Think Tank
CEMS Magazine | NOVEMBER 2010
founding members
WRITER: Prof. Dr. Thomas Dyllick Vice-President (University of St.Gallen)
The World Business School Council for Sustainable Business During the 2010 annual conference of the Academy of Management Annual Meeting in Montreal - under the theme of "Dare to care: Passion and Compassion in Management Practice and Research" - a small group of concerned deans and professors dared to take a first step to create the World Business School Council for Sustainable Business (WBSCSB).
While there have been many valuable contributions by individual business scholars addressing the pressing sustainability issues of our times, business schools on an institutional level have not yet assumed their responsibility. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development was founded by Swiss Industrialist Stephan Schmidheiny back in 1992 to organise a contribution of the business community to the global challenges posed by sustainable development, business schools have still not managed to organise a collective effort towards this goal. The founding members of the WBSCSB seek to make a first step, recognising the need to establish an organisational structure flexible enough to include all relevant key players in the business school community as the joint effort gains momentum and speed.
Pushing the sustainability agenda There already are a number of organisations pushing the sustainability agenda that include business schools as members or participants. However, there is no organisation of business schools themselves to provide leadership and support for a change towards sustainability on a global basis. EABIS (European Academy of Business in Society), founded in 2002 by five corporations, major European business schools - including a number of CEMS schools - and supported by the European
| 54 |
Commission, is a network of companies, business schools and other institutions committed to putting business in society issues at the heart of management theory and practice. It was instrumental in creating APABIS (Asia Pacific Academy of Business in Society) in 2005 as a sister network for the Asia Pacific region. The GRLI (Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative) was founded in 2004 by EFMD and the UN Global Compact. Its vision is to develop a worldwide network of companies and learning organisations - among them many business schools - aiming to develop a next generation of responsible leaders. And the UN Global Compact created PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) in 2007 to inspire and champion responsible management education, research and thought leadership globally. Its participants include academic institutions, as well as business networks and accreditation agencies.
What is the vision for WBSCSB? It is a sustainability think-tank and platform for action of business schools contributing to making business (more) sustainable. It seeks business schools to contribute through their research, education and engagement. The founders recognise the need to extend existing boundaries both between and within management institutions for relevant and pragmatic solutions to emerge from the academic field. Research must address
the pressing sustainability issues in a global Prof. Dr. Thomas Dyllick, and overarching way, transcending disciplinary Vice-President, University perspectives where necessary, and producing of St. Gallen insights that are timely, widely understood and actionable. Education must embrace sustainability as an integrated function of business in order for The other founding graduates to effectively address sustainability members (pictured above): as part of their management responsibilities. And business scholars and educators can and Dr. Katrin Muff, Dean, should use their competence and reputation to Business School Lausanne, CH; engage in public dialogue and activities to further sustainable development.
Time for business schools to step up The founders are convinced it is high time for business schools to step up and orchestrate scholarly thinking on a global basis to respond effectively to the pressing sustainability issues of our times. The WBSCSB assembles business schools and concerned academic thought leaders in business sustainability, thereby collaborating closely with the business community, international organisations and NGOs. And it works with existing organisations wherever possible, building on what is already being done by other committed organisations. For all interested in supporting or joining the WBSCSB, please go to our webpage: www.wbscsb.com.
| 55 |
Sanjay Sharma, Ph.D., Dean, John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, CA;
Paul Shrivastava, Ph.D., Director, David O'Brian Center for Sustainable Enterprise, Concordia University, CA)