Learning from Difference?

Abstract

Difference has achieved the status of shibboleth within management education—a social good, a source of richness, a resource to be welcomed, worked with and `managed'. The premise of this article is that contrary to such rhetoric, difference is often experienced as difficult and discomforting, providing the grounds for division and exclusion. With examples from participants on postgraduate programmes in management education, the article illustrates the varied forms difference takes, the ways it is experienced, and some social processes that can result. The concluding section suggests implications for management educators who apply more participative approaches to learning.