Spaces for dignity: How African businesses and business schools can cultivate regenerative practices that unlock abundance

Abstract

Businesses and business schools are at a critical juncture: the need to redefine the value and purpose of management education and that of work has never been more urgent. Businesses can no longer solely focus on creating economic profits. They must also incorporate societal and ecological values so that the future is inclusive and thus sustainable for all. This aligns well with Society 5.0, which entails utilising all technologies and infrastructure to create a sustainable society that contributes to the safety and comfort of individuals. Business schools must equally reassess their function in educating students and partnering with businesses, shifting their focus from producing individuals who are “the best in the world to those who are the best for the world” (Dyllick et al., 2022, p. 32). This paradigm shift from least harm to most good is needed to deliver regenerative outcomes that can advance businesses that relate to community and society in the future. We posit that this shift is not merely a nice-to-have, but an existential necessity for the planet and its inhabitants. The Positive impact rating for business schools: 2022 edition report (Dyllick et al., 2022) reveals that business schools in the Global South, particularly in Africa, are ahead of their Abstract counterparts in the Global North in social consciousness and conscientious practices. This is a pivotal insight, especially given Africa’s fast-growing, youthful population. As this cohort comes of age, they will not only shape the future of Africa, but also wield considerable global influence. How they interpret and act upon their economic and humanitarian responsibilities will have far reaching implications. How will young Africans shape Africa and the world as their viewpoints mature and their influence grows, especially as it pertains to the protection of people’ s dignity and the environment? More importantly, how should they? Consequently, African businesses, African-based businesses, and African business schools have a unique opportunity and a moral obligation to guide this burgeoning leadership. They must foster mindsets that shift from extraction to regeneration, thereby creating spaces for dignity that unlock a connected society’ s abundance and infinite possibilities. In this context, this white paper proposes an approach for such transformation using promising South African case examples of academic-private public-civic partnerships and collaboration.