Introduction
Impact and engagement, the RSM way
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August 2021
For real change to be made, we must work together.
Societal expectations of the role and purpose of business schools have changed as understanding of the world’s greatest problems has grown. The Covid-19 pandemic aside, these are hugely challenging times in which complex and inextricable ‘wicked problems’ – including hunger, food security, poverty, inequality, climate change and sustainability – are being addressed with a sense of urgency.
But in acknowledging, understanding and working towards the alleviation of such monumental problems, it must also be understood that their very scale and complexity prevents any single societal entity from achieving meaningful success. Rather, it is only with collaboration between organisations and across sectors, and with common intent and a powerful sense of purpose that real impact becomes achievable and sustainable.
Collaboration between society’s infrastructural pillars – government, business and civil society – is not just essential for solving these wicked problems; it is also critical for identifying and defining the goals we set ourselves for the betterment of all. For real change to be made, we must work together.
Transformative education, purposeful engagement and impactful knowledge represent the three pillars of how RSM can help business achieve meaningful and transformative change through the SDGs.
- Wilfred Mijnhardt, Director of Policy, RSM
In 2019, RSM had an estimated financial impact of:
in the Randstad region
RSM alumni work in
senior and leadership positions in 158 local companies with 500+ employees
Meaningful societal impact
As a world-class research-driven business school, RSM produces a considerable volume of new knowledge. While faculty members have the academic freedom to pursue their work as they see fit, much of the School’s research output aligns naturally with issues relating to the challenges defined by the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs).
As an example, SDG 8 for the promotion of sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and full and productive employment and decent work for all, embraces innovation. This is a field in which we excel. We are also very strong in research and teaching in areas relating to sustainability, corporate responsibility, stakeholder engagement, climate change, inequality, and RSM is a global leader in the field of sustainable finance. Our students and global alumni network use the new knowledge they have learned to generate innovative ideas that help to tackle the underlying issues faced by society.
As educators, we not only teach students in their chosen subjects, but also equip them with skills and knowledge that makes them better prepared for their roles as leaders, entrepreneurs, and as citizens of the world. In this we have a huge responsibility.
Our mission to be a force for positive change in the world is integrated across all our programmes so that every student, regardless of what they study, learns about topics relating to sustainability and the UN’s 17 SDGs. Our mission is also embedded in the learning goals and learning objectives that are defined in every programme.
We are part of public life – and that positions us uniquely in terms of understanding society’s big challenges and in facilitating the transformations required to bring about meaningful, long-lasting and positive change.
- Ansgar Richter, Outgoing Dean of RSM
Engaging and collaborating in meaningful ways with external stakeholders and society at large creates positive impact. Through teaching, we bring the world to our students and take our students to the world by asking them to engage in real-world consultancy projects, for example, and when they hear the perspectives of expert speakers. Through our I WILL initiative, launched in 2009, we have provided a platform for students, staff and external stakeholders to make a statement about, and a personal commitment to, a vision of the world they would like to see.
Our programmes and courses address the challenges faced by business and society. We invite and encourage collaboration with people and organisations to co-create programmes that are tailor-made for our students on campus as well as for a much wider audience of students online who follow our free open online courses from wherever they are in the world. Through the generation of knowledge, the expertise of our faculty members is shared in goal-focused collaborations that also create impact.
We are an international business school with an alumni community that stretches all over the world, which means we have global opportunities to further fulfil our potential for engagement and impact.
We are on a life-long journey with our alumni, and because of this we have a unique responsibility to make their journey with us worthwhile and of value.
- Daan Stam, Dean of Engagement and Partnerships, RSM
The results of the Business School Impact System (BSIS) Report conducted by EFMB Global gave us insights for the first time about our impact and embeddedness in the Randstad region of the Netherlands, which is very international. The report shows that in 2019 the financial impact of RSM in this local eco-system amounted to €471 million. And, that some 270 RSM alumni occupy senior leadership positions with close to 160 local companies employing more than 500 employees.
The BSIS Impact Report is a clear step towards a sense of self-awareness in which the School understands and can build on the significant impact we have regionally.
Engaging with stakeholders and creating impact is nothing new, of course. Indeed, the rich history of the School began in 1970 with support and funding from multinationals including ABN AMRO, Shell and Unilever with the purpose of providing the Netherlands with a new kind of business managers, trained to both analyse problems and develop practical solutions to them. This positive, solutions-based approach has always been integral to the RSM spirit.
Just over half a century later, our challenge now is to manage the transition towards becoming a fully impact-led institution, to ensure the knowledge we create and the relationships we build genuinely and measurably make a positive difference.
Read on to find out about our journey.