Bridging Research and Reality: A Collaboration for Sustainability Impact

In 2024, a critical challenge emerged within the sustainability profession. Universities were producing graduates with deep technical knowledge of sustainability and ESG, yet many early-career professionals entering the workforce felt unprepared for the realities of implementing change. Resources were limited, senior leadership remained cautious, and resistance within organizations often stifled progress. The gap between knowledge and practical implementation called for a new kind of collaboration, one that brought academic and industry closer together.

That collaboration began to take shape at the 11th Responsible Management Education Research (RMER) Conference in Berlin, a global convening where researchers, educators, and business leaders meet to bridge theory and practice. In one particular session, a serendipitous connection unfolded between three attendees: Karen Cripps, Associate Professor in Responsible Management and Leadership at Oxford Brookes University Business School and Secretary of the PRME UK & Ireland Chapter Steering Committee; Stefanie Weniger, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Austria; and Klemens Höppner, a facilitator on the Climate Literacy Training for Business Schools.

From Research to Action

During her presentation at RMER, Karen shared her findings on the sustainability skills gap, emphasizing the urgent need for soft skills among industry sustainability managers, such as communication, resilience, and systems thinking. Stefanie, sitting in the audience, immediately recognized the relevance of Karen’s findings, “It was actually during our annual board retreat,” Stefanie recalls. “One of my board members said, ‘I think it would be great to offer soft skills training for ESG managers.’”

Also attending the session, Klemens recognized the opportunity. It was during networking opportunities where Stephanie approached him with the idea of turning research into practical training, and Klemens immediately saw how PRME’s network could help it come to life. Together, they began to design a programme that wove together academic insight and corporate learning.

Combining Expertise to Build Skills

To design the programme, Klemens partnered with Dr. Beate Klingenberg, Professor of Sustainability and Supply Chain Management at FOM School for Economics and Management, Germany, and a leading member of the PRME Sustainability Mindset Working Group. Together, they collaborated with UNGC Austria to co-create training sessions for corporate participants, integrating academic research, corporate experience, and experiential learning.

“Karen’s research was really helpful to move into that direction and was a building bridge into what is needed to support people,” Klemens explains. He emphasized that much of corporate sustainability work focuses on technical solutions, but the real challenge lies in changing mindsets and adapting within complex systems. Beate added, “Working with students in academia has shown me that systemic thinking is essential, but it's not very easy to come across. Bringing that experience into the corporate context opened new ways of seeing challenges.”

Karen noted the alignment between education and workplace application, “Sustainability mindset principles are equally applicable in a workplace context. They’re lifelong leadership and management tools that participants can adopt as they navigate real-world challenges.”

Training for the Realities of Sustainability Work

The training sessions revealed just how critical soft skills, resilience, and systemic thinking are for sustainability professionals. Stefanie highlights the challenges faced by young ESG managers, “Nowadays, it is especially difficult for the younger generation that has just started in ESG roles… they might lose their job, or they might not have the ambitious mandate they wished for. They need soft skills training to stay on track and continue doing what they believe in.”

Participants initially joined the training to improve soft skills, but quickly realized the transformative value in their day-to-day work. “They soon realized how essential these lessons were, as they started to see their work and challenges from new perspectives they had never considered before.” Beate explains. Klemens adds that this work helps professionals navigate the tension between purpose-driven sustainability goals and profit-driven organizational realities, fostering resilience and adaptability.

A Model for Partnership with Purpose

The collaboration embodies the unique role of PRME within the UN Global Compact in connecting responsible management education with real-world practice. Relationships built through PRME community events made this initiative possible, connecting researchers, educators, and business professionals around a shared mission.

“Without PRME, this bridge would be missing,” says Klemens. “It’s really this coming together, the relationships that are being built and seeing that these relationships matter. That is the contribution. It’s not one person’s work, it’s the coming together of different people working toward something that will shift us into something better.”

Karen echoes that sentiment, noting how PRME fosters mutual learning between educators and practitioners, “It’s so important for PRME educators to work with industry professionals to understand their realities. We often invite sustainability professionals to talk about their roles, but not necessarily about the challenges, emotions, and setbacks they face. Collaborations like this bridge that gap and make education more relevant.”

Through academic insight, professional expertise, and cross-sector collaboration, this initiative demonstrates how PRME and the UN Global Compact can drive meaningful, scalable impact. By equipping both students and professionals with the skills, mindset, and resilience needed for sustainability leadership, the partnership strengthens the global movement toward responsible management and systemic change.

As Klemens concluded, “It’s about more than skills, it’s about cultivating the mindset and relationships that make transformation possible.”