This book channels the debate on the relevance, value, and future of business schools. Could the Business School be like the Titanic, thought to be unsinkable, but ultimately doomed? And if it sinks, what of it? Or is it a ship which can adapt to the changing waters it sails in? In this book, authors from around the world debate the current and future legitimacy of the Business School from different contexts and perspectives. While some see very little or no hope at all to the future of the Business School as a legitimate centre for research and education, others remain critical, but see a way forward to rectify today’s concerns, such as around sustainability and inclusivity. This book highlights to readers thought-provoking complexities on the Business School playground and its legitimacy.
Author(s): Anders Örtenblad, Riina Koris
Series: Palgrave Debates in Business and Management
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 336
City: Cham
Praise for Debating Business School Legitimacy
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Part I Background and Introduction
1 Introducing the Debate on the Legitimacy of Business Schools
Introduction
What Have Business Schools Been For?
Previous Criticism of Business Schools and Their Legitimacy
What Makes This Book Unique: A Kaleidoscopic Take
On the Debating Format and the Editors’ Position(s)
The Editors’ Take on the Book Content
Introduction of the Chapters
References
2 (De)Legitimacy of Managerialism Within Business Schools
Introduction to Managerialism
Organizational Legitimacy and Historical Development of B-Schools
Legitimacy Theory and Legitimacy in B-Schools
Historical Expansion of Managerialism in B-Schools
From Modern University to Multiversity
From Multiversity to Managerial University
Signals of (De)Legitimacy of Managerialism
References
Part II Attacking Status Quo
3 Business Schools in Their Ideological Prison: Why Sustainability Challenge Is Our Next Legitimacy Crisis
Business Schools’ Legitimacy Crises
Business School Capitalism and Sustainability
Institutionalization of Business School Capitalism
Neoliberalism
Shareholderism
Managerialism
Ingredients of Business School Capitalism
Business Schools as Imprisoned by Their Ideological Success
Sustainability as the New Ideological Bandwagon
Ways Out of the Ideological Prison
Renewed Identity as a Critical, Business, and Economy Focused Social Science
Ambitious Theory Development
Educating Students on Multifaceted Reality
References
4 The Reflexive Impotence and Neoliberal Neurosis of the Responsible Business School
Introduction
The Slow Turn of Responsible Management Education
The Reflexive Impotence of Business School Faculty
The Neoliberal Neurosis of a CSR Curriculum
In Class with the Psychopathic Selfishness of Economic Man
What Is to Be Done?
References
5 Business School Burnout: Endangering Legitimacy on Pathological Pathways
Introduction
Distressing Trends in Society and the Business World
Business Schools on Pathological Pathways
Depression
Insomnia
Burnout
Conclusion
References
Part III Rocking the Boat of Status Quo
6 The Business School in Ruins: Navigating the Multi-stakeholder Landscape of Contemporary Management Scholarship
Introduction
Legitimacy and Business Schools
The Current Situation
External
Internal
The Legitimacy Dimension of Stakeholder Theory
Conclusion
References
7 Delegitimizing Women Management Scholars’ Underrepresentation in the Research Impact Agenda
Symbolic, Substantive, and Hypocritical Legitimacy
The Research Impact Agenda
Female Faculty Gender Inequality in Business Schools
Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings
Financial Times Rankings Data on Women in Business School
Legitimacy-as-Process
Implications for Research and Practice
Conclusion
References
8 The Myth of the Global Market for Business Education
Introduction
International Sorting of Academic Institutions
Rankings
Accreditations
The Basic Assumptions
Properties of Higher Education
Alumni in the Labor Market
Conclusions
References
9 On How Intercultural Management Education Can Increase the Societal Legitimacy of Business Schools
On Problems and Solutions of Business School Legitimacy
Who If Not Business Schools?
How Intercultural Management Education Can Increase the Legitimacy of Business Schools
What’s Intercultural Management?
Six Dimensions of Intercultural Management Education to Promote Business School Legitimacy
Conclusion
References
10 On the Dilemmatic Legitimacy of Business Schools: The Barbell Syndrome and the Dominance of Business Degrees
The Resilience of Business Schools Since the Turn of the Century
The Barbell Syndrome
Performance Versus Purpose
Research Versus Teaching
Faculty-Centrality Versus Student-Centrality
The Origin of the Modern Business School
Why Are Business Administration Degrees Attractive and Resilient?
How Can Business Schools Overcome the Barbell Syndrome?
Overriding the Barbell Syndrome
Focusing on One of the Barbell’s Alternatives
Differentiating While Downplaying the Barbell
Breaking Away from the Barbell Syndrome and Disrupting the Standard Business Degree Model
Conclusion
Notes
References
11 How Business Schools Can Graduate Business Citizens
Introduction
A Case for the School of Business
Character and Business Education
The Role of a School of Business
Character Development as Part of the Curriculum
Moral Awareness
Moral Judgment
Moral Motivation
Moral Courage
Reflection
Developing Business Citizens, Not (Only) Business Professionals
Leveraging the University Experience
Connecting with Other Disciplines
Schools of Business as Corporate Citizens
Conclusion
References
12 The Market’s Filthy Lesson: Disruption for Business and Management Education in Australian Public Universities
Introduction
Sources of Legitimacy for Australian Business Schools
Changing Society, Changing Needs
A New Coal Face
Possible Implications
Conclusions
References
13 How Business Schools Address Grand Societal Challenges Through Research: Personal Reflections and a Call to Arms
Introduction
Literature Review
Historical Perspective: Business Schools Are a “Burning Platform”
Designing “Lower Walls” to Impact “Grand Challenges”
Institutional Challenges to Addressing Grand Challenges
Institutional Facilitators for Addressing Grand Challenges
University Structures for Addressing Grand Challenges
The Business School’s Research Contribution for Grand Challenges
Branding the Business School to Address Grand Challenges
Addressing Grand Challenges Is an International Phenomenon
Personal Reflections
Incentives for Research to Address Grand Challenges
Career Trajectories for Researchers to Address Grand Challenges
Engaging Other Departments in Your Research to Address Grand Challenges
Engaging with Practice to Address Grand Challenges
Addressing Grand Challenges Takes Time
Conclusion
References
Part IV Defending Status Quo
14 Compared to What? A Realist Defense of Business School
A Stylized Critique of Business School Education
What Are the Liberal Arts For?
The Psychological Basis of Liberal Arts
How Much Do Students Even Learn? How Much Do They Retain?
Selection Effects and Comparing College Grads to Others
Summary
References
Afterword: After the Business School
Introduction
The Epistemology and Finance of Closure
The Politics of the “School for Organizing”
References
Index
