The role of universities and business schools in times of civilizational mutation
Following several “moves” inside universities, like:
- The Democratizing Work movement piloted by Prof. Dr. Isabelle Ferrerras (with over 7.000 academics involved) https://democratizingwork.org/
- The strong statement at AgroParisTech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUOVOC2Kd50
- and at Ecole National Supérieure: https://positivr.fr/ecologie-apres-les-jeunes-diplomes-dagroparistech-les-eleves-normaliens-se-revoltent-a-leur-tour/
Now we have the widely mediatized resigning of Dr. Laurent Lievens from UCLouvain. (https://www.lalibre.be/debats/opinions/2022/09/09/voici-pourquoi-je-demissionne-de-la-louvain-school-of-management-U3BUHS5UIRGFXNY7Y6DNA4XU54/)
When Max Weber was criticized by a colleague for publishing outside of his own discipline, he told him “I am not a donkey, and I don’t have a field.” Today, free-ranging intellectuals are almost extinct. Transdisciplinary thinking has become a career risk. Scientists are supposed to stay in their field like donkeys. However, the big problems of the world are transdisciplinary. Donkeys won’t solve them.
Only a few heterodox thinkers like Arthur Keller ( https://youtu.be/wDd1u-T7mWk ) offer concrete understandings and methods.
Besides of course the well-known Meadows Report, the UN SDG’s, multiple COP’s and other ESG or CSR, which did not deliver expected tangible results, if we have to believe the facts & figures.
The bottom line, today end 2022, we are collectively lost in confusion. Totally. Panic starts. Especially the most brilliant youth engaging in years of investment in “university degrees”.
We would assume that those years would be wisely invested…
The universities: “universitas magistrorum et scholarium, which roughly means “community of teachers and scholars” have multiple roles:
- Search: R&D
- Transmit: teaching, preparing the next generation for action
- Socializing: create ecosystems of professionals coming from all horizons, connecting, progressing together, co-entrepreneuring, learning continuously, marrying,…
Those 3 functionalities are greatly accelerated and enriched with transversality.
From specialization to transversal diversity is one of the “paradigm shifts” ongoing, as is decentralization versus centralisation, or patriarchal management versus collective intelligence.
- Search: R&D whilst seeking in several scientific field for keys of understanding life, thriving, progress, regeneration;
- Transmit: in action and peer-to-peer learning, on live projects, whilst asking everyone to bring their unique excellence, talent, passions, to the table.
- Socializing: explicitly valuing diversity in gender, age, culture, background, CV, excellence, with no judgment, in an atmosphere of joyful building the future. Learning also is vastly enhanced by gaming and entertainment. It is scientifically proven that positive “vibes” are good for collective positive progress. This is all carried by (or should be) a positive vision for our planet and society.
All these pieces are building blocks, no, foundations for the “university of tomorrow”. Let’s start today. But maybe, maybe we should build near the old ones, without waiting, like we did in the Renaissance. We kind of do not have time to waste.
We have all the pieces in our hands. Excellences everywhere, global communication tools, vast knowledge of the problems and challenges, and a few great concrete and successful field examples — to be consolidated and scaled up.
We only need a will, and a few resources. We can do it.
If interest, PM @ michel@wiseholding.net
Prof. Michel A. de Kemmeter
