The Principles for (Ir)Responsible Management Education: An Exploration of the Dynamics of Paradox, the Hidden Curriculum, Competencies and Symbolization

This paper discusses whether, as academics, we are behaving irresponsibly in the manner in which we deliver the much-vaunted Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). PRME constitutes an association and ethos which seeks to promote and infuse responsible management education (RME) into business schools (BSs) and organizations. RME seeks to, inter alia, surface and challenge hegemonic neo-liberal and capitalistic meta-narratives with a view to replacing these with more value-driven, ethical, sustainable and corporately socially responsible education in BSs and business. In our paper, we propose a more complementary approach – one in which PRME/RME might work in parallel with dominant capitalistic perspectives. We do this by considering the impact of the hidden curriculum, sustainability competencies and related symbolization (through rankings and accreditations) all within the paradox-explanatory framework of organizational ambidexterity. The argument proposes that a paradoxical approach is needed that is aligned with both the capitalist norms of business society, and yet, achieves the more socially-orientated United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). BSs and PRME can play an essential role in ensuring this happens. In essence, we hope to provoke thought, change and action towards the achievement the more socially and societally-focused UN-SDGs on which PRME is predicated.