Promoting responsible leadership and sustainability: a case study in management education

Hurford, Grace (2019) Promoting responsible leadership and sustainability: a case study in management education. In: Sharma, Radha R., (ed.) Human resource management for organizational sustainability. Environmental and social sustainability for business advantage collection . Business Expert Press, New York, US, pp. 177-184.

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Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of a residential weeklong program run in the heart of the British Lake District with a unique emphasis on leadership and sustainability. It covers the type of program and how it is run and summarizes some of the evaluation work that has already been carried out. It also includes some of the benefits to the local community that have ensued from such a program. The initial partnership between the University of Cumbria (UoC) and Robert Kennedy College (RKC) in Zurich led to a pilot of our first joint MBA program in Leadership and Sustainability (2010–2011), leading to three full master’s programs commencing in 2013. Entirely online (except this particular 5-day Ambleside residential course), the 18-month to 5-year program is flexible and accessible yet challenging, designed for students who would not otherwise be able to study. Up to 10 residential weeks are delivered annually. Teamwork is crucial to ensure the student residency experience is of a phenomenal quality. The programs have over 2,000 students; over the last 18 months, 400-plus students in groups of 30 from more than 120 countries worldwide have come to Ambleside to participate in a weeklong program of lectures, outdoor activities, and group work. These residencies embody the university’s mission: to provide and promote excellent and accessible higher education that enhances the lives of individuals and fosters the development of the communities to which we belong. In so doing, the university will embrace four guiding themes: sustainability, creativity, employability, and enterprise. The residencies also put into practice the university’s core values of intellectual curiosity, rational enquiry and personal creativity; emotional, creative and spiritual development; social responsibility, equality, diversity, and inclusivity; excellence and achievement; and environmental sustainability. The residential course includes an element of outdoor learning. Recent studies have highlighted the need for more holistic, experiential, interdisciplinary approaches in business and sustainability, and as a pedagogical approach, outdoor learning has much to offer since it lends itself to holistic and experiential learning and enables integration of knowledge and skills from a range of disciplines (Lugg 2007).

Item Type:	Book Section
Publisher:	Business Expert Press
ISBN:	9781947098022
Departments:	Institute of Business, Industry and Leadership > Business
Additional Information:	Chapter 11 within book.
Depositing User:	Anna Lupton
Date Deposited:	28 Mar 2019 11:46
Last Modified:	25 Apr 2024 16:11
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/4594

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