Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 39 |
| Journal | Academy of Management Learning and Education |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - Oct 2018 |
Keywords
- management
- non-essentialist approached to management
- phenomenography
- variation theory
- social contruction
- student-centered learning
Cite this
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Towards a non-essentialist approach to management education : philosophical underpinnings from phenomenography. / Billsberry, Jon; Ambrosini, Véronique; Garrido-Lopez, Mariano; Stiles, David .
In: Academy of Management Learning and Education, 10.2018.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Towards a non-essentialist approach to management education
T2 - philosophical underpinnings from phenomenography
AU - Billsberry, Jon
AU - Ambrosini, Véronique
AU - Garrido-Lopez, Mariano
AU - Stiles, David
PY - 2018/10
Y1 - 2018/10
N2 - The classic approach to management education is manager-centric and assumes there is an essential nature to management. Drawing on ideas from interpretivist epistemologies, the social construction of leadership, phenomenography, and variation theory, we discuss the implications for management education of taking a non-essentialist approach and regarding the nature of management as unknown and unknowable. We focus on phenomenography for two reasons. First, when applied to the task of defining management, it is built on interpretivist roots where the knowledge and understanding of the observer is paramount. Second, it is also a theory of learning with direct application to management research and teaching. Building on these insights, we highlight the importance of students becoming active investigators of management and we offer practical teaching implications on how students might be encouraged to engage in experiences that identify variations in the ways that management is conceptualized and performed. We also consider how such an approach brings a fresh perspective on what management education is about, the role of the educator, and how it informs the ongoing debates relating to the institutional pressures that business schools face.
AB - The classic approach to management education is manager-centric and assumes there is an essential nature to management. Drawing on ideas from interpretivist epistemologies, the social construction of leadership, phenomenography, and variation theory, we discuss the implications for management education of taking a non-essentialist approach and regarding the nature of management as unknown and unknowable. We focus on phenomenography for two reasons. First, when applied to the task of defining management, it is built on interpretivist roots where the knowledge and understanding of the observer is paramount. Second, it is also a theory of learning with direct application to management research and teaching. Building on these insights, we highlight the importance of students becoming active investigators of management and we offer practical teaching implications on how students might be encouraged to engage in experiences that identify variations in the ways that management is conceptualized and performed. We also consider how such an approach brings a fresh perspective on what management education is about, the role of the educator, and how it informs the ongoing debates relating to the institutional pressures that business schools face.
KW - management
KW - non-essentialist approached to management
KW - phenomenography
KW - variation theory
KW - social contruction
KW - student-centered learning
U2 - 10.5465/amle.2017.0401
DO - 10.5465/amle.2017.0401
M3 - Article
JO - Academy of Management Learning and Education
JF - Academy of Management Learning and Education
SN - 1537-260X
ER -