Developing Students' Emotional Competency Using the Classroom-as-Organization Approach

In management education, the classroom-as-organization (CAO) approach to teaching has been a topic of much discussion and debate. Given the authors' experiences in teaching sport event management, it is known that the CAO approach helps students develop greater self-confidence, greater self-and social awareness, and a greater understanding of what it is like to work in an organization. Until recently, however, the authors never examined how this approach impacts their students, nor did they have empirical evidence that the above outcomes are ever met. The primary purpose of this article is to outline the CAO pedagogy and complementary experiential learning activities used to develop students' emotional competency. In fulfilling this purpose, the authors present evidence from this study that provides empirical support for the continued and increased use of the CAO pedagogy in management education.