December 2023
A few short years ago there seemed to be a general understanding that an open world, with boundless possibilities for collaboration, innovation, and shared economic expansion, could be pursued for the good of all. That consensus no longer exists.
The pandemic, accelerating climate instability, and social and geopolitical unrest have combined to expose vulnerabilities. Strong group affiliations are intensifying polarization. Ideologies are driving collective thinking away from dialogue, trust, and human connection. The willingness to hear and work with multiple perspectives toward shared interests is becoming less common.
We at the CEMS Global Alliance in Management Education see this moment as a call to articulate certain shared principles and a common vision for the future.
CEMS has always valued the strength in difference. We cultivate leaders who are curious and capable of discernment, who have the mental and emotional strength to confront challenges with humility and integrity, who resolve to learn and understand deeply the complexities of our time. Our learners revel in the diversity of cultures and backgrounds that make up the richness of the CEMS MIM experience. Their shared interactions through exchanges enable them to discover the opportunities and lessons inherent in open engagement with different ideas.
The CEMS community is committed to the idea that the leaders who will be best prepared for the future will be free and unafraid in an uncertain world, will be humane citizens who can engage fully and think independently, and will contribute to a more open, sustainable, and inclusive world.
Education is a lifelong journey that expands human potential. It opens doors and shows people how to use information to influence their choices in life. The objective of each CEMS member school is to cultivate and support broad-minded leaders who are free to ask questions and to interpret information using evidence, logic, and critical reasoning. CEMS thinkers are empowered to make decisions, master new technologies, and lead in a pluralistic world.
This approach makes the most responsible business sense. With this, we hereby reaffirm our commitment to the pursuit of sustainable business solutions that benefit humanity and the planet we all share. These specific efforts will be foremost in our committed, measurable actions going forward.