Redesigning Business Schools: At the Interface of a World of Wicked Problems

Business schools are facing collapsing boundaries among organizations, emergence of new business forms shaped by digital connectivity, and 'wicked' messes. Currently, business school scholarship, research, and curricula are largely geared towards a world of large corporations, stability, and relatively resolvable problems that no longer reflect a ubiquitously connected reality. We question how business school scholars can better address emergent needs and problems 'at the interfaces' where business schools themselves and organizations studied find themselves. Organizer Ian Mitroff (University of California, Berkeley) will argue that 'wicked messes' need to be foundational in business school curricula and scholarship. Sandra Waddock (Boston College) will discuss how wicked messes like climate change, inequality, sustainability, and jobs creation should influence research and curricula. Anne Tsui (University of Notre Dame, former AOM President) will share the work of a group of 24 leading scholars who have ...