Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University is proud of the rich diversity of inquiry around research and teaching that is relevant to management students, practitioners and society at large.
The Weatherhead School’s accredited offerings on sustainable value and appreciative inquiry are among the best in the world and have firsthand access to the pioneering work and field research of the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit and its experts.
Explore our programs and courses related to the Fowler Center.
Graduate-Level Courses
Business as an Agent of World Benefit Workshop
Every first year MBA student at Weatherhead School of Management takes the Business as an Agent of World Benefit workshop in their first year. This workshop explores the proposition that business, the motor of our society, has the opportunity to be the most positive and
creative force on the planet, a force that contributes to the well-being of many and a sustainable world economy.
The topics covered in this workshop relate to “business as an agent of world benefit”: What does it look like, where is it happening, what are the market, societal and leadership enablers, and what are the business results and value propositions involved? The workshop sessions are designed to galvanize a new vision of business in society as well as our students’ own personal leadership development.
Throughout the workshop students participate in analysis and discussion as well as meetings with CEOs and social entrepreneurs who are successfully integrating sustainability into their businesses. By the end of the workshop series our MBA students are ready to “win the future” and succeed in a marketplace where “doing well by doing good” is fast becoming the new normal.
Quantum Leadership: Creating Value for You, Your Organization, and the World (ORBH 330/430)
Course Objective
This course builds on the business case for sustainability to develop leadership capabilities aimed at flourishing enterprise and business as a force for good. It emphasizes emerging market expectations for businesses to have a positive impact and the growing desire for inner wellbeing through self-cultivation. Together these trends are changing who leaders are (not only what they are doing) by increasing their awareness of how their actions impact others and the world.
Through this course, students will provide course-specific advisory services to a company that is committed to greater flourishing at the individual and organizational level. Students will also learn mindfulness practices through an action learning process that will allow them to experience a greater connection to self, others, and nature.
The most exciting aspect of this class will be encouraging students to see themselves as positive change agents, with the ability to enact positive impacts on our environment and society, in their search for a flourishing life and career.
See other courses offered through the Department of Organizational Behavior and the Department of Design and Innovation.
Executive Education Courses
Appreciative Inquiry Certificate in Positive Business and Society Change
Designed by appreciative inquiry (AI) co-creators David Cooperrider and Ronald Fry, this executive education program presents a proven approach to accelerating organizational change by redirecting focus to core strengths. Through a combination of coursework and fieldwork, students earn advanced professional education in the foundations of AI and work on projects specific to their own organizations.
The focused work bridges high ideals with the results-orientation of business and industry. Learn more about the AI Certificate in Positive Business and Society Change.
Additional Executive Education Sustainability-Themed Programs
Weatherhead Executive Education sustainability-themed programs include:
- Coaching
- Emotional Intelligence
- Leadership Deep Dive™
- Managing Others
- Personal Impact and Empowerment
- Women in Leadership
- Seizing Innovation in a Greening World
- Creating Actionable Sustainability Plans
- Launching and Implementing an Impactful Sustainability Program
- Being a Sustainability Leader
- More Than Ethics: Expressing Values in Voice and Practice
- Appreciative Inquiry
- Designing Innovation and Strategy
- Sustainable Value
- Mindfulness for Enhanced Performance
See a full list of programs offered by Weatherhead Executive Education.