Unreliable narrators entering management education: The next level of building student awareness of diffuse organizational realities

Keywords: Unreliable narrator, biased information, critical thinking

Abstract: This interactive PDW introduces the concept of unreliable narration known from literary and film studies to management education, and we expose participants to the management challenge of making sense of biased, incomplete, and/or manipulative accounts. Participants will live through an exemplary students’ learning experience from the domain of strategic management, which illustrates diffuse organizational reality, and which emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and careful analysis of what is presented. Participants will develop ideas of how they could implement unreliable narration elements in their own courses, while acknowledging challenges and limitations in the deployment of this concept.