Category: Educations Series

Starting with a definition of innovation, we can simply say that Innovation is the realization of new (or significantly improved) products, services, processes, or methods. This can be true either for companies or for professionals: both should focus on and maximize their efforts in improving efficiency (and effectiveness) and create something new and more valuable for the end user who, for the company is the customer, while for the professional it is themself.

The mistake we might sometimes come across when talking about innovation is to confuse “new” with “valuable”. Novelty is crucial, since innovation is about the realization of something new, but not everything that is new creates new value and, more importantly, the hardest part of the innovation regards the implementation of the idea.

In a famous TEDx speech, Bill Gross, founder and developer of innovative start-ups, investigated the reason why some companies succeed while others fail. With the help of data collected from numerous start-ups, he ranked each enterprise based on five key factors: Idea, Team, Business model, Funding and Timing. He found that the factor that counted the most among all the others was not the idea but the timing, first, and the team and their ability to implement the project in second position. He opened a company called “idealab” because he really thinks that the idea is crucial for changing the status quo but, at the same time, he wanted to affirm that a good idea at the wrong time or managed by the wrong team would bring no innovation at all.

If this is true for companies, I think that we can translate this concept into the life of workers as well, and go a little further with the similarity. Every professional dedicates their time to performing tasks, as short-term goals, and to imagining a new way of doing the job, to updating their own competences or to learning new skills, as long-term objectives. The difference between the best performers and the others (as well as between successful companies and the rest) is the percentage of time and resources dedicated to these two different kinds of activities.

Successful companies and successful professionals are those who dedicated a robust percentage of time in studying (R&D for companies) and in applying innovations. Of course, this is a risky way, but it is necessary if the goal in mind is to shape a different and brilliant future.

During the MBA path at Politecnico di Milano, I had the chance to study for a course named “Innovation Leadership”. The aim of the course was not to push the professionals to create tons of ideas or to imagine a new cutting-edge start-up; the real objective was to instil the concept that, once an innovative idea has been recognized as such, the hardest part arrives and new managers, Innovation Managers precisely, need the appropriate skills to choose the right timing, to create the right team for the implementation and, more importantly, to transfer their mindset to all of the company’s employees.

Again, I think that this concept, mutatis mutandis, can be applied also to a professional’s daily life. There are a lot of good ideas and inspirational suggestions to enrich a job routine and to improve one’s personal outlook. The hardest part is to fight inertia and to be consistent in applying what we think might enhance our daily lives. Every person has an “Innovation Manager” inside them, the “planner” part of us that reports to the “slow thinking” of Kahneman. This side has the important task of setting goals and constantly monitoring and controlling the other side of us, which may be more creative, but is less fixed and dedicated.

About the author

Lately, I have started to think of the last two years as having been the weirdest period of my life. I never had time to get used to a new situation, one in which I had to reschedule and redefine my short- and long-term goals. I have always thought critically about my career and even when I was totally in love with my job, I needed to improve my background by adding new tasks.

The continuous need for new challenges is probably part of my personality and it will hardly abandon me, but I am glad to see how it helps me in frequently reconsidering my condition and searching for new paths.

This feeling, my personal feedback about my work and my aspirations, led me to start the International MBA at MIP, choosing the Part-Time edition because leaving my job was never taken into consideration. The first half of this two-year program made me work, study and have fun with several classmates who gradually became close friends.

Meanwhile, the slow restarting of society brought new work opportunities; the company I work for recognised the positive effect of the MBA in my approach to complex issues. After spending a few months in Nigeria for a new project, I was offered a move to the U.S. to follow up another one, but this time with a coordination role.

Well, it didn’t take that much for me to take a decision, so I am here writing about my experience with a seven- hour time difference, in a new city, trying to get used to several new habits and really regretting that I have forgotten to bring my moka pot and some Italian coffee! I mention the time difference because it has been causing some issues, considering that when I wake up every morning more than half of the working day in Italy has passed and when I am done with my job, it’s already late at night over there. The MBA requires us to share and discuss most of the assignments with our classmates and this used to happen right after work, in the early evening. Now this is not feasible during the week, so I have had to concentrate these activities into the weekends.

However, I am glad that the connections I have made with my classmates are helping a lot; I have found some who spontaneously organize separate calls to help me, and who spend time supporting me and trying to ease the difficulties of being so far away.

On the other hand, I am facing some problems in attending the lectures, since they start when it’s 2 a.m. in the U.S. and last until 12 p.m. Trust me, it’s an extreme effort to wake up at that time and to keep focused during the classes. I have tried it − your mind is not yet ready to be productive (at least, mine isn’t…). I therefore have to use all the flexibility that this MBA can offer, by watching the recordings of the classes on the following day and asking for any clarifications I need on the subjects from my classmates, professors or our Program Officer. There are now only a few courses left for me to do and I am sure I can make it with my commitment and the help of everyone around me!

Finding a new job that suits and really challenges you many times per day is not common and to honour it, it requires concentration and patience, but also courage and audacity; these are qualities that I’m working hard to demonstrate to myself. While not taking a single backwards step in studying for the MBA I am just mastering the management of my time, my energies and my will, mostly when I am late with some deadline.

Well, everything that happens unexpectedly helps us in effecting change in ourselves while facing a new situation, a new environment or new habits. I am in Texas now; I eat wonderful meat, I drive for too long to go anywhere, I cannot find a good place for an espresso coffee, and I nod to people talking about sports I have never played (I don’t even know the rules), while just few weeks ago I was in Milan organizing dinners with friends, going everywhere just on foot and trying to convince myself that drinking American coffee was cool.

I am excited to see what is going to happen next − the future does not look so bad!

About the author

Dear Professor Nizar Abdelkafi, it is a pleasure to have the possibility to exchange some ideas and thoughts with you about Supply Chain Management and its ever-growing importance for companies and for curricula at universities and business schools.

Starting with an icebreaking question, I see that before joining MIP, you were head of the research unit at Fraunhofer Society in Germany and a lecturer at the University of Leipzig. What brings you here to Milan and to MIP?

There are many reasons that brought me to Milan after a long and very rich experience in Germany, in particular at the Fraunhofer Society. First, I wanted to join a world-class University. Politecnico di Milano is a highly reputed University, not only in Italy, but also in Europe and all over the world. MIP is an excellent business school with many international and executive programs. Second, I wanted to be involved in a new challenge, a new culture, while learning a new language, and also to get to know a new working environment. Third, I had been to Milan and Italy many times before moving here. So, I like the city, the people, and the way of life. Fourth, my wife loves Italy, and living in Italy had been a dream of hers that has now come true 😊.

Being Italian, I can only agree with the third and fourth points and I am quite sure that Milan and Italy will keep the promise.

Moving on to your research topic, I was quite impressed when, during the MBA path, I saw that MIP’s Supply Chain Management module is not integrated in Operations Management. Usually books tend to put “Operations Management” and “Supply Chain Management” together. Do you think that it is a good choice to teach both topics separately? And do you think that this choice has been made because of the increasing relevance of the topic?

This is a good question. It is true that some operations management textbooks include supply chain management as a chapter, but a textbook on operations management cannot cover all the specific aspects of supply chain management. Supply chain management has developed to a proper discipline with topics that overlap with many other fields, among others, product design, logistics, sustainability, risk management, and information technology. Supply chain management has introduced a new way of thinking in management practice that is integrative, going beyond the boundaries of the single company. In the meantime, it is a very well-established field. Many companies are aware of how critical supply chain management is to their success, and therefore they create dedicated departments and recruit skilled specialists in this area.

Could you tell us, according to your experience, which is the biggest challenge that supply chains are facing and which of the emerging technologies (e.g., the Internet of Things, drones, self-driving vehicles) will be really disruptive in fixing it in the coming years?

Your question has two parts. Concerning the first part, we are facing a global challenge. Climate change is a reality that we cannot deny, and nations must address this problem seriously and cooperatively. Because of climate change, natural disasters, in the near future, will occur more frequently than we used to experience. Floods, fires, etc, are the consequence, and this will cause many supply chain disruptions. Thus, one of the biggest challenges that supply chains have to face is how to deal with an ever-increasing level of disruptions, by building resilient supply chains that are able to recover fast. To cope with supply chain risks, however, we need both managerial and technological solutions.

The second question is related to disruptive technologies in supply chains. Making a prediction regarding which technologies will be disruptive is a difficult task. In my opinion, however, Artificial Intelligence (AI) coupled with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies has the potential to lead to the biggest technological disruptions in supply chains. New players will create new services that we have never thought of, ensuring a high level of visibility and real-time-management of supply chains.

One of the topics always present in every Supply Chain class is sustainability. Usually, the trade-off driver in logistics is the “Service-Cost” one. Nowadays, on the other hand, the emerging request from companies (and from final customers) is to lower the ecological footprint, such as CO2 emissions. While some activities to increase sustainability lead to a decrease in the costs (for example route optimization or the design of shorter trips), other activities will lead to an increase in costs in the short term with no certain return in the future (only, for example, the substitution of the actual fleet with an electric one and all the related costs). Do you think that we will only be seeing a “partial” innovation in the next few years, in order to remain close to the trade-off previously mentioned?

This is a big question that can hardly be answered in just a few lines. The costs and benefits of sustainability have been debated for long time, but I will not get into this now. Sure, however, supply chains cannot afford not to integrate sustainability efforts into their actions. Natural resources are not unlimited. In addition, companies must assume an increasing responsibility regarding stakeholders. Hence, supply chains will intensify their sustainability-related endeavours, although in the pandemic era we are still struggling with, economic growth will have a higher priority until companies are able to stand on their own feet again. In a nutshell, we can distinguish between two types of innovation that will reinforce sustainability in supply chains. The first is technological. Technology will generate totally new solutions and lead to completely new applications. Think, for example, of 3D printing and its impact on decreasing logistics costs or embedding electric vehicles in intermodal transportation concepts. The other type of innovation is business model focused. It is about rethinking the traditional ways of doing business, e.g., crowdfunding platforms to fund efficiency and sustainability projects.

Closing our interview, would you suggest to future students a recent book (or an article) related to Supply Chain that treats the matter insightfully and professionally? And, the last request, could you give any piece of advice to future MBA candidates especially attracted by the Supply Chain?

I suggest reading the new (ab)normal by Yossi Sheffi, a book published in 2020 that excellently illustrates how supply chains could deal effectively with the COVID-19 pandemic. For the future MBA candidates fascinated by Supply Chain management, I would like to tell them first that you are just attracted by the right topic 😊. The pandemic has demonstrated how essential and important supply chain management is to everyone. My (practical) advice for these students: first, learn the theoretical frameworks in supply chain management and understand them in depth. These will potentially give you directions to find solutions, or help you to better analyse and structure practical problems; second, complement your knowledge with examples and case studies. There are a bunch of good case studies in supply chain management that just reinforce understanding; finally, do not miss any opportunity to apply your knowledge in your companies or elsewhere. In this way, you will be highly skilled in supply chain management.

Thank you Professor for your precise and in-depth answers. I have found several starting points to go through. I really enjoyed both your lessons and this exchange of ideas and I can only encourage other students interested in the topic to benefit from your pieces of advice and to approach the study of this matter from the different perspectives you mentioned before.

About the author

It’s been almost a year since I started my experience on the International Part-time MBA and, while attending the lectures, I found myself proud of being part of this team. The more I get to know my classmates, the more I recognize how high their level is and how much, without realizing it, I am pushing myself to be more reliable and efficient, both at work and at the business school. I understand that ultimately, we are all moved by the same desire to learn and be challenged; every occasion for group work became an excuse to share past experiences and start discussions about our points of view or our goals. The class is getting closer and the teamwork is being extended to the individual assignments as well, when students spontaneously organize study groups.

Meanwhile, I’m currently working as an engineer in a proud-to-be-Italian EPC company with long-term experience of international projects. The effort required is quite high, mostly when the schedule is affected by unexpected changes. Imagine being in my shoes, a young engineer keen on developing his existing skills and adding new ones to his background, while doing an already very demanding job: what kind of characteristics would you search for in a part-time MBA? At the beginning, flexibility was the top feature I was focusing on, followed by topics and teaching methods. After having a look at the university rankings and collecting some general information, I realized that such a Master should not only provide technical teaching but also an environment able to push students to work together while unravelling business cases. There is no doubt that this is the best way to improve soft skills, such as interaction with people of different experience and ages, and your attitude to problem-solving.

As I mentioned, one year has passed since I joined this wonderful team and a lot has happened. MIP showed what I think is the right attitude in guaranteeing the best quality of teaching during the Covid emergency, pushing as hard as possible for lectures to be held in presence whenever this was feasible, and always finding the best solutions in accordance with the latest regulations.

Apart from the pandemic issue, this year surprised me with an unexpected work trip that took me to Nigeria for over two months. This meant once again missing the opportunity to follow face-to-face lectures at the time when the emergency was becoming less extreme. Anyway, during this trip I was able not only to fulfil my duties as an engineer, but also to attend two different topics (remotely) and prepare the relevant assignments and group work.

“Dulcis in fundo”, the icing on the cake is that my company has just given me the opportunity to move to the USA for 18 months to monitor the final phase of a construction site. Unfortunately, short notice and an urgent departure schedule is the normal procedure in my work, but I have accepted the challenge. In two days I managed to organize this exciting new experience abroad, by contacting MIP to discuss the matter and by planning with both my company and the school the activities for which my presence will be strictly requested (in my case, only the international weeks). The ease with which a fast resolution was found for a situation that at the beginning concerned me a lot was happily well-received, and allowed me to focus on other priorities.

I decided to tell you about my latest work experience because I think that this is the easiest way to explain what, in my opinion, a part-time MBA should ensure. In the end, what really matters when you decide to study and work at the same time is your determination to accomplish your goals. This kind of experience makes you understand yourself better and better. You are going to be pushed to your limits sometimes but you will not give up. You are actually looking for the most difficult challenge your career can offer at this time and you already know that this is going to be one of the most important successes in your life.

About the author