TY - JOUR
T1 - John Dewey and continuing management education
T2 - problem-based learning for organizational sustainability
AU - Thomassen, Anja Overgaard
AU - Jørgensen, Kenneth Mølbjerg
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss how Dewey’s notions of experience, inquiry and reflection can increase managers’ capacity to cope with sustainability transitions. Design/methodology/approach: Problem-based learning is discussed as an approach for enabling sustainable management learning. Dewey’s concepts of experience, inquiry and reflection are used to conceptualize learning as an iterative “self-corrective” learning process toward sustainability. Two public managers’ experiences of a personal development module in a management education program are used to discuss how Dewey’s concepts work to integrate practice and theory. Findings: Dewey’s problem-based learning framework has the potential to increase managers’ capability to cope with complex and multifaceted challenges such as sustainability because of its focus on problem-solving. Practical implications: Management is a social practice. Management education can support management learning if management is perceived as a practice. Originality/value: Sustainable management learning is presented as an iterative and gradual learning process aimed toward settled inquiry that emerges when sustainable solutions work satisfactory in relation to the multiple and contradictory forces, which are in play in real-life situations.
AB - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss how Dewey’s notions of experience, inquiry and reflection can increase managers’ capacity to cope with sustainability transitions. Design/methodology/approach: Problem-based learning is discussed as an approach for enabling sustainable management learning. Dewey’s concepts of experience, inquiry and reflection are used to conceptualize learning as an iterative “self-corrective” learning process toward sustainability. Two public managers’ experiences of a personal development module in a management education program are used to discuss how Dewey’s concepts work to integrate practice and theory. Findings: Dewey’s problem-based learning framework has the potential to increase managers’ capability to cope with complex and multifaceted challenges such as sustainability because of its focus on problem-solving. Practical implications: Management is a social practice. Management education can support management learning if management is perceived as a practice. Originality/value: Sustainable management learning is presented as an iterative and gradual learning process aimed toward settled inquiry that emerges when sustainable solutions work satisfactory in relation to the multiple and contradictory forces, which are in play in real-life situations.
KW - Dewey
KW - Experience
KW - Inquiry
KW - Management education
KW - Problem-based learning
KW - Sustainability
U2 - 10.1108/JWL-05-2020-0080
DO - 10.1108/JWL-05-2020-0080
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85099740979
SN - 1366-5626
VL - 33
SP - 229
EP - 242
JO - Journal of Workplace Learning
JF - Journal of Workplace Learning
IS - 3
ER -