Purpose: The purpose of this conceptual paper is to advocate the adoption of heutagogic principles within management education and to show how it could be implemented. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is the outcome of a review of the literature on learning theory and management education. Findings: This paper demonstrates how heutagogic principles have been introduced in three areas--entrepreneurial education, executive coaching and e-learning. Originality/value: This paper makes an original contribution to the discourse on heutagogy through the OEPA model that maps the heutagogic learning journey.