Understanding the dynamic relationships of the entities that have the most impact on an organization - or that the organization impacts the most - is at the core of stakeholder management approaches. In this article, we present an experiential exercise that provides a creative practical, low-overhead, discussion-oriented classroom activity to…

In the Two Islands Activity, students are given a fictitious prompt to examine and reflect on how their positionality influences their perceptions regarding their assumptions about gender and sexuality in interpersonal workplace interactions. Through the active process of perception checking, students examine how gender and sexuality stereotypes…

This exercise is designed to introduce business students to the concept of implicit theories, a foundational concept for individuals and organizations interested in developing more effective learners. This easy-to-implement exercise can be used in any type of management course, with any level of student; it is best positioned at the beginning of…

Students often naively assume that pursuing sustainability is necessarily costly and difficult. However, proponents of "weak" or "business-centered" sustainability argue that well-crafted sustainability initiatives may simultaneously reduce carbon footprint and enhance financial performance. This article describes a…

Helping students connect abstract concepts to concrete situations is often a challenge. Students who are unable to make the basic connections are at risk of spending the semester and beyond misunderstanding key points and their application. In this article, we provide a framework that includes debriefing, bridge building, and assimilation to help…

Reflective practice supports critical thinking and assessment skills through analyzing one's own life experiences, and the role of reflection in learning has been long recognized. However, drawbacks of many reflective practice assignments are their broad scope and lengthy written requirements. I propose that the reflection process is robust enough…

The action research method of appreciative inquiry (AI) was employed to develop a teaching tool. This exercise involves students' reflections on a course, noting when they learned the most. The AI process of appreciating, envisioning, dialoging, and innovating is used to help students reflect on how they learn. Instructors of all types of courses…

This article introduces a leadership philosophy exercise where students reflect on their values and prepare a statement of what they intend to do as a leader in their careers. This exercise has the potential to add value to leadership classes or seminars where personal leadership is the focus. By using the leadership philosophy exercise, I argue…