GENDER DIVERSITY
to transform the leaders of the future, who will in turn shape new gender norms in the workplace. Our teaching needs to challenge traditional stereotypes and encourage individuals to change cultural norms that perpetuate gender-based discrimination. Business education should aim to develop leaders who will take responsibility for organisations and re-create them by placing human rights, equality and the meaning of life at their core. The importance of educating the soul Leadership involves change through meaning-making. Leaders are the source of meaning, which in turn gives purpose to actions through shared values, priorities and beliefs, as cited in Stanislav Andreski’s book, Max Weber on Capitalism, Bureaucracy and Religion . Meaning creation is a huge responsibility; the task of educating leaders – male and female alike – who will be able to carry it with humility and moral consideration is no mean feat and currently lies with business schools. Introducing the Greek concept of paideia may help us reframe the MBA curriculum in the context of training a new generation of managers capable of challenging traditional stereotypes and creating space in organisations where employees can find the right balance between love and work. Paideia means the development of one’s natural, in-born potential. Translated, it literally means education but one that involves both the intellect and the soul. It incorporates the development of an individual’s natural talents, something that is in stark contrast to today’s leadership and management education, which presents the ‘desirable’ profile of a leader as being extroverted, objectifying, rational and quantitative. We train leaders by teaching a default way of how to communicate, network and present themselves to others. In contrast, paideia focuses on personal development grounded in an introverted, subjective mode where the reference point is in the holistic and humanistic dimensions. The call for transformation of management education and incorporation of this and similar concepts is not new. However, while management studies and science have evolved – meaning we now have many more state-of-the-art practices and better financial and scenario-planning tools, as well as more advanced human resource management models and marketing strategies – not enough attention is paid to the secondary aspect of paideia . The concept can be used as a framework for the executive education model, attending to the culture of one’s soul, as well as one’s intellectual development. This approach challenges ego and promotes maturity, focusing on the holistic development of one’s intellectual and soulful potential. The result is a transformative approach to management education that cultivates leaders who are not only skilled, but also deeply attuned to their own and others’ humanity. Embracing paideia will surely help foster a workplace culture that truly values the ability to love and work, ultimately leading to a future where the aspirations of both men and women can be realised on equal terms.
BIOGRAPHY
Dorota Bourne is a professor of leadership and change management at Henley Business School. Her expertise lies in personal and leadership development, executive coaching and change management with extensive teaching and research experience. She also serves as director of Henley’s degree apprenticeship programmes
transforming the values that have created the inequalities in the first place. It is not surprising then that these programmes so often replicate and in fact exacerbate the existing discrimination and exclusion of women (for additional information, please refer to the paper I co-authored and which was presented at the European Academy of Management’s annual conference in June 2015, One step forward and two steps back: women and career progression in academia during times of uncertainty ). To enact real change, we need to go deeper and address the core level of cultural assumptions where gender-related beliefs reside. This kind of work requires the participation not only of women but men too. Men co-create the environments and cultures in which they operate, so excluding them from the training designed to create more equitable workplaces makes no sense whatsoever. Addressing the roots of gender discrimination Management and leadership education, especially MBA programmes, have often been blamed for failing to produce graduates who are more value-oriented and sensitive to social responsibility considerations. This has led to a shift in the MBA curricula and the inclusion of personal development and coaching in executive education programmes, where more emphasis is placed on the person rather than the role. The MBA programme as a journey for personal transformation is based on viewing leaders as whole people; it takes into account their conscious and unconscious influences, personal drive and developmental requirements in order for them to succeed in leading people and organisations. Educators who work on such programmes must be able to tap into the personal and esoteric resources of each individual. The MBA not only teaches the nuts and bolts of leadership, but also resilience, spirituality and transcendence of purpose. These qualities are hard to measure and equally hard to teach. This is the first step in the right direction for business schools and management education providers. Deeper work is needed
Ambition | JULY/AUGUST 2024 | 29
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online