Advancing social impact in business schools: a practical guide for deans
| Action area | Specific actions | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Short-Term actions (immediate outcome on engagement and visibility) | ||
| Provide visible support | Endorse and actively participate in grassroots initiatives (e.g. sustainability champions, carbon literacy programs) | Builds trust and signals commitment to societal impact internally and externally |
| Allocate immediate funding and formal workload allocations for staff training and participation in social impact projects. Ensure these forms of resource support continue into the long term | Enables quick implementation of impactful activities | |
| Recognise and reward academic and professional staff contributions | Motivates participation and strengthens a culture of impact | |
| Address governance gaps | Review governance structures for flexibility and inclusivity | Removes barriers to grassroots innovation and responsiveness |
| Initiate documentation and reporting of flagship projects | Enhances transparency and credibility, reducing greenwashing concerns | |
| Communicate and engage | Promote social impact through internal communication and awareness campaigns (e.g. newsletters, meetings) | Improves visibility and stakeholder buy-in |
| Encourage staff participation in sustainability activities | Expands engagement and ownership of impact initiatives | |
| Long-Term systemic changes (structural and cultural transformation) | ||
| Build inclusive governance | Establish a societal/social impact steering committee with a consultative approach | Institutionalises social impact as a strategic priority |
| Ensure governance processes are transparent, collectively owned and regularly reviewed | Sustains accountability and adaptability over time | |
| Strategic alignment | Align social impact strategies with accreditation standards while maintaining focus on complex social challenges | Integrates impact into core business school strategy |
| Develop clear goals and measurable social impact outcomes linked to strategic priorities | Provides direction and benchmarks for long-term success | |
| Foster interdisciplinary collaboration | Enhances capacity to address complex social challenges | |
| Accountability and measurement | Implement systematic measurement and reporting of social impact initiatives | Builds evidence of impact and informs resource allocation |
| Use data-driven insights to identify areas for improvement | Supports continuous improvement and strategic decision-making | |
| Culture and partnerships | Embed social impact into the school’s culture through training and leadership support, and through ongoing investment of resources | Creates a lasting cultural shift toward social impact |
| Build long-term partnerships with external stakeholders, and ensure social impact is an agenda item for school advisory board and other school committees with industry representation (e.g. Course advisory committees) | Expands reach and amplifies impact beyond the business school | |
| Action area | Specific actions | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Provide visible support | Endorse and actively participate in grassroots initiatives (e.g. sustainability champions, carbon literacy programs) | Builds trust and signals commitment to societal impact internally and externally |
| Allocate immediate funding and formal workload allocations for staff training and participation in social impact projects. Ensure these forms of resource support continue into the long term | Enables quick implementation of impactful activities | |
| Recognise and reward academic and professional staff contributions | Motivates participation and strengthens a culture of impact | |
| Address governance gaps | Review governance structures for flexibility and inclusivity | Removes barriers to grassroots innovation and responsiveness |
| Initiate documentation and reporting of flagship projects | Enhances transparency and credibility, reducing greenwashing concerns | |
| Communicate and engage | Promote social impact through internal communication and awareness campaigns (e.g. newsletters, meetings) | Improves visibility and stakeholder buy-in |
| Encourage staff participation in sustainability activities | Expands engagement and ownership of impact initiatives | |
| Build inclusive governance | Establish a societal/social impact steering committee with a consultative approach | Institutionalises social impact as a strategic priority |
| Ensure governance processes are transparent, collectively owned and regularly reviewed | Sustains accountability and adaptability over time | |
| Strategic alignment | Align social impact strategies with accreditation standards while maintaining focus on complex social challenges | Integrates impact into core business school strategy |
| Develop clear goals and measurable social impact outcomes linked to strategic priorities | Provides direction and benchmarks for long-term success | |
| Foster interdisciplinary collaboration | Enhances capacity to address complex social challenges | |
| Accountability and measurement | Implement systematic measurement and reporting of social impact initiatives | Builds evidence of impact and informs resource allocation |
| Use data-driven insights to identify areas for improvement | Supports continuous improvement and strategic decision-making | |
| Culture and partnerships | Embed social impact into the school’s culture through training and leadership support, and through ongoing investment of resources | Creates a lasting cultural shift toward social impact |
| Build long-term partnerships with external stakeholders, and ensure social impact is an agenda item for school advisory board and other school committees with industry representation (e.g. Course advisory committees) | Expands reach and amplifies impact beyond the business school | |
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