Sowing the Seeds of Change: Calling for a Social–Ecological Approach to Management Learning and Education

This text calls for a social-ecological approach to management learning and education (MLE) in response to the accelerating ecological crisis and climate emergency. It highlights the devastating consequences of these crises and the need for MLE to address them. The text argues that MLE has contributed to the current state of affairs through teaching narrow and mechanistic approaches to business and economics. However, it also emphasizes that MLE has a crucial role to play in envisioning and shaping a thriving future. A social-ecological approach to MLE recognizes the interdependence between environment, society, and business, and emphasizes the promotion of human and ecological flourishing. The text suggests five areas of inquiry to foster the development of this approach, including examining the purpose of MLE, bringing different philosophical approaches into the classroom, strengthening collaboration across disciplines, critically examining teaching content, and rethinking pedagogy. It concludes by urging management educators and business school leaders to take action and contribute to transforming MLE to address the ecological and climate crises.