Exploring the Transformative Power of Literature: Aesthetic Experiences in Business Education

This study explores the significance of aesthetic experience in management education by analyzing an educational approach that integrates literary art to foster transformative learning in business students. Drawing inspiration from pedagogical practices in medical schools, the research investigates how literary art can expand reflection and create a ‘humanizing impact’ within management education. The qualitative methodology combines document analysis, field observations, graduate reports, and semi-structured interviews with graduates, program creators, and business school directors. The findings highlight both the limitations and the potential of literary art to catalyze transformative learning, emphasizing the importance of engaging participants’ affective, cognitive, and volitional dimensions. This study builds on a transformative learning model by integrating aesthetic experience into the theoretical framework of Transformative Business Education, offering a perspective that enhances the traditional pragmatic-rational focus of management education. The research aims to expand theoretical discussions and practical methodologies by incorporating aesthetic elements into management education.