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Summer Internship Kick-Off May 10, 2006
Margot DushinDirector of Programs, Social Enterprise Initiative
mdushin@hbs.edu
Betsy StricklandManager, Career Development Programs
bstrickland@hbs.edu
Getting the Most from Your Summer Fellowship
• Clarify Your Personal and Professional Goals
• Evaluate the Senior Management and Board of the Organizations You Are Considering
• Use Your Network to Conduct Due Diligence
Preparing for
Your Internship
• Do Your Homework: Understand the Sector
• Develop a Deeper Understanding of the Organization and Its Culture
• Understand Your Role Within the Organization and Begin to Scope Out Your Project
Making the Most of Your
Internship
• Invest in Relationship Building Early On
• Create a Detailed Workplan
• Leverage Available Internal and External Resources
• Remain Adaptable
• Keep Networking
Leveraging Your Internship
• Determine Appropriate Follow-On Contact with the Organization
• Pursue Further Related Study or Project Work
• Utilize HBS Resources
• Continue to Network
Identifying Opportunities
Evaluating Opportunities
• Develop an Understanding of the Sector
• Refine your Focus
• Develop a Deeper Understanding of Specific Sub-Sectors
• Network, Network, Network
Preparing for Your Internship Understand the Sector: Key Distinctions
Nonprofits For-Profits
Mission To solve a social problem To earn returns for shareholders
Measurement Qualitative, output-oriented metrics; absence of clear bottom line; few good sources of data
Clear, quantitative metrics; analysts dedicated to providing quality information and data
Governance Multiple influences and poorly defined boundaries and incentives
Top-down with clearly defined responsibilities
Funding Fragmented, project-focused funding; limited capital sources; heavy reliance on donations
Clearly defined and accessible capital markets
Human Resources
Often volunteer workforce that “does it all”; less management capability/ capacity; significant constraints on salary and performance incentives
Clear job responsibilities and career paths with pay for performance
Stakeholders Multiple constituencies, including foundations, service recipients, corporations, government, and society
Primarily customers and shareholders
Competitive Environment
Role of competition unclear Clear set of competitors drives continual improvement
Source: McKinsey & Company, 2002
Preparing for Your Internship Understand the Organization
• Its sub-sector– Characteristics of the sub-sector– Competitive landscape; other players in the field
• Its mission– Is it clearly articulated and understandable?– Is it reinforced by the strategy?
• Its organizational structure and culture– Internal organizational structure– Board/Staff relationship and role of Board– Cultural norms
• What are the key issues facing senior management, e.g.:– Performance measurement/management and accountability– Sustainability/Growth/Income-generating strategies– Capacity building – Collaboration (within or among sectors)– Other
Preparing for Your Internship Your Role within the Organization
• How does your proposed project tie-in with the key organizational issues?
• What will be your formal and informal reporting relationships?• What are your own personal/professional development goals
for the summer?• What do you hope to achieve for the organization? What is the
intended impact/result of your project? • What won’t be included within this project? e.g. Define the
boundaries of your project.• What strengths do you bring to the table? e.g. objectivity,
data-driven approach, focused attention, industry or disciplinary expertise, etc.
• What resources will you need from the organization/others to succeed? e.g. sector-specific knowledge, understanding of stakeholders, existing data, etc.
• What will happen with your work when you leave?
Making the Most of Your Internship Transitioning and Settling In
• Invest in relationship building early and often– Speeds learning of organization and sub-sector– Provides insight to various stakeholder viewpoints– Builds trust and credibility
• Create a detailed workplan– Clarifies goals, objectives, and deliverables up front– Identifies required resources– Formalizes reporting relationships/check-in points
• Leverage available resources– Internal to organization– HBS resources– Summer fellowship community
• Remain adaptable• Keep networking—within organization and field
Making the Most of Your Internship Developing a Workplan
Multiple Review
Points
• Build in review points with key decision-makers throughout the project timeline
• Periodically test assumptions and findings
• Gain feedback in time to make necessary adjustments
Develop Recommned-
ations
• Synthesize findings
• Develop action plan for implementation and detail anticipated outcomes
Present Your Findings
• Present findings to key decision-makers
• Gain agreement and commitment
• Clarify follow-on requirements/activities
Define Project Objective
Research and Analysis
• Develop a Problem Statement (scope)
• Provide Context: Why does the organization need to address this issue? Why now?
• Identify criteria by which to measure progress.
• Identify key decision-makers
• Outline any working hypotheses/assumptions.
• Set a detailed timeline
• Collect Data (quantitative and qualitative)
• Find proxies/work-arounds when encountering data scarcity
• Conduct analysis: Remember, simple analyses can be very powerful
• Interpret findings
Making the Most of Your Internship Sample Work Plan Template
Project Name
OBJECTIVE:
.
WORKING HYPOTHESIS/ASSUMPTIONS
1.
2.
PROJECT ELEMENTS
1.
Sub-elements
2.
Sub-elements
ORGANIZATION RESPONSIBILITIES (INFO/AID TO BE PROVIDED)
General:
Project staffing support from others in the organization
Access to necessary staff as needed for information collection
Input/collaboration along the way
Participation and feedback
Provide background information on (e.g. competition, etc.):
PROJECT DELIVERABLES
1.
2.
PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE
Activity Start Date End Date
Work Plan Approval and Project Start
Research and Analysis:
Review historical data, competitive analysis, interviews
Mid-Course Review
Synthesis: Develop Plan
Conclusions and Recommendations
Final Presentation
APPROVALS:
______________________________________________ Date: ____________
Name, title
______________________________________________ Date: ____________
Your name, title
Making the Most of Your Internship Resources
Social Enterprisewww.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/relatedresources.html
Career Specificwww.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/careerdevelopment.htmlwww.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/jobsearch.html
Publicationswww.philanthropy.comwww.nptimes.comwww.ssireview.com
Other Sourceswww.bridgespangroup.orgwww.guidestar.org
Leveraging Your Internship to Chart Your Career Path
• Staying connected with the organization– Formal follow-on work– Informal contact– Connect others with the organization
• Pursue further related study or field work– SE courses– Field study
• Utilize available resources and continue to network– SE Career Coaches– Faculty– HBS Alumni Network
Advice from Past Fellows
Preparing for the summer:
• “Scope your project well and understand the resources you will have before going in. Ask about contingency plans in case your project unexpectedly changes.”
• “Definitely make sure you are working on specific projects. Find out as much as possible about these before Day 1. Be sure to have a mentor.”
Advice from Past Fellows
During the Summer:
• “It’s important to set your goals early on in the summer, make sure you are adding value, and check in periodically with leadership to make sure your goals are still in line with their expectations.”
• “Remain flexible if your project changes. Bringing suggestions to the table might make for a new and much more exciting project than initially proposed. Things may not go as planned (or as you initially envisioned), but there are still tremendous learning opportunities regardless.”
Advice from Past Fellows
On taking a social enterprise position:
• “I think it's an amazing chance to make a real impact at an organization in a short period of time and to learn a lot from diverse and passionate people.”
• “Go for it! It feels great to have had a positive impact on the region or community you're working to support. A truly unique and soul-filling experience.”
See full comments on all stages at:www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/summer/advice.html
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