Gender should be on the agenda of business schools

As business and management educators we have a role to develop greater awareness and appreciation of diversity in society and our workplaces

Rethinking the boundaries of strategising-as-practice: phenomena, epiphany, epiphenomena

In this paper, we present an argument for rethinking the current conceptualisation of strategising-as-practice, choosing to view it instead through a phenomenological lens. Our intention in undertaking this particular juxtaposition between two previously under-associated bodies of work is to advance the current research agenda beyond the realm of social practice theories. When considering strategising, the phenomenological lens offers a researcher the possibility of insight into the pre-reflective self-consciousness − the experiences of practitioners are given as subjective lived-through experiences. Thus, by problematising the dominant assumptions in the existing strategising research agenda through the proposed theoretical position, we de-objectify strategising, and offer an alternative dimension to studying lived-experience. The central contribution offered in the paper is therefore the reconceptualisation of strategising-as-practice; as phenomena and emergent epiphenomena. As the reflective accounts of pre-reflective experience, we propose to access such phenomena and epiphenomena through the lived-through epiphanic moments of practitioners − those moments where a practitioner clearly remembers a before and after

Learning through the generations: challenging the myths of family business survival.

Learning through the generations: challenging the myths of family business survival

Pedagogies of power:Media Artefacts as Public Pedagogy for Women’s Leadership Development

This article extends the idea of media artefacts as educational resources by examining web-based materials, specifically women’s ‘Power Lists’, to deepen understandings regarding media artefacts’ role in informing women’s leadership learning and development. Women’s underrepresentation in senior leadership roles places leadership development under scrutiny to develop theoretically informed frameworks that draw attention to gendered power relations in organisations. This article addresses this concern by drawing on cultural theory to theorize media artefacts as forms of public pedagogy. The pedagogic framework proposed presents a distinctive addition to leadership education methods that attend to the socio-cultural and recognise the significance of informal learning to leadership learning. Recognising media artefacts’ pedagogic role enables individuals to examine in more detail the gendered nature of the social values and norms that inform leadership discourse, and how these values and norms are promoted, reproduced and sustained through media artefacts

Where is the visible commitment to gender in the advertised content of UK management degree programmes?

The purpose of this paper is to establish the extent to which prospective students can see a visible commitment to study gender in the UK business/management school curriculum prior to enrolment. A content analysis of the descriptions of modules offered as part of business and management degrees offered by 112 UK universities was conducted. The analysis was restricted to the publicly available information on the websites visible to prospective students. Descriptive statistics re the distribution of gender topics across programmes and HEIs are presented in addition to university group affiliation (e.g. Russell Group), and accreditation in respect of variables. The analysis reveals significant gaps in the undergraduate and taught postgraduate offerings of UK business schools that we suggest are reflective of subject silos, and institutional risk reduction strategies. We conclude by arguing that accreditation bodies can use their influence to leverage change and to ensure gender content becomes core to curriculum design and its visibility as part of the practice of management to prospective students. This study provides a benchmark for the visibility of gender as an issue and perspective within UK business/management school offerings

Sensing Feminism

We offer a method for enabling inclusive participation in group discussion: the five senses exercise used by clean language practitioners. The method helped a diverse set of participants with intersectional subject positions articulate their perspectives on feminism in a non-hierarchical way. We describe the basis for the method, the intentions of the session convenor and results from the session. Participants reflect on the method and the responses it evoked. The method is a way of honouring individual perspectives and experiences whilst building connections between people. We think the method is useful for facilitating diverse groups in contexts such as workshops, teaching and meetings at work where the convenor wants to build inclusion and fresh perspectives