2025 Conference

In 2024, the Centre for Management Consulting Excellence (CMCE) sought inputs from experienced management consulting practitioners to generate a list of fundamental issues in management consulting, as seen from a practitioner’s perspective. It was hoped that they would inform the research agenda in management consultancy for the future.

The exercise produced a long list of research issues, which could be grouped under five headings:

1. The boundary question: what is the scope of management consulting
2. Ethics and professional standards;
3. Excellence in consulting;
4. Delivering management consulting services;
5. Managing client relationships.
   
   Our work was documented in a report ‘Fundamental Questions for Consulting Excellence: A framework for research and progress to date’ which was circulated by BAM and is available from the CMCE website (www.cmce.org.uk).
   
   In the workshop we will explore potential research topics in these five areas. The aim is to stimulate discussion around research topics relating to management consulting, identify research topics of relevance to management consulting practitioners and stimulate research in areas that will deliver impact in the profession.

The workshop will be led by Dr Karol Szlichcinski. Karol is Associate Director of CMCE; he has 30 years’ experience as a management consultant and was also a Professor at the University of Silesia School of Management, Katowice, Poland.

Benefits of attending:

1. Identify research projects with the potential for substantial impact.
2. Learn how to make your research more useful to management consulting practitioners and increase its impact.
3. Gain a broader appreciation of the areas of focus of research into management consulting, its value and its potential for impact.

• Practical lessons and step-by-step guidance on becoming an SI editor.
• Interactive discussions with experienced editors on managing SI challenges.
• Networking opportunities within the editorial and academic publishing community.
• Access to key references and recommended readings on editorial best practices.

The Guided-Flexible Curriculum/Syllabus is a mindset and a course/module design strategy to give more voice and ownership to the students regarding what should be covered in their course and each of their modules. The workshop focuses on the Co-creation of Curriculum: Enhancing Learning through Student Participation. This presentation will explore the concept of co-creation in higher education, discussing how active student involvement in curriculum design can lead to more effective and engaging learning experiences.

The proposed presentation will delve into the importance of student participation in the design and redesign of university curricula and syllabuses. Recognizing students as pivotal stakeholders in their education (Bovill & Bulley, 2011), the session aims to elucidate how their active involvement can enhance the quality and relevance of higher education programs. The targeted disciplines include various academic fields where curriculum design plays a crucial role, with potential applications in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs

This approach aligns with contemporary pedagogical perspectives that advocate for a learner-centred educational model (Aitken et al., 2010). The session is particularly pertinent for academics across various disciplines seeking to innovate and refine course and program structures to better meet the evolving needs of students and society.

Academics attending the workshop on the Guided-Flexible Curriculum/Syllabus strategy will benefit from various professional development opportunities, as highlighted in the proposal:

• Understanding Innovative Educational Practices.
• Practical Curriculum Design Strategies.
• Improved Student Engagement and Satisfaction.
• Collaboration and Networking.
• Enhanced Teaching Effectiveness.
• Adaptability to Contemporary Demands.
• Skill Development in Participatory Approaches.
• Access to Resources and Case Studies.
• Preparation for Institutional Change.
• Problem-Solving for Challenges.

• Understanding gender identities and expressions
• Actively listening to and amplifying transgender and/or nonbinary voices while avoiding tokenism
• Formulation of policies that explicitly protect against discrimination and microaggressions
• Importance of actions like implementing gender-neutral restrooms and flexible dress codes
• Establishing need for training employees at all levels for building awareness and fostering allyship.

Decolonising the Business Curriculum: Rebuilding Trust Through Inclusive
Education, at a time when higher education is being called to critically reflect on its structures, content, and purpose. Business schools, in particular, are uniquely positioned to shape future leaders. But to do so equitably, they must first address the systemic exclusions embedded in traditional curricula. In this PDW, we want to explore how decolonising the business school
curriculum can help rebuild trust among students, educators, and wider
communities who have historically felt marginalised or misrepresented. We argue that inclusion is not simply an ethical imperative, but a necessary condition for meaningful, future-facing education.

Our focus is on reimagining the curriculum through two key strategies:

institutional approaches that embed inclusive, decolonial practices within teaching and learning, and broader sector-wide efforts to ensure businesseducation reflects diverse global perspectives. At the heart of both strategies lies the need to foster trust—trust in the relevance of the curriculum, in the fairness of representation, and in the ability of education to drive social change. We invite participants to engage with these ideas and consider how inclusive reform can shape a more just, trusted, and transformative business education context.

This workshop is of direct relevance to BAM 2025 delegates because it sits squarely within the conference theme of “On the Border.” The border, in this context, is not only geographic or political — it is epistemic, institutional, and ideological.

Participants will explore:

• What it means to teach management and business “at the border” of disrupted institutions and shifting global ethics
• How trust in management education can be rebuilt through curriculum reform
• How decoloniality and inclusion can serve as tools for both critique and innovation in business schools.

• Management learning and education
• Critical management studies
• Equality, diversity and inclusion
• Strategy, ethics, and leadership
• Internationalisation and globalisation of higher education

The workshop 'Hybridisation of management in Europe in the turbulent post-pandemic period' is organised by a team of professors, postdoctoral researchers, and doctoral students from the West Saxon University of Zwickau (WHZ), Leipzig University and the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). This event is part of our broader initiative within the Continental Network.

This digital expert round table brings together 6–10 experts from diverse fields to discuss hybrid approaches and their potential relevance for the post-pandemic future of higher education. Speakers will share perspectives from areas such as hybrid business models, digital and hybrid teaching, hybrid work environments, and digital transformation.

The goal of the session is to identify transferable approaches, challenges, and impulses that can help shape sustainable teaching and learning environments at universities. The event will include structured expert inputs followed by an interactive, moderated discussion and an open Q&A session. 

In a time of evolving legal interpretations and heightened awareness of gender identity in education, this online professional development workshop offers a timely and practical exploration of the challenges transgender students face — and how educators can lead inclusively in response.

Grounded in the Universal Design for Learning framework, this session invites participants to reflect on the real-world impact of policy, practice, and perception on transgender students’ academic progression and sense of belonging.

Through an interactive mural activity, participants will share concerns, questions, and ideas, setting the stage for a dynamic and responsive session. Using concise slides and practitioner insights — the workshop will highlight key barriers and offer actionable strategies for fostering inclusive, supportive learning environments.
 

This session is ideal for educators, academic advisors, and professional staff committed to inclusive leadership and equitable student success.

• Examine how intersecting social identities shape workplace experiences.
• Understand how DEI backlash is reinforced through political, legal, and cultural dynamics.
• Engage in hands-on analysis of real organisational case studies (e.g., GSK, McDonald’s) facing DEI challenges.
• Develop practical strategies to sustain DEI efforts despite backlash.
• Leave with a personal action plan to apply intersectional approaches in their own work contexts.

• Gain expert insight into DEI backlash and intersectional dynamics.
• Engage in interactive discussions and live polling.
• Network with scholars and practitioners committed to inclusive leadership.
• Leave with concrete strategies and an action plan for sustaining inclusive practices.
• Enhance your research, teaching, or policy work with practical DEI tools.

Reimagining work for the next three decades – a framework in development

As organisations undergo radical transformation, they face mounting pressure to redesign workplace dynamics for long-term sustainability. This professional development workshop addresses critical tensions between generational expectations, work-life integration, and evolving capital-labour relationships through systematic conceptual mapping.

The workshop's strategic approach combines expert analysis with collaborative problem-solving to tackle fundamental questions: How can organisations balance technological advancement with human agency? What safety nets ensure resilient employment relationships across demographic shifts? How do we navigate geopolitical uncertainties while maintaining operational effectiveness?

This workshop offers strategic foresight into management research directions, positioning participants to understand organisational transformation initiatives by addressing voice, agency, and security concerns that define sustainable work environments.

The collaborative format ensures practical solutions emerge from diverse perspectives, creating blueprints for workplace evolution that serve both current workforce needs and future requirements in an increasingly complex global economy.

Participants can expect an exchange of ideas and interactive group sessions. The workshop starts at 10:00 a.m. with warm up including introduction of participants, networking opportunity, and ends at 11:45 a.m. with closing remarks.

• Reflect on the ethical dimensions of naming in qualitative research.
• Navigate dilemmas around voice, authorship, and participant agency.
• Co-create a metaphorical “Butterfly Toolkit” for ethical narrative practice.
• Leave with a printed, foldable flyer representing their individual and collective learning.

• Researchers at all career stages
• Policy-engaged scholars
• Practitioners seeking to expand their knowledge and impact

• Gain a deeper understanding of the importance and applicability of green skills in business education.
• Discover innovative teaching and assessment methods to effectively integrate sustainability competencies.
• Challenge current approaches and evaluate new ideas through peer interaction and critical discussion.
• Develop actionable strategies that can be directly implemented in participants’ teaching practice.
• Network and exchange ideas with fellow educators passionate about sustainability in management education.