Wilfred Mijnhardt, Policy Director General at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) and Honorary Professor at Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, brings over 25 years of experience shaping the strategic transformation of business schools towards impact-driven mindsets.

Can you introduce yourself and share what initially drew you to focus on impact in business education?

My journey into impact began somewhat organically through my role in building research infrastructure at the Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), where I served as Executive Director for fifteen years. During that time, we grew from 80 to over 350 researchers, creating the largest concentration of management research in the Netherlands. But what really transformed my perspective was realising that building infrastructure wasn’t just about facilities or systems—it was about creating the conditions for meaningful societal contribution.

What truly drew me to impact work was witnessing the disconnect between what business schools were producing and what society needed. We had excellent research, strong rankings, impressive publication metrics—yet the question remained: were we truly making a difference? This led me to shift my focus from operational excellence to strategic and responsible influence, particularly at the ecosystem level, where real transformation happens.

How has your role evolved from institutional to ecosystem-level influence?

The transition from my ERIM directorship to my current role as Policy Director General at RSM marked a fundamental shift in perspective. While at ERIM, I pioneered research services, faculty incentives, and impact metrics—essentially building the infrastructure that has evolved even further towards a responsible and open science ecosystem. But I soon realised that institutional excellence, while necessary, wasn’t sufficient for the kind of transformation our field needs.

In my current role, I work across multiple levels simultaneously. At RSM, I support strategic institutional development, assessments, and other reporting exercises. Nationally, I serve as a strategic advisor to the Council of Deans in Economics and Business, developing a joint impact agenda for all 14 Dutch business schools, such as the publication “Challenges of transition”. Internationally, through my roles with RRBM, EQUAL, EIASM, UN PRME, CABS AJG committee and the EFMD BSIS Steering Committee, I help shape how the global business education community approaches impact.

This multi-level engagement has taught me that real change requires working at the ecosystem level—connecting schools, accreditation bodies, research networks, and societal stakeholders in new ways.

You’ve been instrumental in RSM’s Business School Impact System (BSIS) journey. How does BSIS help schools transition from anecdotal to strategic impact narratives?

This is perhaps the most profound contribution BSIS makes to our field. Most schools still report impact anecdotally—individual success stories, incremental achievements, isolated initiatives. These stories matter, but they don’t capture the transformative potential of what business schools can achieve.

Through BSIS’ thematic methodology, schools learn to move from what I call “transactional impact”—changing what we do—to “transformative impact”—changing how we do things. A transition from anecdotal storytelling about incremental impact to systematic narratives about strategic, mission-driven and thematic impact.

When RSM underwent our BSIS assessment in 2020, the results helped RSM to rediscover its regional economic and societal impact in the Randstad region in the Netherlands. But more importantly, BSIS helped us understand our impact more holistically. As we noted in the assessment, “The BSIS process and outcome proved instrumental in building a collective understanding of our regional impact footprint. It delivered key insights that proved valuable for our strategy implementation and the development of our institutional impact narrative.”

The power of BSIS lies in its ability to help schools connect the dots between knowledge creation, dissemination, and regional image—building a coherent strategic impact narrative rather than a collection of isolated achievements.

What role do you see for ecosystem-level initiatives in driving this transformation?

The real leverage for change exists at the ecosystem level, which is why I’ve focused so much energy there. Through the UN PRME SIP renewal committee, we have designed a new way of reporting RME progress, and in this way, transforming how 800+ business schools worldwide approach sustainability reporting. The new PRME Commons Platform is also instrumental in the fundamental shift from compliance-based reporting to strategic impact communication.

With RRBM, we’re challenging the very foundations of what constitutes valuable research in the service of society. At the first RRBM Global Summit in Rotterdam in 2019, we brought together a substantial group of deans, editors, and research leaders to reimagine research relevance. The 2025 RRBM 10th anniversary summit in New York showcased the same vibrant drive for responsible research.

Through my contribution to CABS on the Academic Journal Guide, we’re influencing how research quality is assessed across many business schools. And with the Dutch Council of Deans, we’re demonstrating how schools can collaborate rather than compete on visibility and impact.

These initiatives represent a fundamental shift from what I call a “transactional mindset”—focused on short-term metrics and individual achievements—to a “relational mindset” emphasising long-term value creation and collective impact.

How does BSIS specifically enable schools to develop strategic impact capabilities?

BSIS is transformative because it provides both structure and flexibility. For schools starting their impact journey, the seven BSIS dimensions offer clear guidance—a framework for developing what I call “institutional literacy for impact reporting.” But for schools in their second or third BSIS cycles, the methodology enables something much more sophisticated.

During their BSIS impact journey, schools can focus on specific combinations of dimensions in subsequent BSIS rounds—for instance, linking intellectual impact, societal impact, and image impact to tell a coherent story about their knowledge signature. This is what we mean by moving from incremental to strategic impact narratives. The strategic narrative focuses on the transformative impact of mission-driven initiatives at the school level—the contributions of an entire portfolio over time, defining what the school is widely known for.

BSIS helps schools navigate the transition from asking “What did we achieve?” to asking “How are we transforming our ecosystem?” It’s the difference between counting outputs and understanding outcomes, between measuring activities and assessing influence.

What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities in institutionalising impact?

The biggest challenge is overcoming what I call “metrics fixation”—the belief that if we just measure enough things, impact will follow. This transactional approach treats impact as something to be reported rather than something to be cultivated. We need to recognise that impact is fundamentally about relationships and meaningful engagement, not simply about transactions.

The opportunity lies in embracing a more consultative, appreciative approach to impact assessment. BSIS exemplifies this—it’s not an audit and compliance but a collaborative analysis that helps schools understand their strategic journey toward impact-drivenness. When schools truly internalise this, they stop seeing impact as a compliance exercise and start seeing it as central to their strategic identity.

Another key opportunity is the convergence of impact reporting and sustainability reporting. As national and international legislation on sustainability reporting emerges for businesses and societal organisations, business schools must be at the forefront, not just complying but leading by example. This requires moving beyond traditional academic metrics to embrace a broader conception of value creation.

The Future of Impact in Business Education

How do you envision the future relationship between business schools and their ecosystems?

We’re witnessing a fundamental shift from schools as knowledge producers to schools as ecosystem orchestrators. The traditional model—where schools generate research that hopefully influences practice—is giving way to a more integrated approach where schools actively shape their regional and global ecosystems.

This requires new capabilities. Schools must become skilled at convening diverse stakeholders, facilitating collaborative innovation, and dynamically narrating its institutional impact. They must balance being distinctive while contributing to collective goals. As I’ve learned through my work with various boards and networks, the schools that will thrive are those that can operate simultaneously at multiple levels—local, national, and global—creating value at each level while maintaining coherence across all.

The BSIS assessment captures this beautifully. It doesn’t just measure what schools do; it examines how schools engage with and influence their ecosystems. This ecosystem perspective is essential for addressing the grand challenges facing society—challenges that no single institution can tackle alone.

What advice would you give to business schools beginning their strategic impact journey?

First, recognise that this is a journey of organisational learning, not just measurement. The goal isn’t to produce the perfect impact report but to develop the capability for strategic impact thinking throughout your institution.

Second, embrace the consultative, appreciative nature of impact assessment. BSIS isn’t about judgment; it’s about understanding your unique contribution and identifying opportunities for greater influence. Approach it as a strategic development tool, not a compliance exercise.

Third, think beyond your institutional boundaries. Your impact is realised through your ecosystem relationships—with other schools, businesses, government, civil society. Invest in these relationships with the same rigour you apply to internal development.

Fourth, develop your impact narrative capabilities. Moving from anecdotal to strategic narratives requires intentionality. You need to connect your various initiatives into a coherent story about your institutional identity and contribution. This isn’t marketing; it’s strategic sense-making.

Finally, prepare for the convergence of different reporting frameworks. Impact assessment, sustainability reporting, and strategic planning are converging. Schools that can integrate these into a unified approach will have a significant advantage.

How do you see AI and digital transformation affecting impact assessment?

Just as AI has transformed strategy development—making it possible to generate impressive-looking strategies in minutes—it will revolutionise impact assessment. But this technological capability makes human judgment more important, not less.

The challenge isn’t generating impact data or even sophisticated analyses. AI can do that. The challenge is developing the wisdom to ask the right questions, to understand what the data means in context, and to translate insights into meaningful action. This is why the shift from static metrics to dynamic narratives is so crucial.

We need what I call “impact intelligence”—the ability to read complex situations, understand multiple stakeholder perspectives, and craft responses that create value across different dimensions simultaneously. This is fundamentally human work that technology can support but not replace.

And finally, what legacy do you hope to leave in the field of business school impact?

My mission is to help shift our field from a transactional to a relational mindset, from measuring impact to creating it, from institutional excellence to ecosystem influence. The frameworks and systems I’ve helped to develop—whether at ERIM, RSM, or through national and international networks—are just tools. What matters is the mindset shift they enable.

My work on the PRME Commons Platform, the RRBM summits, the BSIS governance and institutional visits—these are all aimed at the same goal: helping business schools realise their potential as forces for positive change. Not through grand gestures or revolutionary breaks with the past, but through sustained, strategic effort to align education, research, and engagement with societal needs.

The image of institutional impact I often share shows this progression clearly: from anecdotal storytelling about incremental, transactional impact to systematic narratives about transformative, strategic impact. This isn’t just a technical shift; it’s a fundamental reimagining of what business schools are for.

If I can help even a handful of schools make this transition successfully—developing the capabilities to understand, pursue, and narrate their strategic impact—then I’ll consider my efforts worthwhile. Because ultimately, it’s about ensuring that business education contributes meaningfully to creating a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous world.

For additional insights, announcements and perspectives about Societal Impact and Business Education, visit the conversation on BSIS.