POLIMI Graduate School of Management is helping students find their higher purpose

Spirituality can help individuals articulate their purpose, and develop a sense of authentic leadership that goes beyond the traditional metrics of success.

This is the ethos at POLIMI Graduate School of Management in Milan – a business school that has introduced a number of new initiatives, projects, and partnerships in recent years to help students find their higher purpose.

“Today, many students pursue business education not just to advance their careers, but to also find meaning and purpose in their work. By incorporating spirituality into business education, we can enrich students’ learning experiences by providing holistic perspectives on leadership, ethics, and personal development” says Federico Frattini, Dean of POLIMI GSoM.

In fact, the school offers a unique executive programme in spirituality and management, which aims to guide managers and future leaders to acquire a deeper understanding of themselves and those around them. 

Going beyond conventional management teaching, this programme encourages critical thinking, profound reflection, and gives participants the skills to be able to gage and interpret complex emotions. Those on the course are also given the opportunity to visit a Buddhist monastery.

Recently, the school also redesigned their Full-Time MBA programme in line with this approach. The “New generation MBA’ places a strong emphasis on incorporating purpose, social responsibility, and ethical considerations into business education.

This type of MBA programme is unique because it goes beyond traditional business education by integrating a broader perspective on the role of not only business in society, but also by putting the human being, with all its complexities, at the centre.

“These programmes are all part of an ongoing journey at POLIMI GSoM, one that emphasises the interconnectedness of us all. In the context of business education, spirituality encourages our students to clarify their values, and can inspire them to consider the long-term consequences of their business decisions on people and the planet” says Dean Frattini.