Learning Leadership for Flourishing Through Responsibilization

Location: University of Nicosia

Address: 46 Μακεδονίτισσης, 2417 Nicosia

Date: 9 Apr

Learning Leadership for Flourishing: Cultivating and Activating Responsibilization

Despite calls to mark this as the ‘decade of action’ (UN, 2021) and the priority of responsible leadership to take center stage (WEF, 2021), limited progress is being recorded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). This lack of progress or indeed attending to wider calls for a values-based economy (Carney, 2021), restoring character and value-based organizational practices (Goodstein & Gentile, 2021) is being attributed to the quality of education itself, prompting ongoing calls for Universities (and Business Schools in particular), to ‘step up and provide more responsible education’ (Jack, 2024).

Some claim that education is responsible for the limited sense of responsibility (Schinkel, 2022), while others attribute the vagueness (or otherwise referred to ‘axiological ambiguity’) in the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) (Audebrand & Pepin, 2022). The tensions, tradeoffs and paradoxes of incorporating ‘the values of global social responsibility’ expose on one level the ‘hidden curriculum’[1] in responsible management education (Hibbert & Wright, 2023). On another level, they signal that we remain trapped in the preoccupation with looking good, as opposed to doing good, perpetuating the ‘knowing-doing gap’ (Pfeffer and Sutton, 1999).

In short, assessing the potential to act and supporting social actors in pursuing meaningful goals, forming choices and making decisions, calls for a new educational and learning agenda that explores how active agents negotiate change and learn in ways that allow them to make prudent judgments (phronesis) (Antonacopoulou, 2010; Shotter & Tsoukas, 2014).

Boards of Directors, HRM/HRD executives, Chief Learning/Sustainability/Strategy officers charged with designing and leading a Strategic Organization Learning agenda for a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA – Bennett and Lemoine, 2014) world need to invest in learning leadership (Antonacopoulou & Bento, 2016). An agenda for learning leadership is as much about educating for ethics, virtue and character-based leadership (López González et al., 2023), as it is about understanding the human condition and the ways in which learning needs to be supported to bring responsibility and reflexivity more centrally (Antonacopoulou & Bento, 2018).

Business Schools in particular, need to step up to foster a learning leadership capacity building orientation that works for the individual learners, that supports directly the leadership across levels (individual, team, organization) and propels impact that is marked by choices based on practical judgements that elevate decisions made as a direct response to grand challenges of our time.

This leadership development agenda is closely associated with calls to advance leadership beyond the ‘zombie’ theories that still dominate the mainstream zeitgeist (Haslam et al., 2024) prompting calls for a critical reexamination of the ‘normativization’ of leadership especially to the ends to which it is directed (Papastephanou, 2024).

We promote therefore, a grander ambition for the learning innovations to realize a better world which we frame as advancing a human flourishing agenda, which is anticipated to mark the makings of the 5th Industrial Revolution (Antonacopoulou, 2024) and which has already catalysed a significant momentum in academic, practitioner and policy fora (Las Heras et al., 2023; VanderWeele, 2017). Human Flourishing invites us to return to the essence of what makes us (as social actors) human and ask afresh what makes for a ‘good life’ (Neill and Nevin, 2021; Stephen, 2014), and notions of the ‘good organisation’ (Penn, 2023), ‘good management’ (Johnson, 2019) and ‘good leadership’ (Brooks et al., 2023). Flourishing is ultimately the way humans continue to redefine humanity and what being human means (Antonacopoulou, 2024).

Human flourishing is also about the ‘right’ choices that mark humanity in the stance taken (Antonacopoulou et al., 2024). Flourishing as a stance, unlike previous references to a goal, right or rule, zooms into the emerging choices as a space of freedom (Frankl, 1992) also echoed in framings of responsibilization (Rose, 1999). Responsibilization marks a ‘call to action’ (Shamir, 2008) that addresses the ‘dilution or denial of social responsibilities’ resulting in ‘irresponsibility’ (Hamann, 2019).

Responsibilization is an inseparable part of education for flourishing and what it means to cultivate and activate responsibility. It is intimately connected to paideia as a mode of education dedicated towards cultivating the ethos of social actors in every domain of social activity to realize their human potential (Jaeger, 1945; Fotopoulos, 2005). Paideia in the Ancient Greek Polis was concerned with cultivating each individual’s natural, in-born potential and as the Jungian theorist Luigi Zoja (1997) has argued, paideia was a major innovation, representing an institutionalized form of individuation.

Paideia is integral to learning leadership, given if it also attends to the phenomenon of ‘euthynophobia’ something that has not yet received the attention it deserves. Euthynophobia is defined as the reluctance to own up to one’s obligations and duties and the lack of readiness to act in relation to a challenging situation or to assume accountability for the implications of actions (Antonacopoulou, 2024).

Such a condition does not denote irresponsibility but the reluctance to take a stance and exercise the choices social actors are afforded. Hence, the call for learning leadership, is so that such a reluctance to cultivate and activate responsibility to co-create preferred futures is addressed. Flourishing is the mark of overcoming euthynophobia and embracing the duty of care towards each other and all life on earth.

This symposium is part of the ongoing problematizations and provocations as it is also an opportunity to showcase emerging promising practices in (management) education and leadership development for radical change in the UNSDGs at different levels – through the way we:

(1) co-design and co-deliver management and leadership education in partnerships between academics and practitioner,

(2) listen and engage students themselves in leadership and transformation, (3) challenge University, business school structures and cultures,

(4) support educators to deliver paideia that fosters human flourishing, and

(5) organize and transform shared societal structures to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.

The symposium will address these themes and invites your participation in the co-creation of new experiences of learning that foster leadership, responsibility, character and conscience. We will create an inclusive space for debate, experimentation and renewed commitment to progress not only UNSDGs but also Global Flourishing Goals (Karthikeya et al., 2022).

The symposium will take place 9-10 April 2024 and will be hosted at the University of Nicosia, School of Business, as is one of the 47 UNPRME champions PRME Champions | UNPRME. The event will be in hybrid format permitting both in-person and remote participation. It will feature:

· Distinguished speaker panel sessions

· Small group discussions on themes outlined in this invitation (what leadership for flourishing?, learning leadership and education of leadership, educating for responsibility, responsibilization as an educational and learning agenda etc).

· Workshops for executives and students showcasing innovations in learning leadership using art-based methods, character and virtue leadership education for educators and executives.

The event is free of charge and it is made possible through the EU-ERASMUS program.

The link for registration of your participation and your interest in presenting your work is: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/learning-leadership-for-flourishing-cultivating-and-activating-responsibil-tickets-846880942697

Deadline for registration to participate in person or online is March, 15th 2024.

Co organized by Professors:

- Antonacopoulou, Elena P. - GNOSIS Institute, Cyprus and UK

- Eliophotou, Maria - Department of Education, University of Cyprus

- Fernández Espinosa, Veronica - Francisco de Vitoria University, Madrid, Spain

- Hadjiyiannis, Christos – Dean, Cyprus Business School, CIM, Cyprus

- Kokkinaki, Angelika – Dean, School of Business, University of Nicosia, Cyprus

- López González, Jorge – Dean, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Francisco de Vitoria University, Madrid, Spain

- Papastephanou, Marianna - Department of Education, University of Cyprus

Note

This event is connected to the Wall, T., Girei, E., Antonacopoulou, E.P. Blasco, M. Nkomo, S. and Ogunyemi, K. (Eds) Elgar Companion to Management Education and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The handpicked 60 Chapter Authors of this prestigious companion, will have the opportunity to use this event as a writing retreat and a platform to profile their pedagogical innovations in advancing the UNPRME agenda. Moreover, participants in the symposium will have the opportunity to submit their work for a Special Issue of a renowned Business Ethics Journal and an Edited book as part of the Routledge “The Practical Wisdom in Leadership and Organization Series”. https://www.routledge.com/The-Practical-Wisdom-in-Leadership-and-Organization-Series/book-series/WISDOM

The Symposium is organized on the principle of sustainable humanity and introduces the principle of BYO (Bring or Buy Your Own) to reduce waste. This means that delegates who join in person will have the opportunity to self-organize with other delegates their meals and use these more extended periods during lunch and evenings to build connections and forge collaborative projects.

The event is part of the global momentum of advancing HUMAN FLOURISHING GOALS catalysed by:

· International Humanistic Management Association International Humanistic Management Association – protecting dignity – promoting well-being

· Humanistic Leadership Academy Humanistic Leadership Academy

· Leadership for Flourishing Leadership for Flourishing

· GNOSIS Institute

The event is supported and cohosted by:

· Cyprus Institute of Marketing – CIM, Cyprus – Cyprus Centre for Business Research Home - CIM-Cyprus Business School

· European University, Cyprus – School of Business Administration School of Business Administration - European University Cyprus (euc.ac.cy)

· Rennes School of Business, France - Centre for Unframed Thinking Centre for Unframed Thinking (CUT) (rennes-sb.com)

· University of Cyprus - Department of Education Department of Education (ucy.ac.cy)

· University Franscisco de Vitoria, Spain – Department of Education and Psychology https://www.ufvinternational.com/

· University of Nicosia, Cyprus - School of Business School of Business – University of Nicosia (unic.ac.cy)

References and Further Readings

Antonacopoulou, E.P. 2010. Making the Business School More ‘Critical’: Reflexive Critique based on Phronesis as a Foundation for Impact. British Journal of Management. 21(1): 6–25.

Antonacopoulou, E.P. 2024. A New Management Manifesto for a VUCA World: An Invitation. The Market (forthcoming)

Antonacopoulou, E.P. and Bento, R. 2016. Learning leadership: A call to beauty. In Storey, J. (Ed) Leadership in Organizations: Current Issues and Key Trends. 3rd Edition, (pp. 99-112). London: Routledge.

Antonacopoulou, E.P. and Bento, R. 2018. From Laurels to Learning: Leadership with Virtue, Journal of Management Development, Special Issue. 37(8): 624-633

Antonacopoulou, E.P., Neill, E. and Nevin, A. 2024. Competing for Flourishing: Responsible Management and Relational Leadership Revisited. In J. Ritchie-Dunham, K. Granville-Chapman, M. Lee (Eds) Leadership for Flourishing. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Audebrand, L.K. and Pepin, M. 2022. Principles of Responsible Management Education: An Axiological Approach. Journal of Management Education. 46(5): 888-191

Bennett, N. and Lemoine G.J. 2014. What a difference a word makes: Understanding threats to performance in a VUCA world, Business Horizons, 57 (3): 311 -317.

Brooks, E. Elsner, L., Gullford, L. and Park, R. 2023. Good Leadership in UK Business. The Oxford Character Project. Available online at Good Leadership in UK Business (oxfordcharacter.org) [Accessed January 2024].

Carney, M. 2021. Values: Building a better world for all. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.

Fotopoulos, T. 2005. From (mis)-education to Paideia, The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy. 2(1). Available on line at: http://www.inclusivedemocracy.org/journal/vol2/vol2_no1_miseducation_paideia_takis.htm [Accessed 31 December 2023]

Frankl, V.E. 1992. Man’s Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy. 4th edition. Boston: Beacon Press.

Goodstein, J. and Gentile M. C. (Eds) 2021. Giving voice to Values: An Innovation and Impact Agenda. Giving Voice to Values Series. New York: Routledge.

Hamann, R. 2019. Dynamic de-responsibilization in business-government interactions. Organisation Studies.40(8):1193-1215

Haslam, A.S., Alvesson, M. and Reicher, S.D. 2024. Zombie leadership: Dead ideas that still walk among us. Leadership Quarterly 1048-9843: 101770 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2023.101770

Jack, A. 2024. Business Schools Pushed to provide a more Responsible Education. Financial Times. 15 January. Available online at: Business schools pushed to provide a more responsible education (ft.com) [accessed 23 January 2024].

Johnson, R. 2019. Five Qualities of Good Management. Small Business Chronicle. Digital article available online at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/five-qualities-good-management-25297.html [Accessed 25 November 2023].

Karthikeya, R. Antonacopoulou, E.P. Keating, B.; Mountbatten-O’Malley, E.; Nevin, A; Neill, E.; Ritchie-Dunham, J.; Lee M.T. 2022. The Global Flourishing Goals: An Invitation. Policy Report.

Laasch. O., Moosmayer, D.C., Antonacopoulou, E.P. and Schaltegger, S. 2020. Constellations of Transdisciplinary Practices: A Map and Research Agenda for the Responsible Management Learning Field. Journal of Business Ethics. 162(4): 735-757

Las Heras, M., Grau Grau M. and Rofcanin, Y. (Eds) 2023. Human Flourishing: A Multidisciplinary Perspective on Neuroscience, Health, Organizations and Arts. Switzerland: Springer.

López González, J. Fernández Espinosa, V. and Ortiz de Montellano, S. 2023. A virtue-based model of leadership education, Journal of Moral Education, DOI:10.1080/03057240.2023.2218058

Neill, E. and Nevin, A.S. 2021. Flourishing in Canada: How to Get the Good Life. Canada: Institute for Human Flourishing.

Papastephanou, M. 2024. Leadership, the Ship, and Times of Shipwreck. In M. Drinkwater and Y. Waghid (Eds.) The Bloomsbury Handbooks of Crises and Transformative Leadership in Higher Education. London: Bloombury.

Penn, S. 2023. Five signs of a Good Organization. Small Business Chronicle. Digital article available online at: Five Signs of a Good Organization (chron.com) [Accessed 25 November 2023].

Pfeffer, J & Sutton, R. 1999. The Knowing-Doing Gap. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Rose, N. 1999. Powers of Freedom: Reframing political thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Schinkel, A. 2022. Education in the Anthropocene: A Sober Assessment. In J. B. Metzler (Ed) Creating Green Citizens.73-96. Springer: Berlin, Heidelberg.

Shamir, R. 2008. The age of responsibilization: On Market embedded morality. Economy and Society. 37(1):1-19

Shotter, J. and Tsoukas, H. 2014a. In Search of phronesis: Leadership and the art of judgment. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 13(2): 224–243.

Stephen, J. 2014. What is the Good Life? Psychology Today Digital article available online at: What Is the Good Life? | Psychology Today [Accessed 25 November 2023].

United Nations (UN) 2021. Decade of Action - United Nations Sustainable Development.

VanderWeele, T. 2017. On the Promotion of Human Flourishing, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 114(31) 8148-8156

World Economic Forum (WEF) (2021) How responsible leaders can create an inclusive recovery | World Economic Forum (weforum.org).

Zoja, L. 1997. Individuation and paideia, Journal of Analytical Psychology, 42: 481-505

[1] Hibbert & Wright (2023: 419) explain the hidden curriculum as ‘what is learnt through unstructured socialization in the learning context that always has a normative or “moral” component’.