Living your values – their importance in business education

As the Dean of the business school, I am often asked what sets Exeter apart from others. My answer is always the same – our clear values around responsible leadership to help develop environmental sustainability.

Having guiding principles that inform all decisions and actions is of course crucial to the success of any organisation, but it’s especially important for a business school. With a responsibility of helping to develop the leaders of tomorrow, we need to practice as we preach.

I recently spoke at the EFMD Marcom, External and Alumni Relations Conference on this very subject. It helped me reflect on why we follow a values-based approach and what it means for us all at Exeter.

First, it helps establish the tone for the school’s culture. Your values should be reflected in everything you do, from research to teaching to the way you operate day to day. They create a shared sense of purpose and a powerful sense of community. This in turn helps attract students, faculty, and staff who are aligned with your mission and values.

Second, it helps decision-making. Faced with a difficult decision, a clear set of values guide you in what to do and what to stop. It provides a framework for ensuring that decisions are always consistent with our objectives.

Lastly, it is crucial for your external reputation. It shows prospective students, faculty, and employers that the school ‘walks the talk’ around ethics and social responsibility.

The values that are important to us at Exeter, such as ethics and integrity, diversity and inclusion, service and community, a dedication to innovation, and care for the natural world are evident in our latest activities. A few highlights include:

Our colleague Professor Gail Whiteman has been named on the new Reuters Climate Council. The council brings together business and political leaders to help drive climate action. The aim is to look at issues in an interdisciplinary way to generate new ideas and deliver practical solutions.

From our Cornwall campus, Dr Nikita Chiu recently convened an event at the House of Lords with Charles Courtenay, the Earl of Devon,  to look at the issue of stronger international governance for the Space sector. Bringing together colleagues from academia, international space agencies, and defence and diplomatic sectors, SPACE-Gov: Space Sustainability and Governance – Mitigating Compounded Risks through Foresight and Futures Methods is developing an expert network on space governance. This is to advise and coordinate different state actors and industry stakeholders.

Closer to home, it was wonderful to see Ciara Eastell OBE, a Professor of Practice at the Business School win the People category at the 2023 Exeter Impact Awards. The awards celebrate those in the local area who are making a positive impact to business success. Judges highlighted Ciara’s efforts in strengthening the connections between the business school and businesses in our region.

Our students are constantly a source of wonder. Elizabeth Chandler, a final year undergraduate based in Cornwall, recently won a Women in Tech Award as well as Innovate UK’s Young Innovators Award for her start-up The Good Robot Company. The company helps businesses become more inclusive by detecting and minimising bias in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) systems. Elizabeth also has had a research paper on ‘ethical AI’ accepted for presentation at the World Congress of Undergraduate Research 2023 at the University of Warwick.

Each of these are fitting examples of the values we hold dear at Exeter and underpin all our work. As Dean, it is so inspiring to see them lived by our faculty, students and partners and is a daily reminder of the power of being true to your beliefs in everything you do.