Sports are like "living laboratories", providing fresh settings to study critical management issues outside traditional industrial environments. Among all the sports investigated, rowing has received special attention due to its versatility. Rowing requires meticulous coordination, seamless teamwork, and extreme mental stamina to succeed. Previous research has examined how rowing can contribute novel insights to key organizational puzzles, such as the cooperation-competition paradox, the enablement of performance, the plasticity of institutions, and organizational sensemaking. In business schools, deans and managers must deal with competitive and demanding scholars. These scholars are expected to work cohesively and excel collectively, like the way high-performance rowing athletes must operate in unison to achieve success. Drawing parallels from rowing, in this PDW intended for founders and board members (current and previous) of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management (IAOM) and Deans of Business Schools based in Iberomerica, we plan to question and critically review organizational phenomena that are currently affecting business and management schools in this context. To enhance the quality of the discussions, the strength of the personal relationships, and the overall learning and development of participants, we will also engage in a private learn-to-row experience at the Chicago Rowing Foundation, followed by a debrief session to discuss relevant topics for management based on this sport.
