Tracing and accounting for key events in management education in the UK

Abstract

The current scenario of management education in the UK is impressive, but its emergence has been a slow process. A time chart attempts to identify the events influencing this process. The chart is the result of a review of key publications, supplemented by a number of interviews. A model is proposed to account for the historical development found; it draws on the insights provided by cultural theories, force field theory and institutional theory. The implications for leadership research in the development of a functional area such as management education is touched on via the concept of ‘serial leadership’.

Keywords:

• management education
• leadership
• historical development
• cultural theories
• force field theory
• institutional theory