TY - UNPB

T1 - Educating Change Agents for Sustainability

T2 - Learnings from CSM’s MBA in Sustainability Management

AU - Hesselbarth, Charlotte

AU - Schaltegger, Stefan

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - In recent years knowledge and capabilities to manage corporate sustainability have become a significant component of different career paths in companies, consultancies, and even in NGOs and public institutions. As an answer to this worldwide trend of a new profession ever more universities and business schools have taken the initiative to increase their teaching activities in CSR and sustainability management. As most courses do not have a long track record and as only a limited number of management-oriented continuous education studiesexists so far we still know little about how managers could be educated most effectively to become change agents for corporate sustainability. This paper examines a case study and provides insight into ten years of MBA education for sustainability management at CSM, Leuphana University Lueneburg, Germany. Based on data from a recent alumni survey we analyze the corporate practice experiences of the first 85 successful MBAs students and the medium term effects of one of the first MBA programs in sustainability management. Basedon the analysis we propose a competence matrix to structure basic components of postgraduate education in sustainability management. The paper makes a contribution in showing that extant research needs to be expanded with regard to the practical experiences graduated MBA students make when applying the knowledge acquired in their studies and in discussing curriculum development concerning course contents and the didactical approach.

AB - In recent years knowledge and capabilities to manage corporate sustainability have become a significant component of different career paths in companies, consultancies, and even in NGOs and public institutions. As an answer to this worldwide trend of a new profession ever more universities and business schools have taken the initiative to increase their teaching activities in CSR and sustainability management. As most courses do not have a long track record and as only a limited number of management-oriented continuous education studiesexists so far we still know little about how managers could be educated most effectively to become change agents for corporate sustainability. This paper examines a case study and provides insight into ten years of MBA education for sustainability management at CSM, Leuphana University Lueneburg, Germany. Based on data from a recent alumni survey we analyze the corporate practice experiences of the first 85 successful MBAs students and the medium term effects of one of the first MBA programs in sustainability management. Basedon the analysis we propose a competence matrix to structure basic components of postgraduate education in sustainability management. The paper makes a contribution in showing that extant research needs to be expanded with regard to the practical experiences graduated MBA students make when applying the knowledge acquired in their studies and in discussing curriculum development concerning course contents and the didactical approach.

KW - Sustainability sciences, Management & Economics

M3 - Working papers

BT - Educating Change Agents for Sustainability

PB - Centre for Sustainability Management

CY - Lüneburg

ER -