Published Online:June 2026
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Soft Skills
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJSS010626
DOI:10.71329/IUPJSS/2026.20.2.5-33
Author Name:Priyadarshini V, Sujatha S and Senguttuvan S
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Management
Download Format:PDF
Pages:5-33
Today’s management classrooms are much more diverse, with students from a variety of cultural backgrounds, learning styles, and neurological profiles. Spontaneous verbal interactions that are typically part of traditional icebreaker activities may inadvertently exclude students who suffer from social anxiety, and prefer to engage in reflective communication or hail from a culture in which public self-disclosure is less common. This paper adopts a conceptual design approach to introduce and describe a new experiential icebreaker, “Stories Behind the Cards,” developed for neurodiverse and multicultural management classrooms. The activity incorporates anonymous polling, reflective story prompts, and small-group discussions to foster participation without pressure to speak in front of an audience. It is grounded in the concept of psychological safety developed by Amy Edmondson, which encourages inclusive participation and supports the early development of peer relationships. This paper outlines the activity’s design, implementation guidelines, learning objectives, and debriefing strategies. It argues that these features can enhance psychological safety, engagement, and classroom inclusivity, providing management educators with practical tools for creating supportive and collaborative learning environments.
Management education classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of students’ cultural backgrounds, identities, and ways of thinking and learning. Business schools in many regions now enroll students from multiple national, ethnic, linguistic, and social backgrounds, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is explicitly framed