Institutionalising intra-organisational change for responsible management education

Higher education institutions are attempting to incorporate responsible management education (RME) into both their philosophies and their curricula. This phenomenon is most pertinent to and most prevalent in business schools. This paper proposes a six-stage model, derived from relevant change management and institutionalisation models and literature, which business schools could adopt to institutionalise RME as an intra-organisational practice. It identifies various endogenous and exogenous factors which influence RME institutionalisation and proposes specific change management practices which could be adopted by business schools to overcome challenges, including resistance, to such change efforts. The model acknowledges the complex and diverse nature of RME itself, which has made it difficult for business schools to adopt a unified approach to its institutionalisation. The need for such a model stems from the ever-increasing salience of RME, resulting from a number of drivers, including the pervasiveness of corporate scandals over time, which has led to growing calls to develop ‘ethical’ business managers. Our proposed model extends our understanding of RME institutionalisation within business schools by adopting a change management approach. It also provides a practical way forward for business schools to change their institutional DNA, through the adoption of a six-stage systematic solution for RME institutionalisation.