Silos and sated sustainability: the need for a common framework

Abstract

Universities can play a key role in bringing change in society when it comes to sustainability (Dagiliūtė, Liobikienė, & Minelgaitė, 2018). Busines schools must train and equip future business leaders with the skills needed to address sustainability. When it comes to integrating sustainability into business education, there are challenges: organizational, terminological and capabilities (Figueiró & Raufflet, 2015). Currently, sustainability education in business education is highly fragmented (Graham, Trendafilova, & Ziakas, 2018). Kassel et al. (2016) assert that business education often suffers from traditional disciplinary silos: focusing on concepts, analysis, methods and investigation techniques – often losing track of the big picture (Shrivastava, 2010). Figueiró & Raufflet (2015) discuss two approaches to teaching for sustainability: a horizontal integration in which sustainability is ”interwoven through different courses on the curriculum” and a vertical in which stand-alone courses are introduced. Their findings show that a more real-world, interdisciplinary approach is needed to ultimately help “students and citizens to co-operate in integrating sustainability issues in real societal decision-making processes” (2015, p. 30). Blake, Sterling, & Goodson (2013) show that students prefer a reframing of curriculum content rather than additional courses. Educators we need to change the culture and our educational practice and thinking. Sterling (2010), Figueiró & Raufflet (2015) Erskine & Johnson (2012) and Kessel (et al. 2016) speak of a paradigm shift in order to change from transmissive education about sustainability to transformative education for sustainability. Students are constantly confronted with sustainability, but need to be given a coherent set of tools and the opportunity to experience how sustainability affects their education. In this workshop, we aim to discuss the barriers to transformative education for sustainability. The focus is not on content or what she be taught, but rather how can organisational barriers / traditional disciplinary silos can be overcome for curriculum development for sustainability.