9 Sustainability MBA Skills You Need To Become A Socially Responsible Leader

With the climate having crossed the critical 1.5 degree threshold as set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement, it’s little surprise that this upcoming generation of business students are more concerned with their environmental impact than ever.

According to a 2024 GMAC survey, more than two-thirds of prospective students say sustainability is important to their academic experience, while another third say a school not prioritizing sustainability is a dealbreaker.

But what does a sustainability-focused MBA actually look like? 

To answer this question, employers, faculty, students, and unions from Copenhagen Business School—home to one of Europe’s leading sustainability research centers—have come together to develop the Nordic Nine: a framework of key sustainability MBA skills to guide students (or as CBS refers to them, 'participants') on how to become more socially responsible leaders. 

Andreas Rasche, a professor of sustainability and associate dean of the CBS Full-time MBA, explains why it is fundamental to the school’s ethos: “It is an internal quality control for us. Participants study different programs, but work towards the same capabilities.”

So, what are they? 

9 key sustainability MBA skills

1. You have deep business knowledge placed in a broad context

The CBS MBA emphasizes the application of business skills to benefit the wider world—not just for self-driven profit.

This was an element that struck a chord with US-born Rachel Crawford, a CBS MBA alum who is now head of business development at medtech startup, Droplet IV. 

Before coming to Copenhagen, she searched for a program that would allow her to transition from her US government role to work for a private business, without compromising her desire to benefit society. 

“I wanted to go into a program that was really focused on not just making a lot of money, but doing so in a way that is responsible and sustainable,” she says. 

Sustainability is integrated into every facet of the CBS MBA program. Participants can further specialize in this area through the program's various Concentrations, including a dedicated focus on sustainability.

2. You are analytical with data and curious about ambiguity

In their first term, MBA participants at CBS study courses such as Analytics and Big Data and Digitalization. These modules focus on the use of emergent technologies to improve sustainability in business, as well as teaching participants the right questions to ask to do so. 

Rachel, who had a limited background in tech before joining CBS, says, “By the end, I learned the importance of [data] in business decisions, and how to forecast how data would affect business decisions.”

3. You recognize humanity's challenges and have the entrepreneurial knowledge to help resolve them

It’s imperative that leaders have the ability to challenge limiting beliefs surrounding ethical business practices.

During the CBS MBA, participants gain the space to think outside of the box around issues such as profit and pro-social corporate practice in courses such as Managing Sustainable Corporations. Ultimately this helps them find ways to create thriving businesses without harming the surrounding world. 

4. You are competitive in business and compassionate in society

There are elements of business that are unavoidably cut-throat: after all, it’s competition that leads to innovation. 

However, the program encourages participants to always keep the bigger picture in mind. 

“I believe organizations are fundamentally about the people who are within them, and about the communities that they affect. The CBS MBA really shared that value of impacting the communities around us, but not simply in a theoretical way,” Rachel says. 

5. You understand ethical dilemmas and have the leadership values to overcome them

In the MBA, classes are taught “democratically”, which means that participants are encouraged to engage in debates over real-world ethical dilemmas. This encourages the cohort to consider how leadership decisions have direct impact over social and environmental issues.  

6. You are critical when thinking and constructive when collaborating

Another benefit of Copenhagen’s teaching structure is that it encourages participants to realize that ideas aren’t formed in a vacuum. To create worthwhile products and services, people must be able to share and compound upon ideas from a variety of perspectives.

“It’s a very cooperative learning environment for participants, because we're together full time, we're very international, and everyone is self-selecting into a program that focuses very much on your impact on the world around you,” Rachel says. 

7. You produce prosperity and protect the prosperity of next generations

As any climate scientist will tell you, the actions of today have a direct impact on the world decades down the line. That’s why CBS instils in its participants the importance of businesses creating long-lasting value for generations to come.   

8. You grow by relearning and by teaching others to do the same

For anyone who wants to thrive in the world of business, it’s imperative that you know how to give and receive feedback. Even if that means revaluating skills you thought you already knew. 

“You survive better in today's workplace if you can critically question things,” Andreas advises. 

9. You create value from global connections for local communities

Ultimately, what the Nordic Nine teaches is that we all need to rely on each other. One of the CBS MBA courses that had a particular influence on Rachel was Strategic Human Resources, which takes an incisive look at how corporate decisions affect that people within them.  

“Organizations are interconnected systems. Sustainability isn't something we just plop on top of the companies that we run in the work that we do,” Rachel says. 

For Rachel and those participants who have followed in her footsteps and joined the CBS MBA, incorporating the Nordic Nine into their business and management thinking provides the tools to not just improve the corporations they work in, but also society at large.