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in the field
“Our action learning projects fundamentally change people. Beyond engaging students in real business decisions, our projects develop resilient leaders who drive innovation, understand an organization’s purpose in the world, and experience the impact that a single individual can have.”
David C. SchmittleinJohn C head III dean
“Through G-Lab, you get access to very talented and motivated young people. When they come here, they don’t just talk to our executives, but to everyone in the company. The organization gets to be exposed to these students who are smart and interested and are going to apply what they’ve learned.”Luis Navas | CEO, Conexia
Buenos Aires, Argentina
48 100%COuntriEs whErE hOst OrgAnizAtiOns ArE lOCAtEd
MBA studEnts dO ACtiOn lEArning in thE OrgAnizAtiOnAl PrOCEssEs ClAss
G-Lab | Samba Tech, Brazil, 2012: Working with Brazil’s leader in streaming video, the G-Lab team was asked to help develop a potential platform strategy and embarked on benchmarking and competitive analysis of relevant businesses, evaluated courses of action, and developed a communications plan.
ThE ORIGInS OF ACTIOn LEARnInG
From the Application and Implementation of Industrial Dynamics class in
1964 to the core Organizational Processes course in the 1990s to the start
of Global Entrepreneurship Lab (G-Lab) in 2000, MIT Sloan has a long
history of sending student teams into companies to undertake a variety of
hands-on projects around the country and the world.
In the past decade alone, MIT Sloan’s commitment to action learning has
produced a bold expansion of courses that speak directly to the motto of
the Institute itself, mens et manus, or the connection of mind and hand. As
a result, Action Learning at MIT Sloan has irrevocably changed the learning
landscape at MIT Sloan and its peer institutions, creating a model that has
been imitated but not matched in the scope and popularity of offerings.
Each year, more than 500 students enrolled in over a dozen courses will
travel to upwards of 30 countries and work with dozens of host partners
in tackling some of the most pressing managerial issues of the day as they
take part in a rare opportunity to think, act, and reflect, in real time, in
real-world settings.
Today, with more than a dozen lab experiences to choose from, Action
Learning at MIT Sloan fosters academic, intellectual, and cross-cultural
exploration while also introducing students to a host of career options.
While knowledge integration is the overarching learning objective, so too
are the following:
to manage complex challenges and make reasoned decisions
in unfamiliar situations
to adapt to new or uncertain environments and exercise leadership
to think critically and creatively
to work collaboratively and productively on a team
to identify personal strengths and address gaps in knowledge
through reflection
400+ 75%ACtiOn lEArning PrOjECts At hOst OrgAnizAtiOns in thE PAst dECAdE
MBA studEnts ElECt tO tAkE At lEAst OnE ACtiOn lEArning lAB
THINK.
ACT.
REFLECT.
G-LAB CASE STuDy
Teams aid Conexia During Rapid Growth
For three consecutive years, the Buenos Aires-based firm, Conexia,
has utilized Global Entrepreneurship (G-Lab) teams in the midst
of the company’s rapid growth and as they looked to expand their
provision of electronic billing and reconciliation services beyond
the Argentinean healthcare market. “Our company is growing very
fast, 50 percent per year, so we have more problems than people,”
said Conexia CEO Luis navas. “Working with G-Lab is a great way to
address some of these problems, and we know they are going to be
addressed by people who are very qualified.”
China Lab | Corning Gorilla Glass, 2011:
The team was asked to develop a new market
strategy to provide stakeholders in the value
chain with incentives to adopt Gorilla Glass–
an exceptionally durable glass used for
screens in electronic devices–for the u.S.
and China markets.
THEoRy INTo pRACTICE
SAMPLE PROJECTS
L-Lab | Oxfam America and the UN World
Food Program (WFP), 2011: The L-Lab team
investigated ways to provide some of the
poorest communities with weather index
insurance and crop insurance in exchange for
work, by integrating into government safety nets
and WFP’s food and cash-for-work programs.
GHD-Lab | Daktari Diagnostics, 2011:
For a startup medical diagnostics company,
a GhD team performed research on uganda’s
CD4 testing market to inform the company’s
post-clinical, go-to-market strategy.
ThE EDuCATIOn OF EFFECTIvE LEADERS
According to Professor Richard Locke, who with Professor Simon Johnson
co-founded G-Lab more than a decade ago, Action Learning is the best way
to educate management students as well as the best method for MIT Sloan
to fulfill its mission.
“Action learning engages students in cycles of learning, acting, and
reflecting,” said locke. “students better understand the theories,
frameworks, and analytics from the classroom, their real-world application,
and the additional learning that is necessary to implement solutions.
it’s the best way to teach people how to be effective managers.”
The “how” begins with a one-semester core to provide a base of knowledge
essential for participation in the portfolio of course and curricular activities
that fall under the action learning umbrella. These offerings, Locke said,
“teach substantive knowledge, so if you do G-Lab, you have to know about
entrepreneurship. If you want to do product development design, you have
to know organizational processes. These experiences teach you how to
respond to the most pressing challenges in the new world.”
Action learning opportunities also teach students how to function
effectively in teams under dynamic, fast-paced, and unpredictable
circumstances. Students are likely to face risk within their projects, but
it is risk within a resilient learning environment.
In addition, Action Learning at MIT Sloan also has both desired and realized
outcomes from the host of local, domestic, and worldwide opportunities.
Faculty cite the chance for students to apply what they’ve learned in
courses to date which will shape their managerial experience, while
students often cite the inspiring, life-changing experiences where they
were able to put theory into practice.
32% 30+MBA studEnts tAkE twO Or MOrE ACtiOn lEArning lABs
FACulty tEACh And MEntOr studEnt tEAMs ACrOss ACtiOn lEArning lABs
“On the whole I enjoyed the time I invested into G-Lab — perhaps more so than any classroom learning, it is a holistic experience that helps open your eyes to the great diversity and challenge of being a global citizen and business person.”MiChaeL CheN | MBA ’12, smowtion team
Buenos Aires, Argentina
S-Lab | Gillette, 2010: The S-Lab team was
charged with helping Gillette’s South Boston
Manufacturing Center understand its energy
usage across the plant, identifying the major
loss areas, and recommending efficiency
improvements with the potential for application
at other P&G plants.
“ The world is always changing and we’re trying to change with it, and the best way to do that is to give the students a lot of voice and have them tell us what they want to do and why. We want to create an environment where students really want to work hard; they want to create relationships with companies that are extremely strong and then see where that takes them.”siMoN JohNsoN | ronald A. kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship
Professor of global Economics and Management
India Lab | Akshaya Patra, 2011:
Working with one of the world’s premier
nonprofit organizations, the India Lab team
recommended the structure for a strategic
roadmap to achieve Akshaya Patra’s vision
of feeding 5 million children by 2020.
3 96nEw ACtiOn lEArning lABs AddEd in 2011-12 — P-lAB, PuErtO riCO lAB, And gO-lAB
studEnts On FOur intErnAtiOnAl study tOurs visitEd Eight COuntriEs in 2012
500 493studEnt sEAts PEr yEAr FOr ACtiOn lEArning lABs
Mit slOAn studEnts tOOk ACtiOn lEArning lABs in 2011-12
ouTComEs
ANd
REsuLTs
LASTInG IMPACT
Time and time again, those involved with Action Learning at MIT Sloan
say that while case studies provide structured static scenarios, student
learning is strengthened by hands-on, real-world experience. While some
institutions may rely upon the building of knowledge by relating past
corporate experiences or through short-term internships, MIT Sloan has
built a framework of experiential opportunities that provide real settings
with real problems to be solved; a combination of the theoretical and the
practical come engagingly to life.
While the School’s model has been replicated both domestically and
abroad, no institution to date has the variety or flexibility of offerings
currently available at MIT Sloan, where nearly 500 degree candidates
per year enroll in Action Learning courses that may take them to new
york, Washington, D.C., or as far as emerging markets in Asia, South
America, and Africa.
Among the most valuable outcomes, Action Learning builds a sense
of confidence when students tackle a problem, come up with a creative
solution that leverages their knowledge and access to MIT resources,
and make a difference to their host organization. The experiences also
reinforce teamwork on a deep level of engagement.
Students can also make or change career directions or choices, as one
student traveling to vietnam may be enticed by the available
entrepreneurial opportunities, while at the same time another taking
the Finance Research Practicum may decide that leaving a post at the
Federal Reserve Bank was a spot-on decision.
“People really do come back from santiago or the Philippines or uganda with
a sense that business activity can be a tremendous engine for the delivery
of society’s needs,” said dean david C. schmittlein. “that comes together
with a sense that a single person, with the right set of tools, can make a
positive difference, so that further develops their set of values, personal
empowerment, and impact.”
GhD-LAB CASE STuDy
Problem solving in sub-saharan africa
Initially charged with the development of a new staffing model for
the Warmbaths hospital in Bela Bela, South Africa, Kelsey McCarty,
MBA ’10, and her Global health Delivery Lab (GhD-Lab) teammates
had their task change upon their arrival to focus solely on staffing
for the maternity ward, as well as other general recommendations.
“We feel that the changes we were making could really help, and on
another level, this is a hospital that receives no attention from anyone
most of the time,” said McCarty. “The staff … had this renewed energy
about doing their own work. They were not going to let our efforts be
in vain. That kind of energy and commitment was inspiring.”
south africa
brazil
chile
portugalusa
haitimexico china
japan
russia
nigeriaindia
uae
australia
REAL-woRLdImpACT
GLOBAL REACh, GLOBAL IMPACT
With a host of laboratory courses and experiential opportunities that take students
around the united States and the world, Action Learning continues to serve as a
cornerstone of the MIT Sloan experience, providing opportunities that create a depth
of knowledge developed by hands-on exploration, innovation, and leadership.
“ There was a great deal of learning on the ground which you can’t do out of books. You also get amazing first-hand success cases on business which you don’t hear as much of in the press. It is good for students to meet with these successful businesses, even in a country where the government is not working and the infrastructure is not there, and realize that the issues are very different.”TavNeeT suRi | Assistant Professor of Applied Economics, study tours Faculty Mentor
GO-Lab | Sistole, Colombia, 2012:
The GO-Lab team addressed some of the key
challenges of expansion and integration as
Sistole, the leading below-the-line marketing
agency in Colombia, looked to increase its
activities, clients, and influence in Latin
America and beyond.
118 9% 100%Mit slOAn MBAs tOOk twO Or MOrE ACtiOn lEArning lABs in 2011-12
OF MBA studEnts tAkE thrEE Or EvEn FOur ACtiOn lEArning lABs
OF MAstEr OF FinAnCE And EMBA studEnts tAkE ACtiOn lEArning lABs
argentina
australia
Brazil
Cambodia
Chile
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Germany
Ghana
haiti
hong Kong
hungary
india
indonesia
israel
Japan
Jordan
Kenya
Lesotho
Malaysia
Mexico
Nepal
New Zealand
Nigeria
Panama
Peru
Philippines
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
senegal
serbia
singapore
south africa
swaziland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Turkey
uae
uganda
uK
uruguay
usa
vietnam
Zambia
CHINA lAB
Mit sloan students and international MBAs
from some of China’s leading universities
collaborate on multinational business teams to
consult with emerging Chinese entrepreneurs.
E-lAB
Entrepreneurship Lab
teams of science, engineering, and manage-
ment students participate one day a week,
on-site, with the top management of high-tech
startups to gain hands-on experience in
funding, starting, and running new ventures.
EM-lAB
Enterprise Management Lab
small teams of students learn to apply
integrated management perspectives
and practices within large for-profit and
nonprofit organizations.
FINANCE in ACtiOn
within the Finance group, several action
learning opportunities are available, giving
students a rare firsthand look at a wide array
of fiscal challenges facing organizations in
different parts of the world.
Finance Research Practicum
An academic course held over the independent
Activities Period (iAP) in january in which
students work in teams on projects proposed
by external sponsors.
Proseminar in Corporate Finance and
Investment Banking
students tackle original research problems in
financial engineering that have been posed by
leading experts from the financial community.
Proseminar in Capital Markets and
Investment Management
this proseminar has two principal goals: to
bridge the gap between finance theory and
finance practice; and to introduce students
to the broader financial community.
G-lAB
Global Entrepreneurship Lab
g-lab immerses students in a one-semester
classroom and one month, on-site consulting
experience working alongside entrepreneurs in
emerging nations.
GHD-lAB
Global Health Delivery Lab
teams of students work directly with partner
organizations in the health sector spending
two weeks on-site to carry out an intensive,
practical improvement project designed with
Mit faculty and other expert guidance.
GO-lAB
Executive MBA Global Organizations Lab
teams of high-performing, Executive MBA
students work on the cross-border integration
challenges their multi-national host companies
want to fix.
INDIA lAB
students work on projects with indian
companies and non-governmental
organizations to share insights and
recommend strategic directions.
STUDy TOURS
International Study Tours
Organized by students, study tours offer
Mit sloan students a chance to work
with organizations to explore business
practices within global cultures.
L-lAB
Leading Sustainable Systems
l-lab combines classroom learning on
sustainability and leadership with action
learning on real-world projects with
partner organizations.
LGO
Leaders for Global Operations
dual-degree candidates working toward a
master’s in engineering and their MBA bring
a unique perspective to organizations by
utilizing their engineering skills to define
problems and analyze solutions, coupled with
their business acumen developed through
the Mit sloan curriculum.
P-lAB
Managing Sustainable Businessesfor People and Profits
P-lab integrates classroom learning with
real-world team consulting projects where
students examine the challenges, concepts,
and emerging practices at the intersection
of people and profits.
S-lAB
Sustainable Business Lab
s-lab crafts business approaches to
environmental and social issues while
working with all types of organizational
structures: from traditional manufacturing
firms and new startups to nonprofits and
governmental organizations.
CONTACT US If you would like to be a host
company for an Action Learning
opportunity, or if you have
any questions about hosting a
team, please contact us by
calling +1 617-324-9615 or
emailing actionlearning@mit.edu.
On behalf of the faculty and staff
of Action Learning at MIT Sloan,
we look forward to partnering
with you.
Action learning at a glance
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