Circadian health for better management education
This research aims to challenge business schools’ neglect of circadian health and show how aligning teaching, learning, and leadership with biological rhythms improves wellbeing, performance, and careers sustainably.
What did we research?
We investigated management education practices, especially class scheduling and curriculum design, focusing on sleep deprivation, circadian misalignment, chronotypes, learning, and wellbeing among business students.
What did we find?
We found that business schools often normalise poor sleep and schedule learning against students’ biological rhythms. Early undergraduate classes and late postgraduate classes can create social jetlag, reducing attention, memory, academic achievement, leadership capacity, ethical judgement, health, and wellbeing. Circadian-informed education could significantly improve learning, productivity, and future workplace cultures.
What was the impact?
Business schools should teach circadian management principles and redesign timetables to better match students’ chronotypes. Later undergraduate starts, flexible postgraduate delivery, asynchronous theory, active in-class learning, healthier lighting, and sleep education would support student wellbeing, improve academic outcomes, and prepare graduates to lead more sustainable, humane workplaces in future organisations.
Article
- Volk, S., Billsberry, J., & Ambrosini, V. (2026). Rise and shine: A circadian perspective on learning and wellbeing in management education. Academy of Management Learning & Education 25(1), 97-115