Responsibility and authority as citizens and managers: Proposal for a collaborative module on One Planet Leadership Since Covid, there is less travel and integration between faculties and students across the globe; there seems to more ‘othering’ of foreigners or misfits in ‘our space’; and all this despite great efforts to encourage inclusivity and diversity. Understandably, most faculty members are too hard-pressed to get to conferences, explore speculative ideas and undertake risky research and writing with colleagues around the world. What a delight it was to meet for a few days with PRME compadres in Aston last month – because it’s so hard to get out these days! Also in decline are the impetus and opportunities for students to enjoy international educational experiences, even though worldly-wise perspectives and relationships will be crucial for many careers and certainly for sustainability transitions. But I can see nothing in the current business model of UK HE that suggests more resources (and a progressive visa regime) will be forthcoming. Other countries are not that different. So I would like to propose a collaboration amongst PRME schools that meets these challenges while encouraging a more worldly mindset: We collaborate to create a Module for students from each of our schools, on a world-wide basis, with a focus on the lived experiences of taking up responsibility and authority in as managers and as citizens in different parts of the world. Such a module would be built on structured peer-exchanges between students, enquiring into their current challenges and opportunities. There would be some formal input, with readings and assessments; but mostly we would work together to provide the space for conversations that are safe and enlightening; looking at how to be a citizen of the world, how to have responsibility in our own lives as well as those we manage. So in short – on responsible leadership. A tentative title is ‘One Planet Leadership’. Each of the participating business schools (really, of course, the key faculty members with an interest in this) would come with a bunch of students to an on-line module, scheduled to work across the relevant time-zones. The faculty members would share presentations and facilitation of learning activities, and would handle the assessment (and perhaps some additional reflections and application exercises) for their own students. But the work of organising and hosting the Module would be done collaboratively. Each school would accredit the module in their own system or accept the accreditation from other members. (This can sometimes be achieved by minor revisions to an existing Module or through existing partnership agreements). There would be a modest fee to pay for the coordination and organising, which I would do though Pelumbra. I have some experience of doing this on a Module designed for people who are currently in managerial roles, mostly on Executive MBA programmes. Partner schools have been Exeter, Stellenbosch, McGill, Yokahama, Catholica de Chile, Tec de Monterrey, and more. See www.embaroundtables.com What I am proposing now is something more explicitly around the PRME Principles, and in two versions: one for managers (probably on part-time degree programmes); and one for full-time students – Masters or 3rd year undergraduates. The title? How about ‘One Planet Leadership’. If you are interested please respond soon to me and my colleague Miriam Gage on info@pelumbra.com We propose initial gatherings of interested parties on the following dates (early to suit our Asian partners):
Thursday September 14th at 8:30 BST Thursday October 5th at 8:30 BST Jonathan Gosling, Emeritus Professor of Leadership, University of Exeter Director, Pelumbra Ltd. jonathan@pelumbra.com
Comments