Ivey professor Shannon Rawski is leading a first-of-its-kind initiative at the business school to develop leaders who don't just think strategically, but lead with empathy. She's introducing a tool rarely found in business schools: virtual reality.
With its immersive and low-risk environment, virtual reality (VR) is gaining traction among educators as a powerful tool for experiential learning. After seeing its impact firsthand through her previous research on sexual harassment bystander training, Rawski was keen to bring that same transformative potential to Ivey's classrooms.
"For decades, virtual reality has been used effectively in STEM education," Rawski explained. "But it's still largely missing from business classrooms - especially when it comes to developing complex social skills."
She plans to tap into VR to help students develop a key business skill, the ability to understand others' perspectives.
Rawski applied to Ivey's Critical Issues Challenge Fund - which provides grants of up to $150,000 to support initiatives addressing urgent challenges in business and society - to develop a VR simulation that helps business students strengthen perspective-taking skills, a leadership competency she believes is too often overlooked.
"Perspective-taking in meetings isn't something we're born with, and it's not easily taught," she said. "It takes real-world practice. But in the classroom, students often hold back because they are afraid of making mistakes or damaging their reputations. VR removes that fear and gives them the freedom to truly learn."
From students, for students
After receiving the grant, Rawski and her team set out to build the VR simulation from the ground up - drawing inspiration directly from the students it was designed to serve.
"Our simulation is rooted in real experiences our students have had," said Rawski.
The script was shaped by incidents of prejudice, racism, sexism and classism. The result is a three-minute immersive experience that places students in the middle of a high-stakes team meeting. The scene begins with what we might expect to be a simple conversation - delegating tasks, ordering dinner - amid looming project deadlines. First, participants observe the interaction as a neutral bystander. Then, the perspective shifts. They rewatch the meeting through the eyes of a specific team member, experiencing how the same moment feels from a different vantage point.
"Like most meetings, our simulation reveals just how many dynamics are at play beneath the surface," said Rawski. "What seems ordinary at first glance can feel entirely different when you experience it from someone else's point of view. That shift in perspective is where real insight begins."
A new era of learning
To bring the project to life, Rawski is leading a 12-person team at Ivey. Among its key members is Zoe Kinias, professor of organizational behaviour and sustainability and the John F. Wood Chair in Innovation in Business Education. She is leading the pilot testing with support from the John F. Wood Centre.
As a champion of forward-thinking teaching methods whose research includes noticing idea stealing in VR, Kinias sees VR as a powerful response to a long-standing gap in leadership development.
"We hear time and again from senior leaders about the need to truly connect with and leverage the strengths of their teams. That requires understanding others' perspectives and the lenses through which we see things ourselves." - Zoe Kinias, John F. Wood Chair in Innovation in Business Education
So far, Kinias has piloted the simulation with several student groups, first a volunteer group of honours business administration (HBA) and master of science students, followed by the full 2025 cohort of Women in Asset Management. The VR experience functions like a teaching case. After the VR immersion, students reflect individually and then debrief, first in small groups and then in a full class case discussion. The team is now preparing for more integrated piloting of the VR project across programs.
"Feedback on the experience has been very positive, and we are fine-tuning how we build the learning experience around the VR for diverse student groups. Students have shared that the immersive experience of stepping into the characters' perspectives to see the interaction through their eyes and hear their internal dialogue is extremely rich," said Kinias.
