Business Impact covers the big challenges facing global management education as the world asks more of its future business leaders.
ISSUE 6 2025 VOLUME 28
THE MAGAZINE OF THE BUSINESS GRADUATES ASSOCIATION (BGA)
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Contents ISSUE 6 • 2025 • VOLUME 28
05 EDITOR’S LETTER Future-focused business schools must equip students with the tools to transform society 06 BUSINESS BRIEFING The latest selection of news and research from institutions across BGA’s global network 10 COVER STORY CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE A comprehensive guide to adapting curricula, assessments and institutional structures to address societal challenges
32 PARTNERING FOR PROGRESS Crafting collaborations to enhance student experiences 34 IN FOCUS Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics, Finland 36 GUEST COLUMN How institutions can measure inclusion effectively 38 DIRECTOR’S DESPATCH
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Rethinking purpose to meet the needs of changing times
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18 ELEVATING THE EXPERIENCE
Dean Marianne Schmid Mast outlines how HEC Lausanne is seeking to enhance its learning environment with technology 24 CULTIVATING A CULTURE OF SCHOLARSHIP How teaching-oriented schools can also be scholarly 28 CLOSING THE GENERATION GAP Nurturing ecosystems in which multigenerational differences become a strategic asset
14 THE JOY OF
WORKING TOGETHER A look at how combining spheres of informal interaction, or ‘third spaces’, with dynamics of play can inject meaning and emotional resonance into workplaces
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EDITOR’S LETTER
EDITORIAL
Content editor Tim Banerjee Dhoul t.dhoul@amba-bga.com Head of editorial Colette Doyle c.doyle@amba-bga.com Art editor Sam Price
LIVING UP TO THE CHALLENGE
To address pervasive global issues in business and society, management education must acknowledge and start fulfilling its responsibility to be a catalyst for positive change
Sub-editor Heather Ford
T he world is demanding more of its organisations Survey and the Purpose Pulse 2024 report have demonstrated that Millennials and Gen Z are looking for far greater awareness and action towards social equality than their predecessors. This has important ramifications for those charged with developing the next generation of business leaders. “Organisations that are not aligned with Millennial and Gen Z values risk losing favour with this large and increasingly and institutions, as consumer consciousness continues to rise. Polls such as the Deloitte Global Gen Z and Millennial influential cohort. Business leaders can and should help drive meaningful change on the issues that matter most to these groups, like racial justice, inequality and climate change,” declared Deloitte’s US sustainability leader, Michele Parmelee, in an article for Forbes . It’s a point that is not lost on the authors of our cover feature. “Business schools around the world have a responsibility to educate future leaders who can drive social change. This imperative warrants a rethink of curricula and assessment,” write the University of Bath School of Management’s Soheil Davari and Colin Higgins at Deakin Business School. Davari and Higgins then detail how programmes can be reformulated around the promotion of social good and how schools can engender a shift in internal structures, faculty development
Insight, content & PR manager Ellen Buchan e.buchan@amba-bga.com CORPORATE Membership director Victor Hedenberg v.hedenberg@amba-bga.com
and external partnerships. The ultimate goal is to give graduates the tools to create positive impact in business and society and become effective leaders for the future. Elsewhere, we hear of innovative uses of technology in developing interpersonal skills in our interview with HEC Lausanne dean Marianne Schmid Mast. In one, students learn to cope with public speaking anxieties by going in at the deep end, via a virtual reality headset that allows them to give their presentation from a plank situated high above a precipice. Schmid Mast also tells us about her ambition to help more faculty members receive educational support before taking on university leadership roles. “Many say they would have loved to undergo some sort of training before taking these positions,” she advises. There’s also a look at how a broader definition of what constitutes academic inquiry at Acsenda School of Management (ASM) enables it to promote a culture where scholarship infuses teaching and learning on a daily basis. “You do not need to choose between being career-oriented and being academic,” argues ASM’s Mohsen Rezazadeh. “Our experience shows that professional relevance and scholarly depth can coexist and strengthen one another.”
Director of business school engagement Debbie Kemp d.kemp@amba-bga.com Head of business development – BGA Richard Turner r.turner@amba-bga.com Senior marketing executive – digital lead Shareen Pennington s.pennington@amba-bga.com Commercial assistant Georgia Herbert g.herbert@amba-bga.com Commercial relations director Max Braithwaite m.braithwaite@amba-bga.com Head of marketing & communications Leonora Clement l.clement@amba-bga.com Finance & commercial director Catherine Walke r Director of accreditation & director of BGA services Mark Stoddard Chief executive officer Andrew Main Wilson
Tim Banerjee Dhoul Editor , Business Impact
GENERAL ENQUIRIES bga-membership@amba-bga.com
Copyright 2025 by The Association of MBAs and Business Graduates Association . All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. While we take care to ensure that editorial is independent, accurate, objective and relevant for our readers, BGA accepts no responsibility for reader dissatisfaction rising from the content of this publication. The opinions expressed and advice given are the views of individual commentators and do not necessarily represent the views of BGA. Whenever an article in this publication is placed with the financial support of an advertiser, partner or sponsor, it will be marked as such. BGA makes every opportunity to credit photographers but we cannot guarantee every published use of an image will have the contributor’s name. If you believe we have omitted a credit for your image, please email the editor.
Business Impact • ISSUE 6 • 2025 5
BRIEFING A new hub for cutting-edge research, how AI could support digital mental health and a campaign to persuade students to set their sights on Germany all feature in this round-up of news and research from BGA schools. Tim Banerjee Dhoul and Ellen Buchan report THE LATEST NEWS FROM ACROSS BGA’S NETWORK Business
NEW HUB HOPES TO HELP SHAPE LATIN AMERICA’S FUTURE
explains the dynamics of international business and provides insights to guide the decisions shaping the region’s economic and social future,” declared EGADE dean Horacio Arredondo. “Partnering with Henley Business School allows us to broaden this effort with a global perspective and strengthen the relevance of our contributions to the region.” The DLAC will serve as a regional hub for Henley Business School’s Dunning Centre for International Business, established almost 60 years ago. “This new hub complements the Dunning Africa Centre, underlining the growing relevance of these two continents in the new global economic order,” explained Rajneesh Narula, director of the Dunning Centre for International
Business and professor of international business regulation at Henley. Shifts in today’s global order, as well as their implications for global value chains in Latin America, were the subject of Narula’s keynote address at the DLAC’s launch. The event, held at EGADE’s campus in Mexico City’s Santa Fe district, also featured a panel discussion encompassing speakers from Universidad EAFIT in Colombia and Rutgers Business School in the US. The centre marks the start of a new strategic partnership between the institutions. “We want to be able to engage in cutting-edge research with policymakers, business leaders and academics across the region and EGADE are the ideal partners for this initiative,” Narula added. TBD
SCHOOL EGADE Business School Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
GADE Business School has joined forces with Henley Business School to launch the
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Dunning Latin America Centre (DLAC), a research hub designed to promote academic excellence, industry collaboration and policy insights across Latin America. “At EGADE, our purpose is to rethink the future of business to impact the sustainable development of Latin America. Through the Dunning Latin America Centre, we will advance this vision by generating research that
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NEWS DIGEST
“At the end of 2020, the STOP Project’s first campaign led to a 60 per cent increase in calls from social media to Barcelona’s Suicide Prevention Helpline”
After the city helpline launched a chat service to encourage contact from those who found it difficult to pick up the phone, STOP Project campaigns are said to have helped increase chat conversations by up to 1,000 per cent, with 70 per cent of messages coming from women and 40 per cent from those under the age of 18. For Freire, the results indicate AI’s vast potential. “What if generative AI could complement an inefficient public mental health system? Of course, it must always be developed alongside multidisciplinary teams of psychologists and psychiatrists,” she postulated. The issue is particularly stark in Spain, where there are thought to be only six psychologists per 100,000 inhabitants compared to the European average of 18. The project’s international expansion will take its model of providing free emotional support to Colombia, Peru, Chile and Panama, in collaboration with local foundations and governments. EB
DIGITAL MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS AI’S POTENTIAL
in 2017. It seeks to identify patterns associated with mental health issues in social media use by analysing posts, images and user behaviour anonymously. Freire explained that the project’s use of AI allows for the study of “the demographic and behavioural patterns common among users showing signs of suicidal ideation, depression or eating disorders”. Helpline numbers or chat services can then be shared discreetly with users who match those profiles. “Without these campaigns, many people wouldn’t know that such resources exist,” Freire added. At the end of 2020, the STOP Project’s first campaign led to a 60 per cent increase in calls from social media to Barcelona’s Suicide Prevention Helpline.
SCHOOL UPF Barcelona School of Management Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
n AI-fuelled mental health initiative established at UPF Barcelona School of
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Management (UPF-BSM) has received $100,000 in funding from TikTok. With notable achievements across multiple campaigns in Spain, the social media behemoth’s money will be used to scale the project into Latin America. The STOP Project was created by Ana Freire, UPF-BSM vice-dean for social impact and academic innovation,
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SCHOOL Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal SOCIETAL PRESSURE LEADS TO ANXIETY OVER PERSONALITY
new study from the Behaviour Insights Unit at the Católica Lisbon School of Business &
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Economics has found that people often feel the need to change their personality traits to be socially accepted and that this pressure is exacerbated by social media. “Today, both adults and children are exposed to a type of pressure that is silent but highly effective: to appear correct, acceptable and well-adjusted,” the Católica Lisbon team declared. “Social media reinforces this pressure through implicit patterns of behaviour, image and success, which are internalised almost automatically.” The study was based on 50 interviews with participants of various ages in Portugal, drawing on methods of behavioural and psychological analysis. The team discerned “a clear tendency towards the erasure of spontaneity and authenticity”, leading to anxiety, insecurity or identify fatigue. Adopting a “social persona” was found to be particularly pronounced when returning to school or work, as the team explained: “Many interviewees associate the beginning of the work or school year with the need to hide their personality again to avoid conflict or make acceptance easier.” The study, promoted by Portuguese cheese brand Limiano, also found a degree of flexibility in attitudes to personality traits. For example, directness, stubbornness or shyness could all be interpreted as positive or negative, depending on the context and a person’s level of maturity and self-knowledge. EB
SCHOOLS UNITE TO PROMOTE GERMANY AS AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY DESTINATION
to those facing uncertainties elsewhere,” highlighted ESMT president Jörg Rocholl. The overall aim of the initiative is to raise awareness of the benefits of choosing Germany for international study. In the eyes of the participating schools, these include affordable, high-quality programmes with reliable structures for education, academic freedom and everyday life. Christian Andres, dean of WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management noted that the initiative’s timing was all the more important in the context of global uncertainty. Meanwhile, dean and president of Mannheim Business School Joachim Lutz summed up the three schools’ sentiments as follows: “With this alliance, we are sending a clear signal: Germany is an excellent home for international students, as we stand for the highest quality, open-mindedness and outstanding opportunities beyond higher education. We warmly welcome international students.” TBD
SCHOOL ESMT Berlin, Germany
SMT Berlin has embarked on a communications campaign with two other
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schools in Germany to encourage more students to consider studying in the Western European nation. The “Say JA to Germany” initiative features a co-ordinated external communications strategy and unified public positioning between ESMT Berlin, Mannheim Business School and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. In so doing, it draws on the three institutions’ stated synergies of non-profit structures, shared values and strong links to industry. “Germany attracts international students with its excellent teaching, English-language programmes and clear career prospects. The country’s attractive framework conditions make it particularly appealing
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NEWS DIGEST
SCHOOL Indian Institute of Management Indore (IIM Indore), India CONVENTION FOCUSES ON SOCIAL IMPACT OF HIGHER EDUCATION W ith a focus on business education as a force for good, IIM Indore hosted the latest Eduniversal World Convention last month. Addressing an audience of more than 150 deans and directors, IIM Indore director Himanshu Rai spoke of the importance of encompassing ethics in leadership development during the opening keynote: “Education must go beyond success. Our mission is to shape leaders who act with courage, compassion and clarity of purpose.” Leaders at two dual AMBA & BGA accredited institutions – SGH Warsaw School of Economics’ Mariusz Próchniak and Goa Institute of Management’s Ajit Parulekar – then participated in a panel discussion on embedding social impact into a school’s DNA, through curriculum design, research priorities, partnerships and community engagement. On the second day, Sherif Kamel, dean at the American University in Cairo (AUC)’s Onsi Sawiris School of Business, chaired a discussion on responding to geopolitical uncertainty. Later, Assylbek Kozhakhmetov, the founder and president of Almaty Management University and Corvinus University of Budapest rector Bruno van Pottelsberghe featured in a panel on internationalisation strategies. Pushyamitra Bhargav, the mayor of Indore, praised IIM Indore for enhancing the city’s intellectual stature. “Indore has emerged as a vibrant centre of innovation, culture and economic growth,” he enthused. TBD
“GLACIAL” PROGRESS TOWARDS GENDER PARITY ANALYSED IN REPORT
men attain a tertiary qualification in South Africa and that they represent 46 per cent of its economically active population. “Creating a world where women on boards are valued with the same enthusiasm and opportunity as their male counterparts is not only the right thing to do ethically but also makes solid business sense in terms of performance and gaining competitive advantage – yet business is not listening to sense in this regard,” Bosch advised. The latest Women’s Report is the 15th instalment of the business school’s annual publication providing evidence-based insights about women at work. With its focus on board representation, the report delves into the reasons for South Africa’s lack of progress and consider the merits of quota systems. “While quotas and targets are seemingly bearing some fruit in diversifying boards, it is unclear whether there is a recipe or process to follow,” Bosch noted, adding that fixed quotas can be polarising and run the risk of leading to unintentionally negative consequences for women. EB
SCHOOL Stellenbosch Business School Stellenbosch University South Africa
outh Africa’s comparative lack of progress towards gender parity on company
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boards has been highlighted in conjunction with the release of Stellenbosch Business School’s 2025 Women’s Report . Around 19 per cent of directors of companies listed on South Africa’s Johannesburg Stock Exchange are women, a figure said to have remained fairly static over the past five years and one that is some way short of the global average of 23 per cent. Anita Bosch, research chair in women at work at Stellenbosch Business School and editor of the report, described the country’s progress as “glacial”. Bosch, who is also a professor of leadership and organisational behaviour at the school, recommends a 30 per cent target for women on boards, pointing out that more women than
SHARE YOUR NEWS AND RESEARCH UPDATES by emailing Business Impact editor Tim Banerjee Dhoul at t.dhoul@amba-bga.com
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It’s time for business schools to go further and make good on their potential as agents of positive change, say the University of Bath School of Management’s Soheil Davari and Colin Higgins at Deakin Business School. Here, they detail how curricula, assessments and institutional structures can all be adapted to ensure schools play an active role in understanding and addressing societal challenges B usiness schools around the world have a responsibility to educate future leaders who can drive social change. In our times, graduates need more than just technical expertise; they must have the curiosity, motivation, values and insights to steer positive progress. This imperative warrants a rethink of curricula and assessment, as well as closer consideration of the value on offer from cross-university and interdisciplinary collaborations and meaningful co-creation with the community. Why schools must go further It is already widely accepted that business school curricula must stop treating ethics, responsibility and sustainability as an add on. Instead, programmes must allow students to bring values, knowledge and critical thinking skills to identify and evaluate issues, while advancing ethical and socially responsible decisions. Keywords related to sustainability and the Champions OF CHANGE
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) may be common in unit outlines and descriptors, but all too often these are not integrated into teaching and assessment. Educators and students alike must realise that sustainability and social responsibility are essential in business education. Business schools also have a critical role in advancing social good through impactful research and active community engagement. Normally, this amounts to producing evidence-based research that helps shape public policies supporting sustainable development and sharing expertise
Evidence suggests that graduates often lack the critical understanding necessary to effectively address complicated, multi-stakeholder challenges, such as climate change, poverty and social inequality. Yet, business schools are in a privileged position to generate students’ moral ambition and create future leaders who can and will drive change.
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PEDAGOGY
with social enterprises and similar organisations to co-create practical sustainable solutions. However, schools can go further by linking research, practice and education to ensure business education not only reflects important sustainability issues, but also plays an active role in understanding those challenges and imagining solutions. Business schools are in a pivotal position for effectively bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world social impact. Although business school leaders understand the importance of ethics, social responsibility and sustainability, translating vision into actionable steps remains a challenge. The difficulty lies in identifying the changes required and understanding how essential skills in this area and the accompanying mindset can be embedded into often rigid, existing curricula. A bold strategy is needed and leaders must look for creative ways to influence those around them. The current convergence of unprecedented social, environmental and economic challenges, alongside the rapid emergence of generative AI, is fundamentally transforming teaching and work. For business schools, this is a timely opportunity to carve out a leadership position by rethinking pedagogy and fully embedding responsible management into their educational offering. Through this transformation, institutions can redefine their purpose and ensure that future leaders are equipped to navigate complexity with responsibility, empathy and a dedication to the creation of social good. Pedagogies for social good Business schools should begin with a systematic mapping exercise of the existing curriculum against the SDGs. Such a review will enable them to move beyond the superficial inclusion of SDG-related keywords in unit descriptors and instead work towards meaningful integration across disciplines. The exercise should highlight where sustainability, inclusion and ethics are already embedded and where there are opportunities to strengthen alignment with global priorities. Reforming the curriculum for social good should also promote interdisciplinarity and systems thinking. For schools based within universities, for example,
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there are considerable opportunities to work across faculties and create interdisciplinary units focused on societal change. To enable students to appreciate the complex, interconnected nature of global challenges, teaching systems thinking is particularly essential. For instance, operations management modules should examine supply chain resilience and circular economy principles, while marketing courses should cover sustainable consumption, inclusive branding and ethical supply chains. In addition, schools should consider putting engineering students and business students together on capstone units, generating powerful opportunities for innovative solutions. Embedding experiential learning is also critical in developing socially responsible graduates. Projects that engage with local communities directly, for example, are a chance for students to apply classroom learning to real-world problems. When students co‑design projects that respond to community needs, such as those that strengthen local supply chains, advance sustainability initiatives or support social enterprises, they gain practical insight and purpose. Business schools could also establish community- based innovation labs or social impact hackathons where students, faculty and local stakeholders work together to prototype solutions for societal issues. Finally, curricula should explicitly aim to develop transversal skills, such as empathy, ethical reasoning, systems thinking and collaboration as core learning outcomes. These competencies go beyond technical expertise and prepare graduates to lead responsibly in a world that demands both strategic insight and moral awareness. Advancing assessments In a curriculum focused on social good and positive change, assessment strategies should adapt to reflect the real-world complexity of ethical and sustainable decision-making. Traditional written exams often fail to capture the applied, reflective and collaborative skills that students need to tackle societal challenges. Instead, assessments should move towards authentic, practice-based tasks that simulate the contexts students are likely to face as future, responsible leaders. Furthermore, thinking creatively about assessments can strengthen connections between the business school, its students and the wider community. For example, developing business plans and impact
Soheil Davari is director of accreditations and an associate professor at the University of Bath School of Management in the UK. He also serves as the school’s PRME lead and will chair the PRME UK & Ireland Chapter Conference 2026, to be held in Bath Colin Higgins is professor of management and deputy dean at Deakin Business School, Deakin University, Australia. He teaches sustainability and strategy on the Deakin MBA and ensures the school is at the forefront of curriculum and learning experiences that build student capability for impact
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PEDAGOGY
Institutional commitment should also be reflected in governance structures that guarantee coherence, accountability and long-term progress. For example, creating a sustainability or PRME committee can help co-ordinate efforts across departments, align them with the university’s strategic priorities and track progress. Such a committee can also serve as a hub for sharing good practice, encouraging collaboration and building partnerships with external stakeholders. By combining structural support, faculty empowerment and partnerships, business schools can create a sustainable foundation for embedding social good into every aspect of their educational mission. A step-by-step model The traditional business school curriculum is no longer fully suited to a world characterised by uncertainty, complexity and pervasive social challenges. Now is the time for business education to take a decisive step towards placing social good, sustainability and ethical leadership at its core. In addition to the reforms detailed, another way forward could be to introduce a dedicated anchor unit for social good within the curriculum. This would equip students with the practical skills and analytical frameworks needed to identify and address social and environmental problems, ensuring that these themes are not isolated but instead reinforced across other units throughout the programme. A programme of this kind could follow a three-stage structure. The first stage would lay the foundations, introducing students to the SDGs, stakeholder theory and systems thinking. Later stages would then use more hands-on and problem-based learning approaches, focusing on implementation and deeper engagement through units addressing change management, impact assessment and ethical leadership. Finally, aligning curriculum transformation with international accreditation frameworks, such as those offered by AACSB, EQUIS, BGA and PRME, ensures rigour and strategic alignment. These frameworks increasingly value the integration of SDGs and societal impact into learning outcomes, providing a strong external benchmark for responsible management education. By embracing these standards, business schools can institutionalise their commitment to social good, ensuring that graduates are not only capable to lead in dynamic environments but are also equipped to create sustainable, positive impact in business and society.
measurement frameworks will allow students to apply their learning to socially oriented ventures. In a similar manner, pitching ideas to panels of social entrepreneurs, policymakers and impact investors offer valuable experiential learning and feedback opportunities. Role-play-based assessments can be particularly effective in this context, as they simulate real-world decision-making and negotiation scenarios. Lastly, inviting guest speakers, policymakers and industry practitioners to take part in assessments can add an additional layer of authenticity and relevance to students’ learning experience. Their involvement helps bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world practice, exposing students to the complexity, uncertainty and ethical dimensions of business decision-making. Moreover, involving external experts in assessments, as panel members or mentors for example, not only adds credibility but also provides highly useful professional feedback, broadens students’ perspectives and deepens connections between the university, industry and wider society. Structures & partnerships If business schools are to truly embed social good within their curricula, there needs to be a broader shift in internal structures, faculty development and external partnerships. A first step to consider here is creating incentives and providing support mechanisms for faculty to redesign units around social and environmental sustainability. This could include targeted training, curriculum innovation grants and formal recognition for teaching and research that advance responsible management and contribute to the SDGs. When promotion and reward systems explicitly value innovation driven by sustainability, faculty are more likely to embrace these priorities and integrate them into their practices. At the heart of this transformation lies faculty capacity and the extent to which schools support development in this area. After all, while designing socially responsible units is not necessarily complex, it requires educators who are equipped and motivated to teach from this perspective. Since many academics lack prior experience, professional development and peer learning opportunities are vital. Regular workshops, interdisciplinary collaboration and access to global networks such as the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and accreditation conferences can provide educators with the tools and inspiration to reimagine their teaching.
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working together THE JOY OF To nurture cultures of connection and collaboration, organisations can combine spheres of informal interaction,
or ‘third spaces’, with well-crafted dynamics of play. ITESO’s Fernando Ortiz Cueva outlines the approach
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ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE
F irst coined by US sociologist Ray Oldenburg in the 1980s, the interaction that is separate to the more-frequented environments of home and the workplace. Yet, the third space doesn’t just provide an additional physical location; it is also a setting where dialogue, spontaneity and equality emerge naturally among participants. For this reason, the concept has recently regained significance within the professional world, especially in the context of organisational culture. After all, today’s convergence of cultural, concept of the “third space” refers to a social sphere of free and informal generational and technological factors has profoundly reshaped the way we think about cultivating human relationships and constructing a sense of belonging within companies. This, in turn, has led to a renewed interpretation of collaborative culture. The Covid-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for this transformation, dismantling long-held assumptions about productivity, presence and the meaning of connection at work. It demonstrated that the traditional office was neither the only nor necessarily the most effective environment for performance. As hybrid, flexible and remote models became the norm, organisations began to explore the need for intermediate spaces that were neither home nor office but offered the possibility of genuine human exchange. These spaces
contemporary organisations are creating third spaces within their own ecosystems. Other examples include the use of co-working zones, lounges, internal cafés or innovation hubs that serve as informal, connective bridges between individual focus and collective creation. In these environments, interaction is not prescribed but naturally encouraged. This evolution also reflects a broader generational shift. Generation Z, born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, together with the older segment of millennials, now dominate the workforce. For them, the boundaries between work, social life and the digital realm have dissolved almost entirely. Their professional identity intertwines with personal values, self-expression and authentic communication. Consequently, the search for open, participatory workspaces to collaborate, create and express themselves freely has become a strategic priority for forward-thinking organisations. In this sense, third spaces embody interaction, inclusion and belonging. Innovation potential expands significantly within third spaces. This is because they are well-suited to creative methodologies, such as gamification, active learning and project-based collaboration, that enable participants to engage through experimentation and play. These approaches also foster growth that transcends technical or procedural knowledge, cultivating a collaborative culture that challenges routine and nurtures wellbeing. The impact is tangible: improved morale and interpersonal trust, as well as a revitalised sense of shared purpose. In an age defined by digital saturation and mental fatigue, these environments restore the joy of working together. Playful resonance Valuable insights into the use of third spaces in contemporary organisations can be found in the reflections of German sociologist Hartmut Rosa in the 2019 book, Resonance . Rosa introduces resonance as a means of relating to the world in a way that allows individuals’ life experiences to be meaningful, connected and alive. From this perspective arises the idea of “playful resonance”, a living and transformative relationship between people and their environment. In corporate contexts, this translates into individuals’ capacity to engage with their work not merely as a list of duties, but also as an emotionally and symbolically meaningful practice that connects them with what they do, with whom they do it and with the space in which it unfolds.
sought to sustain the fundamental pillars of collaboration: teamwork, communication, participation and the shared construction of knowledge and
learning. Within this evolving landscape, the third space emerged as both a cultural and functional response to a new world of work. The changing landscape The business world is changing, with horizontal, adaptive and human-centred models redefining rigid work structures built on hierarchies, fixed schedules and closed offices. One widely debated example is Spotify’s “agile squad” framework, referring to interdisciplinary, self-managed teams that operate almost like miniature startups. As discussed in a 2023 article for the Product School, each of these teams possesses all the skills needed to design, build and deliver products. Such approaches illustrate how
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ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE
and recognise the intrinsic worth of others. Each interaction strengthens an organisation’s human fabric, converting everyday work into a shared narrative of meaning. Furthermore, when the principles of a third space are united with those of the playful resonance framework, they give rise to relational ecosystems that promote co-existence, mutual recognition and authentic collaboration. This integration allows work to be lived not as a duty, but as a collective experience worth sharing. The result is sustained commitment, creativity and an organisational culture anchored in trust and connection. Cultural statements The intentional design of third spaces, therefore, becomes a cultural statement about the future of work. The environments they create serve not only functional needs but also symbolic ones, embodying the values of openness, inclusion and humanity. When combined with playful resonance, they dissolve traditional barriers of power and hierarchy, making room for a collaborative culture grounded in psychological safety, dignity and shared purpose. Within such settings, organisations develop a living cultural memory that nourishes the “we,” strengthens the bonds that sustain collaboration and transcends the boundaries of the individual “I”. Bringing these concepts together is far more than a design trend or managerial technique. It is a philosophical and cultural proposition and an invitation to rethink work itself as a meaningful, participatory and emotionally resonant experience. It presents a vision that challenges organisations to view collaboration not merely as a strategic advantage, but also as the very foundation of a humane, sustainable and connected future.
In a third space, playful resonance becomes visible in the emotional bonds that emerge naturally from individuals’ spontaneous desire to participate, the pleasure of collaboration and the experience of work as something fulfilling, creative and shared, rather than something that is merely imposed. It is when the concept of the third space converges with that of playful resonance that a profound experiential synthesis occurs. Individuals connect with one another and with their activities through curiosity, challenge, discovery and collective joy. Work becomes an act of voluntary engagement rather than an obligation. Resonance, as Rosa describes, awakens emotion and this, in turn, opens the door to genuine connection and collaborative vitality. A social instrument Organisations are increasingly recognising playful resonance as an essential means of cultivating meaningful, collective experiences. “Play”, in this context, transcends leisure by functioning as a social instrument for building trust and cohesion. Through well-crafted dynamics of play, whether individual or group-based, teams forge stronger bonds, a sense of belonging and a shared identity. The result is not a forced or artificial camaraderie but a naturally emerging one that is rooted in lived experience. To play together with resonance is, ultimately, to collaborate from the most human dimension possible. Through the deliberate cultivation of playful resonance in third spaces, workplaces evolve into territories of voluntary participation and emotional engagement. In these environments, play serves as both a mirror and a method, enabling people to co-exist amid difference, solve conflicts creatively
Fernando Ortiz Cueva is co‑ordinator of the Game-Based Learning Unit in the Department of Economics, Administration and Marketing at ITESO Business School, Mexico. He previously co‑ordinated its undergraduate programme in human resources. Ortiz Cueva holds a PhD in education from Universidad Marista de Guadalajara
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RESEARCH AND INSIGHT: STAY AHEAD OF THE TRENDS IN BUSINESS EDUCATION
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At HEC Lausanne, virtual reality (VR) lifts students high above their audience so that they can acclimatise to public speaking, whatever the conditions. This is just one way in which the school is seeking to enhance its learning environment and ability to prepare tomorrow’s leaders for what lies ahead, as dean Marianne Schmid Mast reveals. Interview by Tim Banerjee Dhoul Elevating the experience P icture yourself getting ready to deliver a presentation to a large audience from a TedX-style stage, with its large, dimly lit audience unfolding before you and imposing branding looming over you from
groups of students from cohorts of around 500 get to experience this approach as part of her bachelor’s‑level leadership class. Using technology to build interpersonal skills The technique offers an intriguing example of innovation at the school, as it seeks to build students’ interpersonal skills and highlight their importance to the successful modern leader. As Schmid Mast points out, the old stereotypical notion of a leader spending their time thinking through problems and drawing up strategies alone simply doesn’t match the reality. “The studies show that leaders spend about 80 per cent of their time in social interactions of some sort and there’s also research indicating that those who spend more time in social interactions have better leadership outcomes, measured as satisfaction and sometimes as efficiency. So, it seems to be a good thing if you have interpersonal skills and these might also be the most complicated attributes for artificial intelligence (AI) to replace.” However, the HEC Lausanne dean is keen to use AI technology to enhance students’ leadership development. One idea she has right now concerns
behind. Now imagine that, instead of the stage, you’re standing on a thin wooden plank over a precipice situated high above your audience. This is the setting devised by HEC Lausanne dean Marianne Schmid Mast to enhance students’ public speaking skills using immersive VR. “The trick is that we artificially increase the stress in an already stressful situation by inducing the fear of heights. We then train them in that situation to breathe and give their speech,” she explains. The idea is that by overcoming such adverse conditions, a normal public speaking requirement becomes “a piece of cake”. A psychologist by background and a professor of organisational behaviour at the wider University of Lausanne, Schmid Mast goes on to outline the science of exposure theory, how the body adapts physiologically to stressors and how this kind of training can yield good results in combatting social anxiety. She then shares how small
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INTERVIEW WITH THE DEAN
Marianne Schmid Mast is a professor of organisational behaviour at the University of Lausanne and dean of HEC Lausanne, Switzerland. Before joining the University of Lausanne in 2014, Schmid Mast was a professor at the University of Neuchâtel. A former member of the Swiss National Research Council and a former president of the Swiss Psychological Society, Schmid Mast was named among the 50 most influential living psychologists three years in a row by TheBestSchools. She holds a PhD in psychology from the University of Zurich.
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the use of deepfake technology to further improve public speaking abilities. “If you want to become a good presenter, you might watch, let’s say, Barack or Michelle Obama giving a wonderful speech and then try to imitate what they do. But what if we can use ourselves as the perfect role model? Wouldn’t a deepfake video of myself giving the perfect speech, just like Michelle Obama, promote self-efficacy? Because if I can see myself performing perfectly, I can already do it,” Schmid Mast hypothesises. There have been interesting results in this area, notes the HEC Lausanne dean, but she concedes that the concept could backfire among those who simply don’t like the way they look on video: “The research isn’t completely there yet, but I think there are possibilities,” she surmises. Furthering faculty leadership Schmid Mast’s enthusiasm for employing innovations in teaching is mirrored in her demeanour when speaking of her “quest” to boost leadership in higher education by facilitating the development of those who take on senior roles. “If you recruit from the professors within your faculty for the role of a dean or provost, for example, they will not usually have any management
experience or leadership training. We have some data on this and many say they would have loved to have undergone some sort of training before taking these positions, so I’m trying to establish that in Switzerland.” The school runs a popular and long-established healthcare concentration to its executive MBA (EMBA) that has grown steadily in popularity and now accounts for roughly half of all students on the programme. For Schmid Mast, this showcases how a sector can both recognise the value of leadership training and encourage practitioners to develop. “The demand in the healthcare sector for training is much more advanced than other sectors. So many people [enrol on the EMBA programme] because it has become something of a requirement to be promoted in their field, which, in a sense, is a stipulation the universities themselves don’t have,” she shares. Schmid Mast currently teaches leadership to cohorts of female professors who aspire to an institutional leadership role as part of a national-level initiative programme, known as the High Potential University Leaders Identity & Skills Training (HIT) programme. Two participants from each of the 10 participating universities are selected for the programme each year, but Schmid Mast thinks they
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INTERVIEW WITH THE DEAN
and select, so that’s something I work on a lot at the university and in the faculty, to try and ensure that our processes are as unbiased as possible.” The HEC Lausanne dean details how the school has developed a mini-massive open online course on selection bias that is now mandatory for staff and faculty to watch before they participate in hiring committees. Also available on a voluntary basis are what she terms “sensitisation trainings” held with an improvisation theatre group. Recalling one example on the topic of sexual harassment, Schmid Mast explains: “The group acts out scenes where, let’s say, a professor makes an unnecessary comment about a student’s appearance or something similar. Then the audience thinks about solutions – for example, if a witness could intervene. It’s a typical situation you might find in a meeting where somebody makes an inappropriate joke and everybody laughs, but really you should say something.” The value of values The same theatre group also plays a part in workshops on integrity, as part of HEC Lausanne’s recently established onboarding days initiative at bachelor’s level. In this, first-year students are introduced to each of the school’s RICE values (rigour, integrity, collaboration and entrepreneurship), with the aim of facilitating their integration into the university environment and requirements of its curriculum.
can go further. “It’s great to do it for women, but we should do it for everybody who has an institutional leadership role, either before they start in these positions, or right at the beginning.” Widening access for women Of course, that doesn’t mean the HEC Lausanne dean is satisfied with the current level of gender equity in higher education leadership. When asked if opportunities for women to reach the highest positions in the industry have improved in recent years, her reply is forthright: “The glass is either half full or half empty, meaning that things have improved a little and the number of female professors has increased over the years, but it’s still very low when compared to the pool of available female talent who are completely capable of doing it.” In Switzerland, one issue Schmid Mast identifies is the notion that families can live on one income alone. This has proven difficult to dispel in a country that ranks among the world’s highest for GDP per capita, which “gets you into very traditional gender roles”. “There are tonnes of programmes to foster female leadership,” she continues, “but many people are against them because they believe it implies that something is wrong with the women and that you need to fix the system so that they can advance. Plus, there is bias from the people who promote
Above left: HEC Lausanne is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva Right: Collaboration is one of the business school’s core values
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