Operationalizing Humanistic Management toward Social Learning Environments in Higher Education

Humanistic management thought has some development roots associated with the industrial revolution, as scholars presented various perspectives, such as; workplace efficiencies, employee motivation factors, organization dynamics, and cooperation of people. Melé (2003) understood the definition of humanistic management as “a management that emphasizes the human condition and is oriented to the development of human virtue, in all its forms, to its fullest extent” (p. 79). This led to literature output raising awareness to the humanistic approach as a central theme for the personal and professional growth as human beings encompassed with the respect for people, their rationality, and their freedom. Most Biblical scholars would suggest that the humanistic management attributes are rooted in the verse “love one another as yourself” (Matthew 22:39), perhaps written and spoken a few thousand years ago. This paper reviews the current (albeit slow) trends in higher education toward a humanistic management approach by offering an operational framework to transform and disrupt the old traditional higher education organizational structure. In order to better align theory into practice, this paper presents a way to operationalize the “community of learning” mindset into education. That is, a learning community that include all stakeholders interwoven in course/program development, collaborations beyond course activities for assessment or accreditation watchdogs, and cultural-global awareness to make the world a better place for all. By operationalizing the humanistic management approach as a societal-centric perspective rather than an economic viewpoint, the opportunity to drive innovation, change in organizations, and transform courses/programs into global learning communities becomes paramount for survival with this new world order of learning