Why Management education needs Humanities and Social Sciences more than before

With limited exposure to alternative disciplines, MBA students may build their views on past assumptions and beliefs, including prejudices. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockPhoto AI companies are now hiring philosophers, contrary to the scepticism about career prospects in such disciplines. The argument is that training in philosophy helps AI systems ask better questions and reduce overconfidence. The focus on human centricity and sustainability in Industry 5.0 has brought social interaction, cultural dynamics, and community-based trust to the centre stage in business. These issues, hitherto considered the preserve of Liberal Arts institutions, require adequate representation in Business Management education. However, while many business schools have successfully incorporated Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) inputs into their curricula, many others struggle. While most have included sustainability and social impact, the current demand is for HSS inputs less incorporated into business scholarship and practice. These include topics like social change, international relations and holistic development.Pluralistic perspectivesThe foremost strength of HSS disciplines lies in their pluralistic perspectives. In Business, the world often moves linearly, with the models often predicting output given the correct input. So, despite sufficient focus on multiple perspectives, Business education often fails to emphasise the need to acknowledge social dynamics. This happens because MBA students, often coming from a STEM-dominated mindset, find such dynamics unnerving. With limited exposure to alternative disciplines, they may build their views on past assumptions and beliefs, including prejudices. Here, disciplines like Anthropology could prompt one to question the status quo and argue for different competencies. Secondly, the classroom, as a microcosm of society, brings forth complex issues of identity and inequality that can be addressed through social science modules, rather than being brushed under the carpet. Thirdly, the much-discussed loss of cognitive abilities in GenZ calls for greater focus on Humanities disciplines like literature.The better representation of HSS courses is, however, not easy. The first challenge is their low prestige in the business world. The report Vital Business: The Essential Role of the Social Sciences in the UK Private Sector (2020) highlights how Social Sciences suffer from a ‘brand problem’. Business leaders often fail to see the ubiquity of HSS in day-to-day work. In addition, many perceive these disciplines as non-quantitative and, therefore, unreliable. The second challenge is competition for academic space. MBA programmes cover at least eight management domains in roughly 18 to 21 months, along with industry engagements. So even if some credits are apportioned to HSS, any emerging demand may lead to their reduction or removal. The third major concern is the lack of internal expertise. Not all business schools can afford to have a dedicated HSS area, leading to an increased reliance on visiting faculty.Actionable pointsA few possible actions could help business schools overcome these challenges. The first is to include programme-level goals linked to HSS-centred skills. This would not just institutionalise the space for such courses but also align with the broader expectations of responsible management. The existing practice of assimilating HSS-specific content into courses like Organisational Behaviour, Marketing or Strategy is also easy to implement. Internal expertise can be developed through knowledge-transfer initiatives led by reputed business schools with dedicated HSS areas or proven learning outcomes. Engagement with industry experts and current students can also refine HSS inputs and build an indirect buy-in.The future of HSS in MBA is inevitable. As business schools confront societal challenges like human-AI interaction and widening (often business-driven) inequality, exposure to HSS will be central to preparing effective managers. It is time to move beyond just ESG metrics and DEI practices. When we continuously encounter ‘new orders’, sustainability and resilience will increasingly depend on social insights and human judgment rather than on sharper analytics.Views are personalAnimesh Bahadur is faculty at TA Pai Management Institute Bengaluru, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal. Sushanta Kumar Sarma is faculty at Tribhuvan Sahkari University, Anand. Published - October 24, 2026 05:30 pm IST