From white paper writing to white water rafting : A review of three strategies to match learning with real life

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to share practices with other scholars who are on the outlook for different, more rewarding ways of facilitating formal management education, and to invite feedback and additional suggestions from colleagues in formal and informal educational settings about additional approaches that make a positive difference. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is structured in a sequential format, presenting the three contributors’ practices in separate sections, yet unifying them through a coherent structure of a brief course description, a description of the creative infusion, and some sample implementations. Findings – Management courses that focus on creativity, involvement, interaction, and a trans‐disciplinary approach, ensure greater cohesion between left‐ and right‐brain thinking. Practical implications – Management in an increasingly diversifying yet intertwining work environment brings along challenges that have not been encountered before. Some teaching scholars in higher education consider this challenge problematic, but others perceive it as a wonderful opportunity toward more effective and rewarding approaches to learning and communicating. Originality/value – This paper presents a valuable piece of evidence, albeit on a minute scale, that scholars who engage in practice‐based management education and include elements from the real world in their courses, experience enhanced gratification within themselves and from their students.