Strategy and mission

Nijmegen School of Management enables students, institutions, businesses, social actors and governments to play their part in the transformation towards a sustainable society. There are over 5,000 students studying in our challenging Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes. With over 500 academic and support staff, we provide education and research that has a significant impact on society in the fields ‘social economy’, ‘resilient society’ and ‘sustainable environment’.

Strategic principles

Radboud University's strategy document, A significant impact, describes the University's strategic principles and ambitions for the 2020-2025 period. The document covers five domains: Education, Research, Impact, People, and Facilities.

Nijmegen School of Management forms a unique, broad combination of scientific disciplines (political science, public administration, human geography, spatial planning, environmental and social sciences, business administration, and economics) with a rich methodological expertise.

Building on the University's strategy, the present document articulates the Faculty's framing strategy, based on the following principles:

  1. It is not only about what we are good at, but also what we are good for
  2. Our teaching and research are interconnected and of equal importance
  3.  Our teaching and research have scientific and societal impact;
  4. We develop our inter- and transdisciplinary focus in education and research from strong disciplinary bases
  5. In our research we are committed to team science, and in our teaching to team work
  6. We offer nationally and internationally accredited disciplinary and interdisciplinary Bachelor's and Master's study programmes, and high-quality post-initial educational programmes
  7. In education and research, our central values are bonding, responsibility and clarity
  8. In our research, we value quality over quantity
  9. Our research is transparent, honest, and reproducible
  10. We provide a pleasant and intellectually challenging study and work environment
  11. In the Elinor Ostrom building, we offer excellent facilities for students and staff.
Responsible Governance en Sustainable Societies figuur

Aim

Through high-quality research and initial and post-initial study programmes, we enable students, institutions and companies, societal actors and governments to play their part in the ongoing quest to make societies more sustainable and resilient.

We understand management as a broad concept referring to the collective and organised pursuit of a better world. We study and teach management at the level of society, focusing on systems of politics and governance and how collective action comes about. We study and teach management at the level of public and private organisations. In this context, we examine how to balance economic, ecological and social values.

This aim is in line with Radboud University's mission to contribute in teaching and research to a free, healthy world with equal opportunities for all.

Mission and vision

Our mission is: Responsible Governance for Sustainable Societies. Based on our broad vision of management, our research and teaching focus on social trends from governance and policy, in close alignment with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We acknowledge that each SDG raises management issues and we study how society, public and private organisations, and individuals solve these issues.

We attach great importance to curiosity-driven, fundamental research, and we contribute to theorising the mechanisms that enable above-mentioned actors to contribute responsibly to citizens' well-being at regional, national, and international level.

Research and teaching at Nijmegen School of Management contribute to:

  • Developing sustainable economies that are co-created and given meaning in the development of corporate responsibility by inclusive organisations with a shared mission, focused on justice and sustainability (Social Economy)
  • Developing and safeguarding resilient societies, meaning sustainable democracies, inclusive and equitable institutions, and safe societies (Resilient Society)
  • Developing a sustainable living environment through climate change mitigation and adaptation, restoring biodiversity, and preventing pollution (Sustainable Environment)

Nijmegen School of Management studies these societal challenges from a fundamental analytical and an intervention perspective, based on three interconnected dimensions:

  • Politics/Democracy: Activities through which citizens shape society and relate to underlying power relations
  • Governance/Administration: Rule-based activities and power relations through which a society is governed
  • Management/Organisation: Focused and structured activities (planning, decision-making, coordinating, motivating, and monitoring) aimed at realising objectives as efficiently and effectively as possible.

12 June 2023