Today’s evolving digital tools and platforms herald the arrival of a new model of human thinking and learning. PUCP’s Iván Figueroa ruminates on the difference between soft and hard forms of engagement and asks how business school academics can continue to wield credibility and impact in the lives of younger generations engagement equation The
tendencies towards technological immersion, multitasking, multiple screens, multiple platforms and short videos. In this context, two forms of engaging emerge: soft and hard. The limits of soft engagement A class of soft engagement derives from processes associated with traditional business education. Here, student motivation or persuasion is based on a combination of two aspects: the fundamental elements of our traditional model of teaching, learning and content on the one hand, alongside apps, simulations and social media on the other. It is tutors and professors who will usually merge these two aspects; people who are not experts in technological immersion, virtual reality, augmented reality, extended reality, headsets, sensory levels, wiring methods, simulations labs and so on. Yet, the younger generation is so used to digital tools and social media that WhatsApp and other mobile applications have become the new models for reading, writing and thinking styles, while TikTok and genAI have become fundamentals for visual thinking and learning. This raises the question of whether tutors and professors are being asked to become amateur digital performers in the powerful business of genAI and entertainment. Most will be using their own traditional teaching experience but this may not be enough in a
W hat does an “engaging business class” mean in a generative AI world? Delightful and captivating, perhaps? Or persuasive, motivating, inspiring and moving? The answer is not simple because engaging is one of the most complex concepts today. After all, Generation Z’s social media consumption habits have been well documented, as have its
32 Ambition • ISSUE 5 • 2026
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online