Critical Reflection and Management Education: Rehabilitating Less Hierarchical Approaches

Abstract

In response to the growing interest in applying a more critical perspective within management education, this article proposes an approach thatwould reflect critical principles in both its contents and its methods. The essential characteristics of a critical approach to management education are summarized, followed by a discussion of the significance of educational methods and of the ways in which less hierarchical methods in particular could, with some provisos, provide the basis for a critical management pedagogy. The article ends by drawing attention to some of the potential pitfalls of introducing management students to a critical perspective.