The CEEMAN Manifesto examines the history of management education and the priority shift we have seen in this domain in the last decades. In management institutions worldwide, powerful formal and informal forces exist which favor
• Research publications over teaching excellence and theory over practice
• Quantitative deductive research methodologies over qualitative inductive approaches
• Methodological precision over pertinent substance
• Hyper-specialization rather than holistic, integrative approaches
• Academic peer recognition over bridge building to the business community
The CEEMANManifesto, endorsed by all members of the CEEMAN Board and gaining support on its official website by supporters from around the world, is neither a return to the founding years of management development, nor is it a continuation of the status quo. Following the above conclusions, it makes a compelling argument for re-establishing relevance alongside excellence as the way forward. As Derek Abell, CEEMAN Board member, President of the IQA Accreditation Committee and key author of the CEEMAN Manifesto, put it at the official presentation at the 26th CEEMAN Annual Conference in Prague, the Manifesto is not a manual or set of guidelines for institutions to follow in the pursuit of increasing their relevance and contribution to their respective environments; rather, it is a provocation, and a call to action for all institutions to re-evaluate their mission, their strategy and how their activities support both their needs and the needs of the dynamic societies they serve.
Encouraging members and other institutions to join CEEMAN on this mission, President Danica Purg sets the scene for what has been in the works for years:
“The Manifesto is the culmination of several years of quantitative and qualitative research, including hundreds of hours of interviews with thought leaders from around the globe and deep conversations with faculty and institutional leaders from the CEEMAN network. It lays out the rationale for going in a new direction. By illuminating the past, present, and future of management development for rising economies, the Manifesto offers a path forward that will more readily produce benefits and outcomes we seek and our dynamic societies need.
The Manifesto is more than a document; it is a call to action that requires a change in how we value and reward teaching and research. Our priority must be to develop work-ready managers and leaders who are capable and confident, and who can anticipate and adapt to rapidly shifting changes in technology, demographics, and international alliances. At the same time, we have an equally important mission to be relevant in solving problems in our local environments. The Manifesto addresses these twin priorities. There must be excellence and relevance in teaching, and there must be excellence and relevance in research.
We must all be committed to the principles outlined in the Manifesto if we want to change the balance in priorities for management development education. We believe that as we start to embrace the recommendations and changes, the essence of the Manifesto will become a movement that produces better outcomes for all.
You have our commitment and support for personal coaching, seminars, and workshops as you adapt to and adopt the concepts in the Manifesto.”
Let the movement begin! Read the Manifesto and endorse it if you agree with us.