On September 18, IPADE Mexico City hosted the event “Building Research Communities Among Latin American Scholars 2019.” An initiative of the Latin America Business Education Jam Scholars Community, the event brought together representatives from business schools across Latin America in an effort to work towards defining a research and education model that aligns with the needs of the region.
The concept of the Scholars Community took shape as a result of two core reflections that emerged from the first Latin America Business Jam, held in February 2019: 1) the need to develop a unique value proposition for Latin American business schools that focuses on and addresses the social issues present in the region and 2) the potential impact of collaboratively developing this value proposition.
Enthusiastic about continuing the work they had started during the Jam and committed to building bridges between individuals and institutions, participants proposed establishing an initiative focused on building a network of research professionals focused on academic or applied research across the following five different areas:
- Social entrepreneurship: The current state of social entrepreneurship in the region, new business models, impact investing, social impact metrics, all issues related to poverty, income inequality, and inclusive growth
- Corruption and ethical leadership: Economic and social costs of corruption
- Family businesses: Dynamics of family businesses and their evolution and professionalization, corporate governance, succession planning
- Gender: Female leadership, women in top management positions, equal opportunities, support systems
- Business education: New teaching and learning models, flexible vs. lockstep programs, lifelong learning, certification programs, academic research vs. applied research
The Latin America Scholars Community launched in June with the participation of 155 researchers from 24 different business education institutions located in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru. Although the majority of the Scholars Community gatherings and meetings are hosted online, the Building Research Communities Among Latin American Scholars 2019 event offered network members the opportunity to come together in person.
“This gathering is just the first of many,” said IPADE Dean Rafael Gómez Nava. “We hope that other business schools will join the initiative to establish academic alliances and identify synergies that encourage and support research.”
Building Research Communities Among Latin American Scholars 2019 was organized by Gabriela Alvarado, Professor at ITAM, with support from Javier Maymi, the AACSB representative for Latin America. The event was also supported by global sponsors AACSB, EFMD, Boston University Questrom School of Business, and GMAC.
