The Impactful Five (i5) is a new framework for educators to equip students and teachers with a holistic skillset, preparing them to be responsible leaders in the world.
i5 is developed by PRME, the largest organized relationship between the United Nations and business and management schools worldwide.
i5 is PRME’s initiative to transform management education in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by giving business schools actionable tools to use in the classroom.
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action, aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. There are 17 goals in total.
PRME is a global community of 800+ ( Approximately 5% of the world’s estimated 16,500 business degree granting
institutions.* ) institutions *Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business , 4M students , and 90+ countries
PRME creates opportunities and tools to transform teaching and learning in business and management education.
PRME exchanges knowledge and learns from good practices on responsible management education, setting the agenda and leading the discussion within business and management schools.
PRME tracks the implementation of the Seven Principles and the SDGs across the business management landscape through Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) Reports by PRME Signatory Members.
There’s a growing gap between the ambitious targets set by the SDGs and our current efforts to achieve them. If we’re going to meet the 2030 deadline, we need more urgent action and innovative solutions.
of the Sustainable Development Goal targets are on track.
Business leaders are realizing that long-term success depends on being mindful of their company's social and ecological effects. But they still need help implementing sustainable practices.
With the SDGs in jeopardy and businesses in need of fresh ideas, where do we go from here? How do we start to fix this?
Business school graduates are in positions of power across government, Fortune 500 corporations, and other global organizations. Their decisions can have an outsized impact on our collective ability to reach the SDGs.
students graduating from higher education institutions every year are granted a degree in management, business, law and economics.
Tens of millions of new business school graduates are poised to make a difference in our world each year. But they need a different toolkit — one that extends beyond the shareholder model and drive to maximize profits.
of employers say they can’t find talent with the right blend of technical and soft skills.
“ The biggest issue is that we do not have a consistent and coherent framework that people can easily adapt to build sustainability into their operations strategy. We have failed in building these frameworks. There is not enough research, not enough tools.”
A pedagogical framework to help business schools develop responsible leaders with holistic skills.
PRME believes that today’s corporate leaders need more than just business acumen to be successful. They must think critically and systemically, demonstrate self-awareness, weigh ethical dilemmas, and convene diverse perspectives and types of expertise. The i5 framework is a way for educators to mold those skills, blending traditional business knowledge with a strong sense of social responsibility and sustainable practices.
More about the i5 framework
i5 is an opportunity to deploy a new pedagogy that will transform the next generation of leaders and equip them with skills to address the challenges of the 21st century.
The foundation of the i5 project comes from The LEGO Foundation’s Learning Through Play Research. This research shows that the skills children need to develop are creative, cognitive, emotional, physical, and social skills.
PRME partnered with Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education and Sulitest to develop the Learning Through Play research into a pedagogy for business school students.
The Impactful Five (i5) characteristics that were developed for the classroom comprise the i5 characteristics of making learning more Joyful, Active, Social, Meaningful, and Iterative.
Since the pedagogy was developed, PRME has been piloting and experimenting with a group of 18 pilot one educators from across the PRME community to apply this pedagogy in their classrooms.
The i5 project was launched to the global PRME community as a public offering at the PRME Global Forum in June 2023 with the goal to develop students and teachers with holistic skill sets they need to be responsible leaders.
i5 isn’t just another pedagogy...
It’s a community of forward-thinking educators dedicated to nurturing the next generation of responsible business leaders.
Our approach emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and practical application, setting a new standard for management education globally.
The journey ahead is challenging, but with a unified effort from educators, institutions, and students, we can make significant strides towards a more sustainable and responsible business world. Embracing i5's principles will be key in this transformative journey.
