Abstract
Business schools are increasingly called upon to address grand societal challenges through responsible management learning and education (RMLE), yet we have limited understanding of how such institutional transformations unfold in practice. This study addresses that gap by investigating how PRME Champion business schools embed RMLE within their organisations. Empirically, we draw on 55 interviews across 28 leading business schools and develop a four‑act evolutionary process model: triggering RMLE salience; mobilising leadership and resources; embedding curriculum and partnerships; and institutionalising through measurement and legitimacy systems, alongside organisation‑wide reception and sensemaking. We further show how this common process plays out through three distinct implementation types, leadership‑driven institutionalizers, faculty–community engagers, and partnership brokers, each emphasising different stages and value functions while reaching similar embedded outcomes. The paper contributes a processual, business‑model view of RMLE embedding and clarifies type‑specific levers and risks for deans and sustainability leaders.