A mutual path towards a sustainable future; - A multiple case study of the importance of industry-university partnerships for sustainable development and responsible leadership in business education

Abstract

The world is in need of a sustainable transformation in order to meet environmental changes soon to be reaching levels of no turning back. This transformational challenge requires new structures for making business, together with a new type of leadership practice. Educational institutions and the business community stand in direct connection to each other, with academia providing the business community competences and skills. Based on this connection, the purpose of this study is to investigate the importance of partnership between business education and business community as well as finding out what attributes and competences to be necessary for a successful development towards sustainability. The study is conducted through a qualitative method in the setting of multiple case studies and expert consultation. Findings of the study show that the perceived importance of partnership towards sustainability is high and are seen to foster graduates with a better matched skillset and the ability to enforce responsible leadership practices. The partnerships need to be concretized and clearly defined, something that as of today is not the standard.