The Purpose of Business Organizations and Business Schools Revisited

Both the Covid-19 crisis and the emergence of innovative business models offer a powerful signal that the foundational assumptions of capitalism are increasingly in doubt. Business schools, however, appear to be followers rather than leaders in this historical moment of social change. While citizens, consumers and businesses are experimenting with new models of capitalism premised on balancing profits with social purpose and the private, public, and plural sectors (Mintzberg, 2015; Sachs, 1999; Sachs et al. 2021), business schools have been slow to change and appear to be struggling with their identity and purpose.

What might be the foundational values of a post-pandemic market system? What might be the purpose of business organizations in a post-pandemic scenario? What would a post- pandemic business school look like? The aim of this Symposium is to explore the answer to these questions and their practical application in a conversation with three former Editors of the Academy of Management journals (Suddaby, Phan, Hollensbe) and two thought thinkers and innovators of management (Mintzberg), capitalism and sustainable development (Sachs, pre-recorded interview).

This symposium is a continuation of the 2021 Symposium on the same topic, which gathered four influential leaders and innovators: • Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab and CEO of Imperative 21 • Raj Sisodia, co-founder of Conscious Capitalism • Charles Wookey, co- founder and CEO of A Blueprint for Better Business, and • Gerry George, former Dean of SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business and professor at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business.

We are thankful to the AOM Conference for allowing us to share the full video of the last symposium for you to watch: https://bit.ly/3wK3a1x.