Business school students demand humanistic management

The climate crisis, growing social inequality, polarization, and the emergence of artificial intelligence are some of the challenges we face as a society. Different stakeholders (employees, customers, investors, etc.) expect business organizations not only to fulfill their mission but also to contribute to solve these major problems. A few decades ago, management professionals were basically expected to manage resources efficiently to optimize economic results. Today, in addition to this concern for efficiency, they are expected to manage their organizations in a way that contributes to the regeneration of the planet and the construction of more humane, fair, and inclusive societies.  

Are business schools preparing future management professionals with the skills, competencies, and knowledge necessary to contribute to solve these challenges? 

A review of the curricula of leading business schools shows that over the last few decades there has been a proliferation of courses on business ethics, sustainability, inclusive business, etc. The growing importance of values-based leadership is also noteworthy. In response to the ethical and business leadership crisis of the 1990s, there was a strong push for an alternative style of leadership and management that focuses on ethics, authenticity, and inspiration, where personal and collective values drive decisions and actions. Also, a recent study by the World Economic Forum emphasizes that education systems must respond to new needs, highlighting how employers increasingly value interpersonal and socio-emotional skills, as well as the attitudes and values of professionals. 

Students drive the educational agenda

In line with these new subjects and alternative leadership models, students are demanding an education that aligns with values such as sustainability, equity, and social justice, and are calling on business schools to take a more active role in building an ethical and regenerative future. In January 2025, the Financial Times published an article entitled “Students are driving the agenda” " Students are driving the agenda ", which shares several student initiatives as indicators of the pressure to transform management education and fully integrate responsible business practices to address the urgent challenges facing humanity. Far from being a simple curricular supplement, these movements reflect a growing demand for consistency between what is taught in the classroom and what is practiced in institutions.  

To achieve greater consistency between classroom teachings and institutional practices, these principles must be integrated into schools' pedagogical, leadership, and management models. We cannot teach leadership, especially ethical and responsible leadership, without considering the pedagogical model and the leadership and management styles specific to schools.  

The pedagogical model is the backbone of the educational vision, while the leadership and management style is the implementation of those principles.  

The pedagogical model, key in training responsible leaders 

A pedagogical model is a theoretical and practical framework that guides the teaching and learning process. It is like a "map" that guides the way we teach and learn. It establishes what is taught, how it is taught, what role the teacher plays, what role the student plays, how it is evaluated, and what values are prioritized.  

For example, at Esade, our pedagogical model is the 4Cs model. It proposes a comprehensive education based on four fundamental competencies that seek to develop "human excellence": consciousness, compassion, competence, and commitment. Being conscious means knowing oneself and understanding the reality of the world; being compassionate involves empathy and solidarity towards others; being competent means being prepared to face professional, social, and human challenges; and being committed means acting in favor of social and political transformation towards a more just and sustainable society. This approach seeks an education that integrates the intellectual, the ethical, and the emotional, forming individuals capable of actively contributing to the common good.  

Esade’s pedagogical approach focuses on transformative education, deeply inspired by the Ignatian paradigm, which articulates a process of experience, reflection, and action. The model seeks to create an experiential learning environment based on real challenges that encourages students to question the status quo, develop a flexible mindset, and be open to change. Through reflection on their own values and assumptions, students are encouraged to actively participate in achieving common goals and creating shared value. This model not only trains students in skills but also promotes personal transformation in the service of the common good. 

Students' views on values-based leadership 

The Values-Based Leadership course is an elective subject taught in the different degrees at Esade Business School. It is based on the Service-Learning (SL) methodology, which integrates academic training with active involvement in social projects. After initial sessions dedicated to exploring the fundamentals of leadership and analyzing various models—including the 4Cs model—students collaborate with third sector organizations on real initiatives that offer a meaningful service in, with, and for the community. Through this transformative experience, students develop key professional skills while cultivating an empathetic and committed perspective on situations of social vulnerability, with the aim of contributing to the common good and building a more just society. 

This service experience is linked to a process of self-knowledge and personal awareness, which allows students to deepen their own leadership style, identify strengths and areas for improvement, clarify their values, and discern what they want to integrate into their professional and life trajectories. The course culminates in a structured exercise of critical reflection, which promotes a meaningful connection between action, learning, and personal commitment. 

It is very significant that 95% of students said that the course had changed their idea of leadership and business management, which until then had been based on obtaining results through the efficient management of processes and teams. Some students summarize their experience as follows: 

“From an academic point of view, this experience both confirmed and complicated what I’ve learned about management so far. I've always seen it as a system for organizing people and processes, especially in the context of AI, where we're all about optimization and prediction. But what I saw at the course was something else: management as a way of inclusion, care, and sustainability. These aren't add-ons, they're fundamental to solving the complex problems we have to solve today. And they're often missing from our traditional business education.” (Student 1) 

“Throughout this course, I’ve discovered a new way of looking at leadership! On one hand, regarding theoretical aspects, I mostly thought of it in terms of getting results, being efficient, and managing performance in order to get the best results possible. But, this course introduced me to the idea of leadership as something much more human focused on self-awareness, social responsibility, and genuinely serving others.” (Student 2) 

“This was the first time I was asked to live a leadership experience through service, which brought a new concrete, emotional, personal perspective to it. Professionally, this course completed or even redefined my view of leadership in finance or in a potential start-up project (my dream job). I now see that finance and leadership don’t need to be dehumanized. On the contrary, authenticity can play a powerful role in motivation, loyalty, and long-term value. I used to think leadership was about vision and execution; I now believe it is about caring deeply." (Student 3) 

During the introductory sessions of the course, students were exposed to various approaches to leadership, including the 4Cs model. In an academic landscape saturated with theoretical frameworks on leadership, it is particularly significant that 32% of students explicitly mention the 4Cs in their final reflections, valuing its usefulness as a guide for personal and professional development. The 4Cs not only connect with the course content, but also provide an integrative framework that helps translate values-based leadership into concrete and transformative practices: 

"Another important aspect of the course was the ability to apply what we learned in class to a real-world setting. For example, implementation of the 4Cs, Competence, Consciousness, Compassion, and Commitment, in the context of La Vinya Foundation. Before, these concepts felt abstract, and I simply needed to memorize them. However, all these thoughts changed once I began my beautiful time at La Vinya." (Student 4) 

“The 4Cs model gave me a concrete way to evaluate and develop my own leadership style.” (Student 5) 

“I didn’t know the 4Cs before, but now I see how they bring depth to the concept of leadership.” (Student 6) 

54% of students believe that the leadership model presented in the course is applicable in professional settings. Many perceive it as a realistic approach, provided that organizations promote a people-centered and value-driven culture. However, some students warn that rigid hierarchical structures or leadership styles focused exclusively on results could hinder its application. For these students, the model seems particularly useful in socially aligned organizational contexts, such as the third sector entities with which they have collaborated during the course. Nevertheless, even among those who are somewhat skeptical, there is a clear recognition of the value of having been exposed to an ethical, humane, and inclusive leadership model that can serve as a personal reference point and ethical compass throughout their professional careers: 

 "The model is aspirational, but it can work if more leaders embrace it." (Student 7) 

 "It is realistic, but only in organizations that truly value people and purpose." (Student 8) 

Results and lessons learned 

The main conclusions we draw from this experience are:  

1. Service-based experiences, when integrated with a process of deep reflection, allow students to develop a more critical, humane, and profound understanding of leadership. Most students express a high regard for more humanistic approaches to leadership. Beyond the specific content, what they learn is on an existential level: what kind of person do I want to be if I hold a leadership position? The answers, which are diverse and nuanced, point to a vision of leadership not only as a set of skills, but as a way of being in the world.
2. The fact that the service took place in the third sector may have influenced the perception of its applicability to the business ecosystem as a whole. To overcome this potential limitation, it is essential to incorporate more business references that embody humanistic, ethical, and responsible leadership styles into the learning experiences. This would help build bridges between the values explored in these experiences and the concrete reality of business organizations.
3. In light of the article's initial argument and the growing number of students demanding greater consistency between theory and practice, an unavoidable question emerges: Are business schools prepared to lead the transformation that the business world needs, starting with overhauling their leadership and management models? Aligning institutional practices with a more humanistic, sustainable, and inclusive vision is not only a matter of legitimacy, but also a deep commitment to the mission of educating for the common good.