Ethical Dilemmas of Critical Management Education

Abstract

Critical management education (CME) raises ethical issues, some of which have been debated in the broader literature of critical pedagogy and others that are particular to the unique balance of critical learning within contexts of management studies. Three issues in particular are explored in this article: the problematic positionality of the critical educator, the potential fragmentation of student subjectivities, and the contradictions between management practice and critical teaching. These issues are presented as ethical dilemmas for which no clear response can be postulated that does not entail further problematic issues. Mindful of this slipperiness, the discussion presents pedagogical approaches drawn from critical education theory and the author's own classroom struggles, approaches that attempt to sustain critical intent alongside respect for student needs, in a pragmatic and flexible pedagogy that incorporates action with critical analysis.