledge and expertise in exchange for a rich learning experience. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the use of ISLP in business firms and conducts a comparative analysis of six programs set up by multinational corporations from three industries (health, technology, and accounting and professional services). It identifies characteristics and similarities among programs, discusses differences, offers criteria for program classification and areas for future research. As such, it is an important starting point for quantitative studies. Design/methodology/approach -This is a qualitative study based on six ISLP. The data were gathered through desk research, interviews with program representatives and a structured questionnaire containing closed and open-ended questions. Findings -Regardless of the stated aims (which usually stress value for the participants, the company and the communities), most programs had one clear focus (two programs in the area of leadership development, two in the area of community development) while two showed closely linked foci (with slightly greater emphasis on organization development than on the other areas).Research limitations/implications -The authors suggest that the type of ISLP has an effect on the learning outcomes. Since companies are still testing usefulness and outcomes of these programs, academic research that provides comparative quantitative data on the outcomes of such programs is of great value for business practice. Practical implications -This systematic overview and classification of ISLP is a starting point for empirical program comparisons as well as for the evaluation of different service learning approaches. This could prove very useful for other companies planning to set up or refine their own ISLP to achieve certain outcomes. Originality/value -This is the first paper that compares ISLP run by multinational corporations. It identifies a number of category areas in which they differ (e.g. in placement length, nature of the assignment -individual or in teams, learning methods used) and provides a typology for program classification (leadership development, organization development or community development).

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Section: Discussion and Suggestions For Further Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Comparative analysis of International Service Learning Programs

Pless

Borecká

2014

Journal of Management Development

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“…The interdependence of economic, environmental and social objectives at the heart of corporate sustainability requires an expansive view of the role of business in society (Bondy, Moon, and Matten, 2012;Gitsham, 2012;Quinn and Dalton, 2009). According to this view, the financial or economic imperative of business is intertwined with the inter-related challenges of: "(1) long-term viability of natural systems and the services they provide for human existence; (2) unacceptable social conditions at home and in communities around the world; and (3) the potential for local and global economies to create a modicum of wealth and prosperity for all inhabitants of the earth" (Ferdig, 2007, p.26).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making It Personal: Developing Sustainability Leaders in Business

Haney

Pope

Arden

2018

Organization & Environment

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Sustainability challenges present organizations in many industries with the need to change. Leaders are critical to the process of becoming more sustainable, and yet leading change for sustainability requires new competencies. Learning at an individual level is central to developing new competencies, however there has been limited focus to date in the literature on corporate sustainability on how leaders can learn to respond to sustainability challenges. In this paper, we focus on how managers learn to become sustainability leaders in their organizations by exploring the phenomenon of experiential learning programmes. We do this by interviewing participants and organizers of four programmes about what they learned and how the programmes helped them to achieve these learning outcomes. We find that the programmes supported the development of understanding, personal connection and empowerment to act for sustainability. In particular, making sustainability personal for participants led to deep learning in each of these three areas. We contribute to conversations in the corporate sustainability literature on the potential for individuals within organizations to respond to and connect with sustainability issues in different ways. We also contribute to the literature on education for sustainability and provide practical implications for experiential learning programmes in business and business education.

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“…Minnich (1999) indicated that one of the most important advantages of study abroad programs is that students learn-by-doing almost all day. Hence, the incorporation of ELT seems to be a logical fit for effectively teaching sustainability through study abroad programs and the benefits of incorporating ELT into teaching programs have been reported in recent studies (Gitsham, 2012;MacVaugh and Norton, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

Incorporating Experiential Learning and Education for Sustainable Development into Study Abroad Programs

Quesada-Pineda

Haviarová

2014

Natural Sciences Education

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The main challenge for university teachers is to create a course that is meaningful from the student's personal, civic, and academic perspectives where students can learn to develop critical reflection and potentially engage in sustainability actions. The incorporation of education for sustainable development and experiential learning theory into a study abroad program has positive impact on the effectiveness of learning sustainability. A study abroad course was designed based on experiential learning theory and education for sustainable development principles. The effectiveness in learning sustainability of each activity was ranked by the students using a Likert scale. Dominant learning styles were determined for each student to develop correlations. Statistical tests indicated that accommodating (concrete experience and active experimentation) was the most common dominant learning style in the group. Results of the student perceptions on the learning effectiveness of the course activities show that 4 activities were rated as moderately effective and 21 were rated as highly effective in helping the students to understand sustainability. This work successfully demonstrated the incorporation of experiential learning theory and education for sustainable development principles in a study abroad program. Also, the article provides a template for other potential study abroad programs that center on the teaching of sustainability.

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Experiential learning for leadership and sustainability at IBM and HSBC

Cited by 40 publications

References 12 publications

Comparative analysis of International Service Learning Programs

Comparative analysis of International Service Learning Programs

Making It Personal: Developing Sustainability Leaders in Business

Incorporating Experiential Learning and Education for Sustainable Development into Study Abroad Programs

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