Being the change: Reaching new learners through PRME's creative pedagogy efforts

Abstract

The world is evolving and the industry is changing. Society is currently recovering from a global pandemic, dealing with environmental disasters, an increase of inequalities, and overall economic turmoil. It is imperative for the leaders and managers of the future to possess the holistic skill sets required of them in the workforce, now more than ever. This starts in the classroom. The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) is an initiative of the UN Global Compact that aims to raise the profile of sustainability in business and management education by supporting the transformation of higher education to advance the Sustainable Development Goals and issues of people, planet, and profit. With support from The LEGO Foundation, PRME launched The Impactful Five (i5) project that builds on prior LEGO Foundation expertise in playful learning to evidence pedagogical approaches for holistic skills set development. Shifting to focus on creative pedagogies will help the next generation of leaders address root causes of sustainable development crises. Based on an extensive theoretical review of leadership development, playful pedagogies, experiential learning, and innovative teaching methods, this study intends to show that through the i5 pedagogy, the development of holistic skill sets for business school students can be realized. This research reviews the i5 pedagogy and characteristics of meaning, joy, social interaction, active engagement, and iteration as interventions to transform business schools. The i5 pedagogy offers insights into integrating sustainability skills into business schools by focusing on five key learning characteristics. It aims to provide future CEOs, managers, and leaders with the holistic skills and dynamic education needed to tackle the present challenges of the world.