Faculty's subjective well-being: insights from a Mexican business school

Abstract

PurposeIn this article, the authors aim to achieve a deeper understanding of the aspects that influence academic faculty's subjective well-being (SWB). For this purpose, the authors focus on scholars who work in a business school that not only is located in Latin America, but is in a transition process, changing from being solely a teaching-oriented to a research-oriented model due to Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation purposes.Design/methodology/approachTwenty in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with professors at a private business school in Mexico. The interviews took place between November 2018 and late 2020.FindingsScholars of business schools who are transitioning from being teaching-oriented to becoming research-oriented in order to comply with AACSB requirements face heightened institutional pressures that can generate negative effects on professors' SWB; especially on three dimensions: health, a sense of lack of self-efficacy and apprehension due to the lack of resources.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper studied a particular context; however, even when the findings of this article are relevant, they cannot be generalized, as each context will have its own peculiarities.Originality/valueMore attention needs to be given to scholars' SWB, particularly of those working in business schools located in the Global South. This is especially relevant since faculty members of business schools in emerging economies are aiming to compete in the international arena; therefore, they face heightened institutional pressures since they need to be more academically productive without neglecting teaching and administrative tasks and despite having less access to resources than their counterparts working in business schools in developed economies. The authors believe that hearing researchers' stories about their concerns and desires can raise awareness and lead to better work conditions.