Rethinking Management Education

Business schools have shaped the systems driving today’s economy and now they must help reshape them for a sustainable future. This open access book challenges the traditional assumptions of business education and offers a practical roadmap for preparing future leaders to navigate the complex sustainability challenges of the 21st century. Drawing on decades of research, teaching, and collaboration with universities, corporations, and international organizations, it bridges the gap between sustainability theory and classroom practice.

Combining critical analysis with practical tools, this book demonstrates how business schools can integrate sustainability into curricula, assessment, and strategy—offering concrete frameworks, global perspectives, and actionable steps for educating responsible leaders. It explores how to build core sustainability competencies while also motivating students and faculty to engage meaningfully with sustainability challenges. The book further examines the evolution of business theory, the role of global frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the responsibilities of business schools in shaping responsible management.

What sets this book apart is its action-oriented approach. Alongside conceptual insights, readers will find a rich collection of classroom-tested teaching tools, case exercises, and pedagogical frameworks designed to help educators integrate sustainability meaningfully into business curricula. It will be of great interest to faculty and educators seeking to embed sustainability in business teaching, leaders of business schools navigating institutional transformation, policymakers and accreditation bodies shaping the future of management education, as well as students and practitioners interested in responsible leadership.

Caroline D. Ditlev-Simonsen is a Professor at BI Norwegian Business School and Co-Director of the BI Centre for Sustainability and Energy with extensive international corporate- and organizational experience in the areas of sustainability and corporate responsibility. Sitting on various committees and boards, she has influenced the development of laws and regulations in the field.