Abstract
As socially responsible organizations, the role of universities must extend beyond knowledge generation to positive transformation in society. There is a growing recognition of the importance of nurturing socially responsible leadership in STEM graduates but an economic, knowledge-based perspective on leadership of STEM graduates persists. The purpose of the chapter is to direct attention to the necessity of socially responsible leadership development as a focal point in STEM disciplines and to fuel the discussion about how this might be achieved. Beyond providing conditions for learning of discipline knowledge and skills, educators should be influential leaders, guiding and mentoring their students holistically. The chapter serves to prompt reflection on the necessity of socially responsible leadership development as a focal point in STEM disciplines and to fuel discussion about conditions conducive to its development.
TopIntroduction
Now more than ever, humanity needs positive change. Universities are long acknowledged as being at the forefront of intellectual thinking, advancing, and changing society through knowledge generation (Cakmak & Uzunboylu, 2018). However, as socially responsible organizations, the role of universities must extend beyond knowledge generation to positive transformation in society. The role of their graduates in catalyzing social change is already acknowledged in the strategic visions of universities. For example, at Griffith university, the goal is for graduates of influence; at Washington state university the goal is “To extend knowledge through innovative educational programs in which students and emerging scholars are mentored to realize their highest potential and assume roles of leadership, responsibility, and service to society (Washington State university.)”. However, higher education curriculums, especially those in STEM areas, tend to remain rooted in content and conceptual knowledge of the discipline, to the detriment of growth of other capabilities necessary for social change. Employability skills are taking center stage in university degree programs regardless of discipline, but the conceptual frame of ‘employability’ needs to be expanded. In its position paper, The Future of Education and Skills – Education 2030, the organization for economic co-operation and development (OECD) (2018), poignantly states:
“Unless steered with a purpose, the rapid advance of science and technology may widen inequities, exacerbate social fragmentation, and accelerate resource depletion…Education needs to aim to do more than prepare young people for the world of work; it needs to equip students with the skills they need to become active, responsible and engaged citizens (pp. 3-4).
It is therefore no longer enough to equip graduates with knowledge. To be successful in their future careers and to be enable them to make a positive contribution to society, graduates require the skills to both cope with, and drive socially responsible change regardless of what position or level they will occupy within organizations. That is, graduates must emerge from their studies not only as leaders, but leaders capable of transformative change for social benefit. How this might be achieved is open for discussion (University World News, 2020).
In STEM disciplines, the notion of leadership as a desirable quality of graduates is not novel. Indeed, across all university disciplines, leadership capability is recognized as a graduate quality. Leadership education for graduates has been implemented in many institutions in one form or another (Borgese, Deutsch, & Winkler, 2004). Whether or not leadership should be included as part of the higher education study experience is clearly not in question and leadership development is a sought after and frequently mentioned outcome for higher education (Allen, Shankman, & Miguel, 2012; Shertzer & Shuh, 2004). What is under-emphasized in discussion of leadership as a quality of graduates is the dimension of social responsibility and the implicit ethical and moral characteristics of leadership. Arts and social disciplines may more easily capture these characteristics in discipline learning, but in many STEM disciplines, the discussion can be overshadowed by the technical skills and conceptual knowledge of the discipline. For example, in a computer science program of study, the curriculum is focused on algorithms, coding, networking and security and other technical knowledge. The leadership attributes of STEM graduates are often only formulated from economic perspectives rather than from a socially responsible perspective, that is that “STEM education should help develop students’ understanding of social issues, their transformative potential to rectify structural inequities, and other outcomes important for a more democratic society (i.e., social responsibility, civic engagement, equity-orientation) in order to broaden and improve the impact of science and technology (S&T) on equity and the human good” (Garibay, 2015, p. 610). STEM programs may (and usually do) contain a course on relevant socially responsible topics such as ethics, but the discourse of ethics, social responsibility and the implicit ‘social’ assumptions of technologies is not woven throughout the curriculum and participation in co-curricular activity may not be prominent. The development of socially responsible leadership in STEM disciplines is not well-researched and there is some empirical evidence that STEM students have lower social justice outcomes than their counterparts in non-STEM areas (Garibay, 2015).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Techno-Centric Mindset: Emphasis is on the power of technology to change or shape environments and what and how people undertake activities. The social aspect of technology/technology as a tool for human use is under-emphasized/neglected.
Experiential Learning: Put forward by David A. Kolb, it is the idea that people ‘learn by doing’ and by reflecting on their experiences of the activity.
Leadership: Leadership is about dealing with change and producing change. This is achieved through three core activities: 1) Establishing a direction (vision), 2) Aligning people (communicating goals, seeking commitment, building teams and coalitions), and 3) Motivating and inspiring (energizing, empowering others, satisfying unmet needs) ( Kotter, 1990 ).
Employability Skills: Skills such as teamwork, problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, communication and interpersonal skills necessary for success in 21 st century careers.
Socially Responsible Leadership: A socially responsible leader conducts themselves and leads their organisation in a way that is considerate of the impact of their decisions on all stakeholders within and outside of the organisation, as well as on the organisation itself and the surrounding physical and social environment.
Critical Reflection: Although there is a lack of consensus on the meaning, it is used in the present chapter to refer to the process of becoming aware of and critically considering beliefs and values.