Senior professor says business schools need to accept they are political bodies

Business schools need to accept that they are political bodies and engage accordingly,
according to a senior business professor.

Speaking at the annual conference of European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) in Seville on 07 to 09/06/2026, Carl Rhodes, Professor of Business and Society at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, said: “Business schools are already political institutions. The only question is whether they engage with that reality democratically and responsibly. The future of the business school is inseparable from the future of democracy itself.”

The theme of the annual conference, which took place on 07-09/06/2026, was “what does management education stand for?” in an ever-changing world.

Rhodes said that many countries had targeted universities in conflicts over democracy, stating that they were elitist and politically biased. “Business schools are also deeply embedded in this political crossfire. This matters significantly because business schools have long seen themselves differently, traditionally presenting themselves as pragmatic and…