Education about and for Sustainability in Australian business schools

Stage 3: Partnering business schools with corporations

There is a growing need for managers and leaders to create and implement organisational change strategies for sustainability. Corporations and business schools are beginning to recognise the importance of their role to develop, foster and encourage these capacities.

This project brought together five of Australia’s leading business schools in collaboration with selected business and industry partners to provide direction for organisations on how to implement changes to the way they conduct their business activities.

The participating business schools were:

• Graduate School of Business at Curtin University of Technology
   
• Griffith Business School
   
• Macquarie Graduate School of Management
   
• RMIT University’s Graduate School of Business
   
• University of Technology Sydney’s Faculty of Business.

Aim

The project’s aim was to first create change for sustainability in the learning and teaching focus of the five participating Australian business schools and then within the operations of the business schools and their partner corporations. It was funded by the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA).

Background

A previous Stage One project had examined business schools in Australia and overseas to identify and benchmark best practice in education about and for sustainability in MBA and Executive programs. Then Stage Two focused on driving change within seven leading Australian business schools that worked together to make changes to their MBA programs using Education for Sustainability and action research principles. 

This Stage Three project continued to build partnerships between corporations and the business schools involved in the project to improve organisational capacity to address sustainability challenges. It will also serve to accelerate the change needed to achieve measurable sustainability outcomes.

Report and recommendations

The comprehensive report of this project has useful lessons for business and industry organisations, universities and governments who are interested in bringing about change through embedding sustainability in professional education and training. It includes recommendations for:

• embedding sustainability at the system level of the university and the business school
   
• embedding sustainability in teaching and learning practices
   
• establishing effective co-learning relationships with business and industry.

 

 

Thomas J and Benn S (2009) 'Education about and for Sustainability in Australian Business Schools Stage 3: An action research program'. A report prepared by the Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability for the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.