Crisis management as a critical perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to draw the authors experience of teaching a crisis management module within a range of MBA programmes in the UK, EU and USA. A key characteristic of the module was its development as a means of critiquing conventional approaches to management education. The paper details that experience. Design/methodology/approach – It reviews the literature on management education that has been critical of prescriptive and “toolkit-based” approaches to MBA education. Findings – An approach to a crisis management course is shown to provide a means of challenging dominant theoretical and practical approaches to management. Practical implications – The paper identifies challenges and personal and academic benefits for educators and students when engaging with critical perspectives and critical pedagogies. Originality/value – Through introducing the notion of crisis management, the paper discusses the importance of challenging theory and practice and creating within students, an appetite to challenge the dominant paradigms of conventional teaching and business practice.