Bringing the Heart and Soul Back in: Collaborative Inquiry and the DBA

Abstract

Waddock and Lozano (2013) propose that there is an urgent need to bring the 'heart and soul' back into management education. Indeed, its absence has also been implicated in the plethora of recent scandals and the global financial crisis. We suggest that, in part, such issues are attributable to a continued over reliance on a scientific and detached form of knowing which displaces particular 'human characteristics' and in so doing, downplays our inherent connections to others. In contrast, we identify the importance of embracing a supplementary form of knowing-collaborative inquiry which potentially restores our connections to others in ways which provide opportunities for a more heartfelt and soulful management practice. Specifically, we extend Van de Ven and Johnson's (2006) notion of collaborative inquiry to consider how it is mobilized in the context of a UK DBA program and in turn examine the impact this move accomplishes. Drawing upon a detailed analysis of twenty students' reflective journals, we illustrate the ways in which they develop a form of empathy. Crucially, we found that this was one important means for (re)-connecting to others and in ways which begin to bring in a sense of heart and soul back into management education.

Mindful reflexivity: Unpacking the process of transformative learning in mindfulness and discernment

“…Beyond the organizational context, our ideas of mindful reflexivity may offer implications in business schools. Scholarship that examines spiritual practice in management education has expressed the need for business schools to return to a mission that is existential (Petriglieri and Petriglieri, 2015), to build skills such as being present and deep listening (Senge et al, 2004), to develop heart and soul (Waddock and Lozano, 2013), humility and empathy (Hay and Samra-Frederick, 2019), to embed soulful leadership (Benefiel, 2005), and to encourage a process which displaces certainty in favor of inquiry (Yanow, 2009). Critics of management education, such as Ghoshal (2005) and Mitroff (2004), lament management education for its absence of ethical reasoning which leaves “ethics and social responsibility subordinate ” (p. 274, emphasis in original) to shareholder maximization.…”

Meandering as Method for Conversational Learning and Collaborative Inquiry

“…In the context of management education, collaborative inquiry and conversational learning can be utilized as processes whereby students and their teachers construct knowledge by talking together. Collaborative inquiry is designed to bring together differing perspectives to research (Van de Ven & Johnson, 2006) and has been applied to management education—as students and teachers learning together through dialogue (Hay & Samra-Frederiks, 2019). Conversational learning is a “process whereby learners construct new meaning and transform their collective experiences into knowledge through their conversations” (Baker et al, 2002, p. 412).…”

“…Both approaches imply a radical restructuring of the idea of teaching and learning as knowledge transfer rather than knowledge creation (Hay & Samra-Frederiks, 2019; Neville, 2008). Instead, educators incorporating approach may view students and teachers as partners whose expertise and experience are equally important (Baker et al, 2002; Hay & Samra-Frederiks, 2019).…”

“…Both approaches imply a radical restructuring of the idea of teaching and learning as knowledge transfer rather than knowledge creation (Hay & Samra-Frederiks, 2019; Neville, 2008). Instead, educators incorporating approach may view students and teachers as partners whose expertise and experience are equally important (Baker et al, 2002; Hay & Samra-Frederiks, 2019). An obstacle to adopting conversational approaches is the need for teachers to let go of control (Baker et al, 2002; Dawson, 2013; Sense, 2005), which can generate anxiety in both teachers and students.…”

“…In this article, we present the idea of “meandering” as a way of helping management educators simultaneously let go and guide. We respond to Hay and Samra-Frederiks’s (2019) call for “research to expand and deepen our understanding of collaborative inquiry” (p. 77) and draw on a case of a group learning process generated at the 2019 Research in Management Learning and Education Unconference. We came to see this process as meandering, defined as “follow(ing) a winding or intricate course” or “wander(ing) aimlessly or casually without urgent destination” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.)…”