We started this book promising to explore how including purpose in our actions connects with planet and with theories of learning, asking “Why do we need a change in how we are preparing the next generation of leaders?,” and “How can we develop them in the most effective way so they are able to shape a world flourishing for all?” The question also was “How does learning happen best?,” and best with this particular landscape in mind: the eco-socio-enviro-techno-spiritual turbulence.
As we became aware that a painting—from the 1800s!—could well depict many higher education classrooms of today, we knew something was amiss. Reviewing the 10 Action Reflection Learning (ARL) Principles we discovered how wisdom and knowledge, collected across centuries from a variety of disciplines and sources, can serve as a guide to educators in addressing new learning imperatives. The questions of Julia, Nick, Andres, and Vivien helped us understand how those eclectic theories, when applied in the classroom, can inform and inspire to powerful activities to develop individuals holistically. This can prepare the students for an array of unanticipated but critical tasks that need to be urgently addressed. Transformative learning, we saw, is in reality two sides of the same fabric: the students on the one side, the teacher on the other. Transformation had to take place for both and in both, with instructors understanding the necessity for creating new roles for themselves; roles that include being a learning coach, learning facilitator, designer of learning environments, curator, and challenger. Transformation also meant instructors inviting students to take ownership of their learning, with both venturing into a totally new relationship in the classroom, in a dance of coresponsibility. It meant, furthermore, teachers letting go of power and—paradoxically—gaining immense respect and authority as they did so.
In turn, transformation for students meant stepping into self-directed learning, as they empowered themselves to seek information. It also meant they needed to pause and discover themselves anew in the journey; reflecting on the value system lying behind events that occur and behind their own patterns of behavior and habits, as they explored not only the why and the “what-for” of theories, but also the purpose of their own professions. It meant students asking questions—and then being asked to answer them too. They are finding inspiration in the change makers who are championing a major, multidimensional shift in the world. And it meant, too, students accepting the need to take on actions in order to make their learning real—initiatives making a difference in the community and the world.
We saw the wide spread of initiatives that are emerging in different parts of the world, led by pioneering instructors curious to experiment with new approaches to enhance learning. Some arrived at the point of change out of frustration at not being able to capture the interest of their young audience, and others out of the desire to have a more gratifying interaction with their students. Some because they recall how much they suffered themselves, and realize that they don’t have to perpetuate a model of teaching that is definitely outdated. And others are motivated because they feel the urgency to fix what has gone seriously wrong in our way of doing business, of handling natural resources, of caring for each other, of finding happiness and fulfillment. Interestingly, in a world that became smaller, the disconnection between what we do today and the impact we are creating, is vanishing. And so is the disconnection between us and nature, between us and others across the globe, between us and the next generations. The power pyramid that thrived on disconnection and abuse of power is crumbling and a new networked world is emerging. We educators have the option to follow to where the younger generation is pointing, or to stand our ground and to be dragged in the direction that the flow is taking us. And while they are impatient, distracted, even confused, they are also seeking meaning, they earnestly want to make a difference, to participate, and not to just be observers and bystanders. As a student said with a sheepish smile to a board room filled with baby boomers, “Excuse me, this is our world.”
The students of the world can become the actors who, while tackling some of the real challenges of our planet, develop the skills they need. We—and they—don’t have to wait for graduation. Management education institutions can become the link connecting the minds and passion of students with the challenges of the community, of policy makers, or of businesses that want to think out of the box. Business schools can become incubators of social entrepreneurs,1 role models of a new economic system where business becomes again, as in its origin, the vehicle for creating wealth at the service of a real community need.
Dean Katrin Muff of Lausanne Business Schools asked 300 deans and academics in a room: “Close your eyes and envision the world you want to live in.” This is what I see: Community, government, policy makers, business schools, faculty, and students merging in new networks, in deeper dialogues, in learning and serving each other. I see economic and social models getting in sync with each other and with the environment, not as an option, but out of necessity. I see extreme polarization painfully evolving into mutual growth. I see a growing understanding of interconnectedness taught to us by Nature; a sense of coresponsibility, with young people around the world stepping into action, and social entrepreneurs inventing solutions that not only don’t harm any of the many stakeholders, but do good. I see us noticing that we are at the edge of a cliff, and thoroughly scared of it. But at the same time I see us gaining heightened awareness and consciousness, and a profound awakening of the soul.
The Zeitgeist is out of the bottle. And this is good.