Biodiversity, Circularity and Business Education: Examining Organizational Ambidexterity within Ecopedagogy and Ecoliteracy

This article examines the growing need for explorative innovation in business education and organizational practices, particularly through positioning biodiversity at the core of business education. While current pedagogic approaches remain predominantly exploitative, there are notable efforts toward integrating more ecocentric and regenerative strategies. Using an Organizational Ambidexterity theoretical framework, we demonstrate how fostering critical thinking and action competencies in business curricula can lead to enhanced transformative educational practices (explorative innovation) that prioritize biodiversity. Through conceptual curriculum mapping and case study analysis, we explore how Organizational Ambidexterity serves as a framework for balancing and embracing the competing demands of traditional business models and sustainability imperatives. Our recommendations for business schools include embedding ambidextrous course structures that simultaneously integrate sustainability-focused innovation with conventional business education. We conclude by emphasizing the need for curriculum reform, policy advocacy, and institutional change to ensure that business education transcends exploitative paradigms and fosters explorative, nature-positive innovation.

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Helen Kopnina[1][*], Simon Smith[2], Bastian Thomsen[3][4] , Anita Garvey[1]

[1] Northumbria University, UK.

[2] Oxford Brookes University, UK.

[3] School of Business, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland.

[4] School of Anthropology & Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, UK.

[*]Corresponding author: [email protected]