#responsible BAO: RMER conference in Lisbon

Insights from the Responsible Management Education Conference

The yearly Responsibe Management Education Research conference is the largest gathering of educators and researchers in the responsible management education field in Europe. This year, the conference was hosted by ISCTE Business School in the captivating city of Lisbon, Portugal. Antje Bierwisch and Julia Waldegger presented a course design at the intersection of entrepreneurship, sustainability, and future skills. Moreover, they engaged in insightful discussions, participated in workshops, and even survived a Zombie apocalypse.

I5 workshop on impactful leadership

In addition to inspiring keynotes, members of the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) community shared their research and teaching projects. The conference opened with the i5 Workshop on Impactful Pedagogies. Experts group developed a playbook for impactful leadership education focusing on learning that is joyful, socially interactive, actively engaging, meaningful, and iterative.

Wicked Festival’s Zombie Apocalypse

In the Wicked Festival, participants discussed wicked problems and the necessary competences to deal with them. Wicked problems are characterized by many interdependent and fast-changing factors and incomplete or contradictory information. As a consequence, they are hard or even impossible to solve. As the facilitator highlighted: “Wicked problems require wicked students!” The workshop participants faced an unexpected wicked challenge: surviving a zombie apocalypse. This engaging and imaginative exercise tested participants’ problem-solving and teamwork abilities, key competencies for responsible management.

Futures Thinking for Sustainable Innovation

Antje Bierwisch and Julia Waldegger presented their design for a course combining futureS thinking, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. Aligned with the EU frameworks for Sustainability (GreenComp) and Entrepreneurship (EntreComp), they aim to support students in further developing their futures thinking skills. Students will be empowered to assess information, come up witharguments to challenge the status quo, envision alternative sustainable futures and identify the necessary steps to make this future a reality. This comprehensive approach to education promises not only to develop capable leaders but also responsible and conscientious individuals committed to making a positive impact on society and the environment.

The conference provided a space for insightful discussions with motivated members of the PRME community. The conversations sparked innovative ideas and reinforced the importance of responsible management education in shaping a sustainable and equitable future.