Today began the Change in Action [C.i.A.] module for us. This is basically the sequel of the L.A.U.N.C.H. module we had before term one began.
While L.A.U.N.C.H. was all about making team players out of us, demonstrating action learning and gearing us up for the IMBA program in general; C.i.A. as the name suggests is all about Change-in-ACTION.
We need to work in our alternate work groups and come up with solutions to some of the questions currently faced by Quetsol - Best judged solution wins the event :-)
To describe the activity we will do over this week in the words I heard yesterday, "This is the real thing. You have a real life case to work on. There is no Part B, C etc to it and no Harvard Case Analysis to refer to. What you do here in this week, can help Quetsol change the lives of millions".
Amazing, isn't it?
Morning began with some briefings and addresses. Juan Fermin, the CEO and Co-Founder of Quetsol was first to speak and he provided us with various details of the case. Well, while he was speaking, suddenly all that we had learned so far came together.
He talked about "elimination of negative externalities" [economics], and about "importance of trust on his extended team of executives" [Organizational Behavior] and about "venturing for the people" [Entrepreneurial Management] and "market entry strategy and differentiation advantage" [Strategy] and "decisions and uncertainties that he is currently facing" [Decision making]. And the words in quotes are what he actually said. I was amazed with the fact that we just happen to know everything that he was talking about, thanks to the courses we all took in term one.
The project in itself is another wonder - a sincere attempt to create a positive social impact.
Well, if the case briefing by Juan was not impressive enough, in came Richard Banfield, the CEO of "Fresh Tilled Soil" to offer us an unique perspective on addressing corporate issues and on creating successful ventures. The more we heard him, more we got impressed - with the concepts he talked about, with the simple yet effective presentation he had, with the way he personalized his discussion around points mentioned earlier by Juan and with the sentiments we identify with - from the soccer game last night to the basics of human biology and behavior.
[and this is what I have always admired about these change modules - the speakers just keep impressing you more and more as the time moves ahead]
It was interesting to know how the knowledge and awareness of very basic and very irrational human behavior can be a great source of strategy to create the big success story in business world.
And, as soon as Richard concluded, in came cTodd [that's how he likes to call himself], member of IE faculty and I must say an impressive speaker. He started by making us give a little shoulder massage to our neighbors and introduced us to various nuances of design thinking. What Design Thinking is and what it is not.
Do I need to state here that his address turned out to be the one which most of the people I met think was "the best"? It's obvious from the statement I made earlier, isn't it?
By the way, for those who missed Financial Accounting during Juan's address, cTodd made sure that they won't. "Remember, you don't have to answer all questions that Juan has raised. And you don't need to get everything right. This is not an exam where you are either completely right or completely wrong" .. Then there was a pause and like me everyone in audience thought of the Financial Accounting exam last week, where we had to put the final number for each question in a box - full grade if this number is right, no grade if this is wrong .. and after that brief pause, he exclaimed "this is not that Financial Accounting exam".
Boy, before I knew I was clapping in applause. Did he read our minds, or was he just too good a speaker? The hall burst into a roar of applause and laughter.
I have no doubt this coming week is going to be so much fun.
These addresses were followed by a screening of a movie on Design Thinking and then we had a quick one hour workshop with Andrew [the same guy who mentored some of us during L.A.U.N.C.H. session of Revolutionize your Space] to practice design thinking using a simple and quick - Wallet exercise.
After the day concluded at school, my previous-term-work-group met to discuss task allocation for strategy project and then, it was a meeting with all Indians to discuss about India Trek event.
Long day, but worth every moment spent.
To sum it all up, today C.i.A. began with Juan's address spreading the foliage of knowledge learned so far, all around us; which was followed by Richard tilling our mind to open it up for a new behavior and biology related perspective on entrepreneurship; cTodd then spread the seeds of Design Thinking in these freshly tilled minds and Andrew nourished these seeds by a quick sprinkle of a demonstration.
I think we are now all set for reaching the light of success.
While L.A.U.N.C.H. was all about making team players out of us, demonstrating action learning and gearing us up for the IMBA program in general; C.i.A. as the name suggests is all about Change-in-ACTION.
We need to work in our alternate work groups and come up with solutions to some of the questions currently faced by Quetsol - Best judged solution wins the event :-)
To describe the activity we will do over this week in the words I heard yesterday, "This is the real thing. You have a real life case to work on. There is no Part B, C etc to it and no Harvard Case Analysis to refer to. What you do here in this week, can help Quetsol change the lives of millions".
Amazing, isn't it?
Morning began with some briefings and addresses. Juan Fermin, the CEO and Co-Founder of Quetsol was first to speak and he provided us with various details of the case. Well, while he was speaking, suddenly all that we had learned so far came together.
He talked about "elimination of negative externalities" [economics], and about "importance of trust on his extended team of executives" [Organizational Behavior] and about "venturing for the people" [Entrepreneurial Management] and "market entry strategy and differentiation advantage" [Strategy] and "decisions and uncertainties that he is currently facing" [Decision making]. And the words in quotes are what he actually said. I was amazed with the fact that we just happen to know everything that he was talking about, thanks to the courses we all took in term one.
The project in itself is another wonder - a sincere attempt to create a positive social impact.
Well, if the case briefing by Juan was not impressive enough, in came Richard Banfield, the CEO of "Fresh Tilled Soil" to offer us an unique perspective on addressing corporate issues and on creating successful ventures. The more we heard him, more we got impressed - with the concepts he talked about, with the simple yet effective presentation he had, with the way he personalized his discussion around points mentioned earlier by Juan and with the sentiments we identify with - from the soccer game last night to the basics of human biology and behavior.
[and this is what I have always admired about these change modules - the speakers just keep impressing you more and more as the time moves ahead]
It was interesting to know how the knowledge and awareness of very basic and very irrational human behavior can be a great source of strategy to create the big success story in business world.
And, as soon as Richard concluded, in came cTodd [that's how he likes to call himself], member of IE faculty and I must say an impressive speaker. He started by making us give a little shoulder massage to our neighbors and introduced us to various nuances of design thinking. What Design Thinking is and what it is not.
Do I need to state here that his address turned out to be the one which most of the people I met think was "the best"? It's obvious from the statement I made earlier, isn't it?
By the way, for those who missed Financial Accounting during Juan's address, cTodd made sure that they won't. "Remember, you don't have to answer all questions that Juan has raised. And you don't need to get everything right. This is not an exam where you are either completely right or completely wrong" .. Then there was a pause and like me everyone in audience thought of the Financial Accounting exam last week, where we had to put the final number for each question in a box - full grade if this number is right, no grade if this is wrong .. and after that brief pause, he exclaimed "this is not that Financial Accounting exam".
Boy, before I knew I was clapping in applause. Did he read our minds, or was he just too good a speaker? The hall burst into a roar of applause and laughter.
I have no doubt this coming week is going to be so much fun.
These addresses were followed by a screening of a movie on Design Thinking and then we had a quick one hour workshop with Andrew [the same guy who mentored some of us during L.A.U.N.C.H. session of Revolutionize your Space] to practice design thinking using a simple and quick - Wallet exercise.
After the day concluded at school, my previous-term-work-group met to discuss task allocation for strategy project and then, it was a meeting with all Indians to discuss about India Trek event.
Long day, but worth every moment spent.
To sum it all up, today C.i.A. began with Juan's address spreading the foliage of knowledge learned so far, all around us; which was followed by Richard tilling our mind to open it up for a new behavior and biology related perspective on entrepreneurship; cTodd then spread the seeds of Design Thinking in these freshly tilled minds and Andrew nourished these seeds by a quick sprinkle of a demonstration.
I think we are now all set for reaching the light of success.
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