Working Group Content

History

In 2014, academics from 16 countries discussed a common concern. Unsustainability reflected a mindset that needed a shift. Intellectual understanding was not enough. Developing a new mindset required different contents and pedagogy.

They felt like ‘outliers’ in their institutions. They were eager to research and share. The initiative LEAP! was created to Leverage resources, Expand awareness, Accelerate change and Partner with likeminded colleagues, to develop a generation of sustainability minded leaders. In May 2015, LEAP! became the Working Group on the Sustainability Mindset. As of February 2026, the network has 349 academic members from 172 universities in 61 countries.

Purpose

The Working Group recognizes that the planetary challenge demands collective and urgent action and that intellectual understanding alone is not enough. At the foundation of unsustainable behaviors lies a mindset that must be shifted, which in turn calls for different, more transformative teaching approaches. Academics are uniquely positioned, with influence, skills, and perspectives, to become essential change accelerators.

The sustainability mindset, best described through its 12 Principles, is a way of thinking and being that results from a broad understanding of the ecosystem's manifestations, and an introspective focus on the personal values and the higher self. The mindset finds its expression in actions for the greater good of the whole. The Sustainability Mindset is ultimately a lens through which we analyze and interpret information, and make decisions.

The Working Group explores developing the Sustainability Mindset by building awareness, shifting unsustainable paradigms, developing pedagogical approaches and assessing the impact.

Goals

The goals of the PRME Working Group on Sustainability Mindset are:

To impact students and support them in developing a mindset for sustainability
To create and document tools and exercises that best develop the sustainability mindset
To produce papers and present at academic settings documenting the research and scientific pedagogical advancement
To lead students to work on SDG based projects making a difference in their community, and to document it
To connect with other departments and/or faculty in their respective institutions, to promote awareness of the sustainability mindset
To create a network of mutual support that can be a resource for each other’s institutions
To establish and maintain relationships with national and international institutions: UNGlobal Compact, other PRME Working Groups, GRLI, AACSB, Oikos, Net impact, efmd, CEMS, Ascolfa.

Research

Research Outputs

This Working Group focuses on researching the development, application, and impact of the Sustainability Mindset. The Sustainability Mindset is best described through its 12 Principles, grouped into four content areas: ecological worldview, systemic perspective, emotional and spiritual intelligence. The mindset is an internal dimension that is seen in actions and behaviors. Multiple research projects are underway to assess the impact of developing the mindset shift using the Sustainability Mindset Indicator (more details below).

Research Conferences

The Working Group has been presenting sessions about the Sustainability Mindset at the Academy of Management since 2014. It has organized several international retreat meetings before the Academy of Management, and two International Conferences: Italy (2018) and Denmark Copenhagen DK (2025).

Members have presented at various academic conferences and participated as guest lecturers in other members’ institutions.

Engagement Opportunities

Monthly Virtual Meetings:

LEAP Café: A monthly informal space to meet and connect with colleagues from around the

world. Every first Monday of the month at 8 am NY Time.

Storytelling Circle: The monthly Storytelling Circle, 3rd Monday of the month, features

members who share about their work, passion or projects related to developing the Sustainability Mindset.

Please see the event calender tab for upcoming events.

Open Call for Collaboration:

The Working Group invites collaboration with other organizations and encourage members to make suggestions and start projects within the scope of the Sustainability Mindset.

Ongoing and past collaboration examples include:

A Systems Influencer group was launched with 14 members from Africa, Europe, North and Latin America to explore ways to bring the sustainability mindset into their organization. New members are welcome. The group meets twice a year.
The Working Group participated in the Humanistic Management Working Group in New York in 2024.
The WG recognizes members spontaneously promoting the Sustainability Mindset and invite new members. We honor them with the title of Ambassadors. We currently have five in Russia, UK, Germany, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
Host or attend Regional F2F meetings (Philadelphia, Vancouver, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Copenhagen, Paris, Miami, New York, Atlanta, Portland, Anaheim, Barcelona, Curitiba, Sao Paulo, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston)
LEAP is a Founding Member of AIM2Flourish and in 2015 twenty three members of LEAP! became part of the pilot of AIM2Flourish.
Higher School of Economics, Moscow, launched the Sustainability Mindset Award in 2023
In 2022, the Working Group collaborated with Exelia University in La Rochelle, France, developing their faculty.
In 2018, Kennesaw State University and the Working Group partnered in organizing a Seminar and a Conference on the Sustainability Mindset in Tuscany, Italy
The Center of Sustainability Mindset and Social Responsibility (CSMSR) of IPMI International Business School in Jakarta opened in 2017. It designs collaboration with other researchers and experts to make sure that future leaders are equipped with the new paradigm of Business as an Agent for World Benefit

Resource Development

The Working Group collaborates to publish books with resources for educators to build a sustainability mindset amongst their students.

Stay tuned for resources to be uploaded in the resources tab!

Other Activities

Sustainability Mindset Indicator:

The Working Group assesses the sustainability mindset through the Sustainability Mindset Indicator, developed by Dr. Isabel Rimanoczy and Professor Dr. Beate Klingenberg as both a personal development and a research tool. It is based on the conceptual framework of the 12 Sustainability Mindset Principles, and includes elements of positive psychology, human development stages, transformative learning, humanistic psychology and polarity thinking. Launched in 2021, it is being used by educators around the world including Australia, Austria, Mexico, Spain, Indonesia, UK, Germany, Italy, US, Austria, and Russia. For example, universities are using the SMI for research projects for pre-post assessment and for their teaching at universities such as Politecnico de Milano, TEC Monterrey, Guelph University, U. Navarra, and IPMI Indonesia.

Awards and Recognitions:

AIM2Flourish Awards- WG professors participating have received awards every year since 2018.
Reimagine Education Awards- The Sustainability Mindset Indicator Project was presented by Isabel Rimanoczy at the event Reimagine Education, a global competition rewarding innovative approaches aimed at enhancing student learning outcomes and employability organized by Wharton University and QS UK. The Sustainability Mindset Indicator project received the First Prize-Gold Award in Social Sciences, and Second Prize - Silver Award in the Sustainability category, and Bronze in 2021.
Finalist Prize from the Humanistic Management Association- In 2018 Publication of ‘Developing a Sustainability Mindset in Management Education’ with contributions of 23 members from 11 countries. Kassel & Rimanoczy (Eds.) Routledge Taylor.
Gianluca Spina Award- Beate Klingenberg, Albachiara Boffelli and Alice Madonna (professors at University of Bergamo) submitted a winning project to the Gianluca Spina Award for teaching excellence and innovation, funded by the Gianluca Spina Foundation and awarded by the Italian Association of Management Engineering.
Best Paper Award by Junior Faculty- At AOM in 2016, the paper, The Sustainable Mindset: Connecting Being, Thinking, and Doing in Management Education by Kerul Kassel, Isabel Rimanoczy, and Shelley Mitchell won this award.

Co-Chairs

Isabel Rimanoczy, USA
isabelrimanoczy@gmail.com

Mehdi MAJIDI, GRUNI Sustainable Development Center, Grigol Robakidze University; Georgia
majidi.mehdi@gruni.edu.ge

Steering Committee

Mary Grace Neville, Southwestern University, United States of America

Estatira Shirkhodaee, Conestoga College, Canada

Ruben Burga, Guelph University, Canada

Please fill out the form here to join the Working Group.

Working Group Outputs

The Sustainability Mindset Principles

This book, part of the PRME Education Series, is the first to introduce the 12 Principles for a Sustainability Mindset, presenting educators with a framework that makes it easy to include them into teaching plans and lessons of any discipline. Written in a very clear and practical way, the book provides examples, checklists, tips, and tools for professionals and educators. It transforms the development of a much-needed mindset for sustainability into an accessible, fun and intuitive task.

The book is written with educators from a variety of disciplines in mind, including but not limited to management educators, coaches, and trainers.

Explore the output>

Revolutionizing Sustainability Education: Stories and Tools of Mindset Transformation

This book, part of the PRME Education Series, presents a collection of over 150 student voices depicting a transformative experience and a shift in their mindset. Seventeen educator/student teams of contributing authors from across five continents describe the activity that prompted those students’ reflections, and the conceptual frameworks that played a role in the selection of the learning goals and activities.

Explore the output>

Developing a Sustainability Mindset in Management Education

Developing the Sustainability Mindset in Management Education

This is the first edited book with contributions of 23 members from 11 countries in the Working Group. The book's purpose is to be of value to faculty around the world who aim to integrate a sustainability mindset into their curriculum, courses, and programs.

Explore the output>

Educating for Responsible Management: Putting Theory into Practice

The book, part of the PRME Education Series, draws together leading thinkers, practitioners and management education to share their practice and research on how management educators can prepare themselves, their students, the learning environment, and their teaching resources to meet these challenges. These conversations across practice lines highlight a range of innovative pedagogical approaches and methods used by responsible management educators around the world to provide effective learning experiences. Chapter 9, ‘A holistic learning approach for responsible management education’ and Chapter 11 ‘Consciousness development for responsible management education’ highlight the Sustainability Mindset.

Explore the output>

Stop Teaching: Principles and Practices For Responsible Management Education

This book explores the ways in which teaching methods need to evolve in order to develop a new generation of business leaders who connect profits with purpose, who see in social entrepreneurship and innovation the key opportunity for addressing our planetary challenges. The answer lies in the contents we select to teach, in the values we invite to explore and develop, and in the methods we use.

Explore the output>

Sustainability Mindset and Transformative Leadership: A Multidisciplinary Perspective

This volume examines the importance of leadership in developing an effective sustainability strategy. It defines the sustainability mindset and surveys the primary motivations, conditions, or environment(s) that cause leaders to embrace sustainable practices. As described in the UN Sustainable Development Goal 8, embracing the sustainability mindset will lead to greater productivity and promote economic growth.

Organized into themes of organizational operations, leadership competencies, and leadership practices, the chapters, written by contributors representing global perspectives, tackle topics such as strategy, culture, and leadership styles in developing a new form of mindfulness for leaders as well as organizations.

Explore the output>

Recommended Resources

The Sustainability Mindset Indicator: A Personal Development Tool

This paper addresses the problem of assessing, measuring, and further developing a Sustainability Mindset. This paper describes the method followed to develop the Sustainability Mindset Indicator: a) anchored in theories of psychology and pedagogy, objectives of the instrument and constructs of measurement were defined; b) a questionnaire was designed; and c) 320 personalized feedback reports were created. The SMI represents an important addition to other scales available in the literature. It focuses on personal development and transformative learning to facilitate mindset change in individuals as well as in educational or coaching settings, and can be used to tailor interventions and assess the impacts thereof.

Explore the resource>

Spirituality and Sustainability: New Horizons and Exemplary Approaches

This book explores the philosophical intersection of sustainability and spirituality, with ethics as the balancing force. It aims to reveal spirituality as the invisible guiding hand in the quest for sustainability, offering new perspectives on social and economic dilemmas. Contributions cover topics like sustainable development, spirituality, environmental ethics, and corporate social responsibility, featuring case studies and discussion questions. It argues that sustainable material development requires spiritual advancement as an integral part of the human development algorithm. Relying on the spiritual power of individuals, the book features interdisciplinary perspectives including science, psychology, philosophy, and ecological economics.

Explore the resource>

Daoist Cultivation of Qi and Virtue for Life, Wisdom, and Learning

This book establishes an understanding of qi and virtue as a technology within the Daoist paradigm, outlining the benefits of its cultivation while illuminating how contemporary Western philosophy and science support this paradigm.

Explore the resource>

Corporate Social Performance in the Age of Irresponsibility

This book is authored by a range of international experts with a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives and provides a collection of ideas, examples and solutions on CSP implementation in the time of irresponsibility. The Sustainability Mindset is especially relevant in the chapter, ‘Cultural Perspective on Sustainable Socioeconomic Development.’

Explore the resource>

A New Psychology for Sustainability Leadership: The Hidden Power of Ecological Worldviews

During the last decade, the sustainability position in multinational corporations has grown in influence. Much literature has explored how corporations can play an important role in solving the environmental challenges facing the planet. However, until now, there has been little research on sustainability leadership at the individual level. In this book, Schein explores the deeper psychological motivations of sustainability leaders. He shows how these motivations relate to overall effectiveness and capacity to lead transformational change and he explores the ways in which the complexity of sustainability is driving new approaches to leadership.

Explore the resource>

Human Centered Management in Executive Education: Global Imperatives, Innovation and New Directions

This book provides a comprehensive insight on innovation in Executive Education with a unique global scope. The book integrates studies and experiences of 32 distinguished scholars from 15 countries who are working in the development of theories and practices to advance the human centered management paradigm, sustainability-based quality standards and continuous improvement in education. The discussion presents a well-balanced outlook that combines and contrasts research and programs from 16 developed and 16 developing countries, and the visions of 10 female and 22 male authors from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Explore the resource>

Big Bang Being: Developing the Sustainability Mindset

This book explores how 16 business leaders brought together their compassion, their caring for others and the world, with their work. It presents the research which was the foundation for developing the concept of a Sustainability Mindset.

Explore the resource>

The Thinking Executive's Guide to Sustainability (Environmental and Social Sustainability for Business Advantage Collection)

We live in an increasingly global economy in which the effects of shrunken economies, broadened communication, and widespread meteorological incidents associated with climate change are leaving virtually no one untouched. As a result, a working knowledge of concepts such as the triple bottom line and sustainability, have become mandatory. Systems thinking is foundational for grasping these concepts. This book offers a practical, relevant, and easily grasped overview of sustainability issues and the systems logic that informs them, supported by empirical research and applied to corporate rationales, decision-making, and business processes.

Explore the resource>

Human Resource Management for Organizational Sustainability

This book offers a new paradigm by focusing on human resource systems and processes from the lens of sustainability. One of the chapters is dedicated to personal development towards a sustainability mindset. The book puts together the concepts, researches, and practices that advance the understanding of organizational sustainability through human resource management contributed by specialists from Austria, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States, with examples, cases, and review questions. Whereas environment-related aspects have been receiving increasing attention over the years, the “people” element of social responsibility has received limited attention in management education and also in the business world.

Explore the resource>

Additional Resources on the Sustainability Mindset Indicator

No events found