Infusing management education with design to foster resilience, adaptability and flexibility

Abstract

We reflect on the impact design education has on our management learners by equipping them with a different learning perspective; one that allows them to ‘live their learning’. We maintain that the role of learning is to be owned and internalised for learners to feel responsible for its impact and outcomes. Where such an approach to learning instils in management learners’ resilience, adaptability, and flexibility, highlighted by Harford (2011) as key in shaping the future workforce. Using an autoethnography approach we examine a Design Leadership module for its capacity to instil those characteristics through the synergy of design approach with management education catalysed by an exhibition opening event. Through observations at this event, we identify four impacts and propose that education should adopt ‘lean start-up’ principals (Ries, 2011) and become a ‘platform for experimentation’ for learners to have an impact and be in control for the next.