Wise up to Succeed: An educational framework for cultivating practical wisdom of business successors

Seminar summary

To tackle grand societal challenges and make decisions that serve the common good, we need well-educated business successors who will become the practically wise entrepreneurs of tomorrow. This paper presents a pioneering educational framework, i.e., the WiseUp Cube framework, to enhance the decision-making skills of business successors through the cultivation of practical wisdom (phronesis). Emphasising practical wisdom as central to sustainable and responsible decision-making, the study provides a novel perspective for contemporary business education. It addresses a critical gap in management education literature by focusing on business successors, an often-neglected target group whose training and education are pivotal for sustainable business practices. The educational framework targets six practical wisdom skills for critical decision-making. It integrates pedagogical, psychological, and philosophical aspects and offers six learning perspectives to enhance these skills. In addition, pedagogical tools for implementing the learning perspectives are named. The study contributes to the advancement of the Experiential Learning Theory. It extends the Responsible Management Education agenda to Vocational Education and Training, an area that has received too little attention in this respect but which offers immense potential for tackling grand societal challenges. Moreover, it pioneers translating the conceptual understanding of the Aristotelian notion of phronesis into a practical framework for the education of business successors. It serves as a valuable template for educators involved in the training of business successors and offers guidance for the design of curricula and educational practices targeting this distinct cohort.

How to attend this seminar

This seminar is free to attend with no need to register in advance.

We welcome you to join us online on Wednesday 21 February 2024 at 12pm.

Speaker bio

Dr Raysa Rocha

Raysa is a Lecturer in Organisation Studies and Human Resource Management at the Essex Business School.