The Rating Methodology and Purpose
FROM BEING THE BEST IN THE WORLD TO BEING THE BEST FOR THE WORLD
Our purpose is to measure how business schools contribute to solving societal challenges by energising the school and its culture, by educating current and future leaders, by providing relevant research results and offers for continuing education, by participating in the public debate and by being a role model institution. The Positive Impact Rating seeks to contribute as a lever of change to the transformation of the business school landscape.
OUR VALUE PROPOSITION
Students seeking an education that prepares them as change makers in the 21st century get a global measurement of schools equipping them with the required competences.
Enabling Civil society to find leading business school as like-minded partners in their endeavors and offers advice to business and other organizations on their impact.
Allowing participating schools to use the survey results as a tool for their internal change processes which serves for bench marking, business school development
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
NORMATIVE STARTING BASE
The starting base of the rating is a normative vision of management education as a custodian of society based on the 50+20 vision.
FULL ASSESSMENT
6 different stakeholder groups in all 4 areas and 9 dimensions will be launched in a 2nd phase, with the aim of obtaining more comprehensive results
RATING NOT RANKING
Business schools are not positioned by specific ranks, but they are rated to belong to a certain level of achievement, preventing the danger of misplaced concreteness. The rating is an effort in social transparency.
FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS
The rating does not prescribe specific ways to live up to the mission, but it leaves room for the schools to define their own ways to fulfill it.
INTERNAL & EXTERNAL USE
The rating can be used for internal purposes (school development) or it can be used for external benchmarking and communication.
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
We will start with a rating “by students and for students”. Bachelor and Master students will assess their own schools in 3 areas (Energizing, Educating and Engaging) and 7 dimensions.
PERCEPTION BASED
The rating is based on subjective perceptions, because perceptions define “reality” and hence influence action. This makes the rating different from existing rankings, who rely on “objective” data.
HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Rather than looking only at a specific program, the Positive Impact Rating looks at the whole school in all of its key areas and dimensions.
THE IMPACT MODEL FOR STUDENT ASSESSMENT
3 Areas, 7 Dimensions, 20 Questions
The PIR assessment model includes three areas and seven dimensions. In each of the dimensions there are a number of questions that serve as proxies to assess how students perceive their school’s current state to create a positive impact. These proxies may or may not be a good expression of a given dimension and may therefore be adapted over time to better reflect this dimension. Educating and engaging have been identified as critical roles for business schools in the 50+20 vision for business schools. Energizing is an area that has been added to the 50+20 model given its fundamental importance in orienting the school and its development. The first edition of the PIR has confirmed that this area is indeed a predictor for creating a positive impact.
Download description here.
Energizing
DIMENSIONS:
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Governance (2 Qs)
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Culture (4 Qs)
Educating
DIMENSIONS
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Programs (4 Qs)
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Learning Methods (3 Qs)
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Student Engagement (3 Qs)
Engaging
DIMENSIONS:
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Institution as role model (2 Qs)
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Public Engagement (2 Qs)
Area 1 – Energizing
Energizing measures how governance and culture move the school ahead as perceived by its students. It is a lead indicator for a business school to increase its positive impact.
Governance dimension: Students assess to what degree the school’s vision includes societal engagement and to what degree sustainability and societal engagements are perceived as a driving force for the school.
Culture dimension: Students assess the degree to which a school is aligned with its purpose and vision and if change & innovation are a natural part of a school’s culture. They also assess to what degree people in the school are motivated beyond self-interest and if the school supports personal development.
Area 2 - Educating
Educating measures a fundamental role of a school by preparing students to become responsible leaders in business and society. It is an area of direct relevance to the students.
Programs dimension: Students assess the degree to which ethics, responsibility & sustainability are integrated into study programs, and if societal stakeholders are typically a part of the student learning experience. They also assess if their study program develops skills to become a responsible leader and if program management and faculty listen to student suggestions for change.
Learning methods dimension: Students assess if they are trained to apply methods and tools to societal challenges, and the degree to which they learn to co-create solutions with societal stakeholders. They also assess the degree to which teaching methods at the school are innovative.
Student engagement dimension: Students assess the degree to which they actively engage with societal stakeholders like NGOs, media or engaged citizens. They also assess to what degree students at their school want to address societal challenges, and if the social and sustainable profile of a company plays a role when the students choose an employer.
Area 3 - Engaging
Engaging reflects the school’s active engagement to earn the trust of students and society, but also its status as a respected public citizen.
Role Model dimension: Students assess if their school reports comprehensively on its responsibility and sustainability performance, and the degree to which they perceive that their school’s graduates are prepared to deal with sustainability challenges in their jobs.
Public Engagement dimension: Students assess the level of public engagement among the members of the school (faculty, staff and students themselves) in the field of responsibility and sustainability, but also how the school’s engagement in the responsibility and sustainability field is recognized by the public.
Furthermore, there are three open ended questions asking students what their schools should start, stop, or continue doing in support of its commitment to providing management education that results in a positive impact for the world.
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