Meet the new Dean of UTS Business School

Q&A with Professor Carl Rhodes, Dean of UTS Business School.

Congratulations on your appointment. What does this role mean to you?

It is a huge honour and privilege to have been appointed as Dean of UTS Business School.  As a young business school we have gone from strength to strength in establishing ourselves as a leading international centre for teaching and research in business and economics. It is both an opportunity and responsibility to help the School write the next chapter of its success.

What is your vision for UTS Business school?

UTS is a public university of technology that is committed to social justice and to the economic, social and cultural prosperity of our community. Being part of such a progressive and innovative university offers UTS Business School the scope to develop into a different type of school that is focussed on supporting and enabling the public and social purpose of business. Our vision is to be a socially committed business school focussed on developing and sharing knowledge for an innovative, sustainable and prosperous economy in a fairer world.

How do you see the role of business schools?

Different business schools have different roles, and rather than following a ‘cookie cutter’ or ‘one size fits all’ model, it is important for a school to draw on its strengths, location and history in order to identify the contribution it can make to its students, to the business world and to society more generally. 

UTS Business School has a long and proud tradition of connecting with the community to provide business education and research that is practically relevant and innovative. We have also had a long standing commitment to supporting, and when needed questioning, the social responsibilities of business. 

I see the role of UTS Business School as one of bringing together these three strengths – practical focus, innovative mindset and social value – in order to help shape people’s careers and develop knowledge that will build shared prosperity in Australia and around the world.   

What is the focus of your research, and what attracted you to this field?

My research is in the areas of business and management ethics. I am interested in the relationship between business and society, and how businesses can best serve the communities they are a part of and contribute to the public good.  Being an academic is, at its core, about asking critical questions that not only advance knowledge for its own sake, but also contribute to a broader mission of democratic freedom and equality, as well as shared prosperity. 

Have there been changes of direction along the way?

I didn’t start out as an academic. My first professional jobs were in business where I worked in change management, human resources and management consulting for companies like Citibank and The Boston Consulting Group. I studied a doctoral degree part time while working in business – it was kind of like my hobby! But I soon realised that being an academic was my true vocation, and in the early 2000s I started working full-time here at UTS. I’ve never looked back from there.

Who or what has inspired you?

Socially valuable business research can take a number of forms. In some cases it means calling out behaviours that are harmful, dangerous or unfair – calling truth to power. In other cases it is about working in partnership with businesses and other stakeholders to improve the social contribution of business. No matter how it is done, it is making a small contribution to the much bigger democratic project that promises justice, freedom and equality that has motivated me to do the work I do. 

 Tell us about your new book?

My new book is called ‘Woke Capitalism: How Corporate Morality is Sabotaging Democracy’. It will be published by Bristol University Press in the US and UK this November, and in Australia in February 2022. The book offers a critical account of the history of what some people call ‘woke capitalism’ – a phenomena where large corporations, CEOs and billionaires are increasingly and openly showing support for progressive political causes. 

What led you to tackle this topic?

I became curious as to why, around the mid 2010s corporations started to be criticised for being ’woke’. There are many examples, such as Nike’s support for Colin Kaepernick and the Black Lives Matter Movement, Gillette’s engagement with the toxic masculinity debate and the #MeToo movement, and Qantas backing marriage equality. These are all political movements that I support personally, but as I observed what was going on, I also became aware of the problems that can arise when we rely on privately owned corporations and wealthy individuals to address problems of a public and democratic nature.   

Why is it important for academics to engage in public debate?

I think it is essential for universities, and business schools in particular, to centrally engage in public debate. It is too easy for academics to become solely inwardly focussed, making incremental contributions to scholarly debates that are only of interest to other academics. Of course, academic communities are of critical importance, but the work we do, as scholars, intellectuals and researchers, is too important not to have a broader public influence. UTS is a public university, and that means that at the end of the day our responsibilities are to the public. As a business school, for us not to engage in public debate is an abrogation of that responsibility.

What was your first job – after you left school and/or in academia?

I finished my bachelor’s degree at the University of Wales in Cardiff in 1987. Immediately after that I came to Sydney on a working holiday visa. My first job when I came here was working in a factory assembling old fashioned Bundy clocks.

What school experience or decision explains the most about who you are today?

My best decision was to go to university and study because I wanted an education rather than because I wanted a specific job. This always meant that I was open to learning as much as I could, without rushing too quickly to think about how I would apply it. Because of that, I developed a broader range of skills and knowledge that I could use to deal with complex and unexpected problems and opportunities.

What advice would you give school leavers of 2021?

Students who finish school in 2021 have already proved that they can adapt to change and survive in outstandingly challenging times. Looking ahead, I would say that you shouldn’t make career choices too early. If you are going to go to university, use it as an opportunity to get an education and to mature and develop as a person. And don’t forget to have fun, make some mistakes, and learn from them. 

How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

For me the most important way to maintain a healthy work/non-work balance is having the discipline not to let work take over everything. I have a job that I love doing and that is very demanding on my time. It would be too easy to simply let that take over, so I put strict time boundaries around when I work and when I don’t. Outside of work I love to spend time with my family, read books, cook and go walking. I am a big basketball fan and really enjoy going to watch my team the Sydney Kings play.  I love music and in lockdown I’ve been trying to learn to play guitar.

What has been most challenging about the pandemic? Have you found any silver linings?

There has been so much challenge at work, and Australian universities have had to rapidly change the way we do things and to manage hard decisions resulting from the borders being closed to international students. Personally, it’s been hard not to be able to travel freely – whether than means going 10 kilometres to the beach or on a family holiday. In lockdown I especially miss going to restaurants. The real silver lining, though, is to see how so many people have joined together as a community to help each other through this difficult time. I see that at work with people supporting their colleagues and students, as well as in the broader community.