My i-Flex EMBA experience

It was not so long ago that we celebrated the end of my/our MBA in Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan. The festive atmosphere and happiness of the ceremony were mixed up with Covid restrictions, which made the event different, but still very enjoyable. One evening this weekend, just a few weeks after that day, I wanted to sit down and take stock with a few considerations on what the i-Flex experience has meant to me and how fruitful the past two years have been.

As with all good retrospective thoughts, I want to start from the objectives of the choice to start an MBA. I wanted to boost my career, learn new topics, and mainly to lay the foundations for increasing my knowledge in a wider business context. The course does not include only theoretical education, but also practical cases and networking with inspiring people. I knew it would not be easy, especially combining all the activities with my already busy life and daily job targets, but my motivation was high.

And it has been anything but easy!! There have been intense weekdays and weekends following clips and reading books and articles, nights watching classes, heavy sessions for extra activities and teamwork, remote “dinners” discussing how to improve ourselves, and several hours dedicated to our project work. All of that would not have been possible without perfect harmony with my classmates, or at least, it would have been so different. A huge thanks goes to them and to MIP, which enabled us to meet. I well remember the energy of the first face-to-face week. We surely deserve a big round of applause. Creating durable bonding is also a matter of attitude and an open mind, expressed by the different cultural background that an international program brings, and it should not be taken for granted in an online program where there could be a gap in non-verbal communication. Sharing knowledge and experiences, supporting each other also in issues outside the course, as well as congratulations for personal and professional achievements, make me evaluate all the people I met during the program as one of the most valuable elements that I am taking home from my MBA.

The second value, not in order of importance, is of course what MIP has given in terms of an opportunity to learn and improve my skills. My thanks are due to all the MIP professors and associates, who, on various occasions, demonstrated their dedication to the subjects and support on our learning path. I’d also like to give just one example of a change in my competences, and I want to underline that there are many other examples I could give. I’m passionate about entrepreneurship, but thanks to the learning materials, sessions and webinars, I am digging further into the startup ecosystem. Maybe I’ll found a business with my collegues soon, stay tuned! In the last year and a half we also had to face an additional challenge: the Covid-19 pandemic emergency. It could have hampered the normal flow of learning activities, requiring rescheduling and re-adjustment of the processes. Special thanks to the whole MIP staff who supported us and facilitated our time at the business school.

Last but not least, my gratitude should also go to my family. I would say to all our (classmates’) families. They backed us, supported us, encouraged us and made sacrifices together with us. Having remote meetings, especially late at night, also meant entering each other’s houses and creating connections.

Now I’m an MBA graduate and MIP alumnus, but I don’t think my experience at MIP is concluded. Many new opportunities have opened up. An MBA is a lifelong decision that can change the course of your personal and career path. You meet a lot of interesting people with whom you can have long-lasting relationships and perhaps create something together. We are already planning our next reunion!!

 

 

About the author
Vito Conversano

Chief Information Officer @ San Marzano Vini SpA with extensive international experience in IT & strategic consultancy for fortune 500 companies. Creative, Curious, Travel lover. Passionate about discovering new concepts, learning continuously and developing new ideas.

 

“Poseidon: Team up with Flexa”

The i-Flex EMBA program is not just self-study, but also a way to socialize and network with other students and alumni. There can be several occasions for developing ideas and participating in innovative challenges and competitions. At one of these events, I found myself starting to talk with some of my colleagues, scouting and discussing possible ideas – we wanted to have a clean impact on society – so we explored some solutions which could be more innovative and out of the box, and delved into their real feasibility and how to implement them.Several possibilities came up, and we were all full of energy and enthusiastic about making our contributions. In the end, we chose to direct our efforts towards water. Water covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface but despite this, its value and scarcity are felt on an ever-larger scale. Drinkable water is so necessary that it is precious, also considering population and ecosystem trends. Apart from natural springs, and especially in desertic or remote places like small islands, it’s necessary to find different sources, and most of it derives from marine water desalination applied together with other processes to make it potable. Analysing the state-of-the-art processes, we discovered that they are heavily polluting, both in terms of carbon emissions and potential residual waste and, furthermore, the expensiveness of small plants makes them unsustainable for local communities.

In this context we were struck by an insight, a possible alternative solution, and we started to call it Poseidon: with a simple and innovative change of approach, desalinated water could be produced in a clean, economical, affordable, scalable and reliable way. The idea and initial business model are just a first step for a startup project, and the team needs to be completed in terms of all its members so as to have a solid structure and make it real. We identified some profiles that would complete us. We needed to find out how and where to get in contact with people who might be interested in joining us.

Flexa is the online platform that MIP has developed to complement education, but also for networking with students, alumni and external businesses. There is a powerful section where we posted “our challenge” and looked to pick out a particular person to match our profile. And then it happened. We were so glad to have access to such an easy way of networking and that the project had gone ahead with the validation phase. The technical complications and complexity of the domain could easily have been a high barrier to the feasibility of our ambitious project. The possibility to access a network of people so large as to be like the whole MIP-Politecnico di Milano ecosystem, made up not only of alumni but also of external individuals who collaborate with the business school − I think all this helped us to reach out and select interested and active people.

Hence, I would like to thank MIP for this wonderful opportunity Flexa provided for us and wish all the best to all the members of team Poseidon, Federico Aiana, Giovanni Castagnola, Heidemarie Haupt, Lorenzo Zagnoli, and, of course, me, Vito Conversano.

I’m pretty sure many other projects could get benefits from this way of networking.

 

About the author
Vito Conversano

Student of the International Flex Executive MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano.
Chief Information Officer @ San Marzano Vini SpA with extensive international experience in IT & strategic consultancy for fortune 500 companies. Creative, Curious, Travel lover. Passionate about discovering new concepts, learning continuously and developing new ideas.

 

 

Insights from an international MBA – part 2

An international format for an MBA program provides an additional experience that is not limited to learning new subjects or theoretical/practical concepts. Meeting people from all around the world creates a mixture of points of view which enriches the experience at MIP. Let’s hear it directly in the words of my friends and colleagues on the i-Flex program, Claudio Miguel Jamisse Buque from Mozambique and Heidemarie Haupt from Italy.

Why did you decide to pursue an international MBA program?

Claudio: I am an Electrical Engineer by training, and I have been working for almost 9 years in project development and implementation in sub-Saharan Africa. An international MBA program complements my current set of skills and experience. Through this course, I am able to gain a unique mix of skills needed to advance my career in management. I am able to understand the business aspects behind the projects that I work on, making me a valuable asset to the teams that I am part of. In addition, the international program places a lot of emphasis on and exposure to global challenges, which one would not experience through a non-international MBA. This is important for expanding the geographic range of my experience.
Finally, MIP’s i-Flex program has the added advantage of being online, which allows me to continue my professional activities and gives me enough freedom to balance my time between classes, family and work life. The program allows for interaction and networking between students from all parts of the globe, making this a good opportunity to turn my professional network into a global one.

What do you think are the main advantages of an international environment?

Claudio: In an international environment you develop an appreciation for diversity. Diversity comes in many forms ̶ culture, religion ̶ but most importantly, in the way of thinking. Through diverse teams in an international environment, I have experienced a broader and more open-minded approach to problem solving. During the interactions with my colleagues, I am developing an admiration for different ways of solving problems and a better understanding of the term collaboration. Being in an international environment it is also easier to relate to the impacts of global crises, not only in the society you live in but in the entire world.

How can this i-Flex program provide support in making an international contribution?

Claudio: The i-Flex program class is geographically diverse, with students residing in five different continents. The program is taught on an online platform that enables international collaboration. Contributions are encouraged and productive discussions between professors and students always occur across different countries, sometimes in different time zones. The topics for discussion are also international, meaning they usually touch on a range of countries. The platform supports this collaboration across countries in a modern and virtual way. This means the solutions we propose or discuss originate from a truly multinational contribution.

How might a multicultural environment impact your personal and professional life during classes?

Claudio: A multicultural environment is an important attribute for the international MBA. While discussing and solving cases, students develop the soft skills required to succeed in multicultural environments. In my professional life it will help me to adapt more easily to the challenges that a multicultural environment creates, and in my personal life it will help me to take advantage of the opportunities that arise in the context of multicultural networks. In both cases, I can see only positive outcomes to being exposed to a multicultural environment.

What do you expect this program will bring to your life after graduation?

Claudio: Primarily, I look forward to acquiring the hard and soft skills required for growing and succeeding as a manager. These skills will contribute to my professional prosperity, be it in my current position or future placements. Additionally, the friends made and strong relationships built with colleagues are of great value, both in my professional and personal life. I expect to maintain the international connections and to continue to develop close-knit friendships that will benefit my personal and professional life.

In case you missed the quite talk with Heidimarie and would like to know her experience, read her interview and find out her point of view on the international experience offered by i-Flex.

About the author
Vito Conversano

Student of the International Flex Executive MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano.
Chief Information Officer @ San Marzano Vini SpA with extensive international experience in IT & strategic consultancy for fortune 500 companies. Creative, Curious, Travel lover. Passionate about discovering new concepts, learning continuously and developing new ideas.

 

Insights from an international MBA – part 1

An international format for an MBA program provides an additional experience that is not limited to learning new subjects or theoretical/practical concepts. Meeting people from all around the world creates a mixture of points of view which enriches the experience at MIP. Let’s hear it directly in the words of my friends and colleagues on the i-Flex program, Claudio Miguel Jamisse Buque from Mozambique and Heidemarie Haupt from Italy.

Why did you decide to pursue an international MBA program?

Heidemarie: I was at a phase in my life where I felt it was time to pursue a unique opportunity to launch a truly global career. I am persuaded that an effective leader should be curious about the world and eager to learn about other markets, management styles and cultural differences. I already had a solid experience in living and working at corporate level across cultures in companies where background diversity was considered as a pivotal value, so it came quite naturally to me to look for an international environment to engage in my EMBA. I carefully scouted a number of European business schools which offered such an opportunity and finally landed on MIP as the one most suited to me.

What do you think are the main advantages of an international environment?

Heidemarie: When I submitted my motivation letter to the school, my opening paragraph was entitled “with heart and mind wide open”. I think this is fairly self-explanatory with regard to what I expect from an international environment. In business especially, leaders must be able to assess global differences and adjust to the local business environment: gaining a wider knowledge of the diverse cultures becomes essential. We can call it elasticity to adjust, ability to think out of the box, readiness to see further, a willingness to prevent bias: to me, the mix of these attitudes is proving to be the real advantage to living, studying and working in an international environment.

How can this i-Flex program provide support in making an international contribution?

Heidemarie: When I was told about the i-Flex opportunity, I thought it was an excellent way to incorporate technology in advanced education. The most relevant advantage is surely the flexibility this format allows, which is even more relevant in an international context with colleagues connected from the four corners of the earth. But I especially like what seems to be the uniqueness of the program, which brings the School one step forward, well projected in the technological environment where we all are expected to work.

How might a multicultural environment impact your personal and professional life during classes?

Heidemarie: I believe a lot in cultural contamination. I can visualize it as a snowball effect, further amplified by the participants’ different backgrounds. Sharing different experiences, encouraging different mind-sets and approaches brings an enormous added valued to the program. MIP has managed to select a bunch of incredibly smart and talented people for this EMBA, and I do feel truly privileged to be part of this group.

What do you expect this program will bring to your life after graduation?

Heidemarie: The first word that comes to my mind is value. I am here to learn, both to learn new things and to learn how to do things that I already know differently. I expect to be able to use this added value properly in my career and in my personal life. The solid professional and personal network that I am building here is something that will stay and grow for the time being, enriching any other experience that comes afterwards.

Are you curious to know what Claudio thinks about it? Stay tuned for the second interview and find out more about the international experience of i-Flex.

About the author
Vito Conversano

Student of the International Flex Executive MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano.
Chief Information Officer @ San Marzano Vini SpA with extensive international experience in IT & strategic consultancy for fortune 500 companies. Creative, Curious, Travel lover. Passionate about discovering new concepts, learning continuously and developing new ideas.

People define our experience!

 

Tossing your mortarboard in the air is the triumphant symbol to celebrate a new success hanging on the personal “wall” of one’s academic and professional life. I have always considered it as a moment of strength and integrity, while figuratively, the mind is flying high on the horizon but the feet are rooted on the ground to seize new opportunities. My dear 2017 International Flex EMBA classmates at MIP Politecnico di Milano Business School, TOGETHER WE DID IT! From today we are MIP Alumni. Congratulations to everyone!

It is not by chance that I chose this title for my last article as a MIP student. People might be concerned about the social networking aspect when talking about online study programs. I was, too, at the very beginning of this journey. But, reaching at the end of this wonderful and challenging experience, I am glad about the decision I made two years ago. Today, more than ever, I know the real meaning of these few simple words “people define our experience”. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what your background is, it is of little importance how often you meet someone in person, what really matters is the effort you put into a relationship and how open you are to learning something new from everyone you encounter during your life.

To explain the importance of networking better, I will cite one of my classmates, Jevan Malan from South Africa, who said: “The Full-Time MBA students may know each other better because of the extra time they spend together, but I don’t believe that their relationships are more real than ours. I don’t think it’s necessarily easier or more difficult to socialize online, it’s just different, because all relationships take some form of effort from all parties, irrespective of whether meetings are in a real class or a virtual one”.

Bonding and socializing are matters of culture, value, tradition and, of course, personal commitment. During these EMBA studies, I have had the chance to meet two other MBA classes: during one week in Milan with the MIP Politecnico di Milano 2018 Full-Time MBA class and the second in Provence, with the 2018 Part-Time EMBA class at the Aix-Marseille Graduate School of Management. These two experiences were completely different in terms of the learning process and social activity while, at the same time, both were great experiences from the point of view of my academic and professional networking. Having said that, the decision to go for an Executive MBA is based on a mix of personal factors and circumstances. Like many of my peers, I had to work to finance my studies; my opportunities were therefore limited to part-time or online programs. I decided on the online program and, in making this decision, I tried to put in the maximum commitment so as to gain the greatest benefit. This is so important. It is a relationship where you must give in such a manner as to get what you want out of it, to enlarge your own personal compass and to get the best return possible from your investment.

I am not sure about other online-class experiences, but I am trying to share our own experience, where almost everyone contributed in turn to make the online collaborative learning process at MIP so valuable, joyful and unforgettable. I may say we were lucky, because the synergy of the group was formed from the very beginning, during the first kick-off week in Milan. The positive energy created during that week was the fuel essential to motivating us for a long time, to make us put all our efforts into this online study program, while working and fulfilling family responsibilities. During the whole program we proved to be a real team by gaining and sharing knowledge, by helping and supporting each other in achieving tasks and deadlines, by being joyful in celebrating each other’s personal and professional achievements and, more importantly, by caring for each other in difficult moments in our personal lives. Behind the professional suits, we are all human beings!

Of course, the emotion you get when meeting in person is something very special and unique. No means of communication will ever replace the warmth of a hug. That’s why, during our EMBA program, MIP offered us several occasions on which to choose times, based on our availability, for meeting up with all our classmates, or at least some of them. Finally, during the graduation ceremony, we had the chance to meet each other’s loved ones in person. It feels like we have known each of them for a long time, because they have been part of our online meetings and discussions. Without their support and encouragement, it is almost impossible to succeed in such demanding undertakings. I am proud of my family and humble too; they have always been with me, they had my back, supporting, pushing and inspiring me during this winning path. Together in difficult and joyful moments, they have been the source of my strength, my courage and my motivation: united, we can always do better!

Last, but not least, my gratitude goes to MIP Politecnico di Milano for giving us the opportunity to grow and improve. Thank you, MIP professors and all the staff, for supporting and facilitating our learning process. What I take with me from this amazing journey, other than great memories, is the passion for innovation, the respect for diversity, integrity and the importance of failure. Every experience, encounter and failure is there to strengthen us to be more of who we are. As Mandela said: do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again! The best is yet to come

 

About the author
Elivar Golemi

Elivar Golemi is an Albanian candidate at MIP International Flex EMBA. She is working as an Executive Director in the dairy industry, after a long experience in the banking system. Skilled in Financial Analyses, Risk Management and Internal Audit. Nature lover, passionate photographer and mountain climber.

 

 

Why networking and social interaction are so important in digital learning!

“Boarding completed!” It’s 7pm and I am ready to fly to Milano after a long and busy day in my home city, Tirana. Tomorrow, it’s back to school. We have another face-to-face week, a bootcamp organized at the premises of MIP Politecnico di Milano. I have the chance to meet up with some of my classmates again, but it’s not only this. This is a good opportunity to meet other international students, studying at MIP Politecnico di Milano or at other business schools, as part of the international exchange program between business schools and universities around the world.

In general, there is prejudice toward online studying, based on the fact that learning isn’t just an intellectual activity, but a social one. This is why many people would prefer traditional, as opposed to online learning, for the ultimate reason of avoiding the feeling of isolation and missing out on social interaction during the studying process. That was my concern too, when I first decided to register for an international online EMBA program.

But as this challenging and important journey reaches its end, I no longer have any doubts about the choice I made almost two years ago. The social interaction aspect of  the “online learning” process is not lacking at all, but of course it has changed form, through the use of digital platforms, just as the concepts of learning and knowledge have significantly changed lately. As Barr and Tagg say, “a college is an institution that exists to produce learning” (Barr, Tagg, 1996); it is obvious that there is an evolving shift from teaching to learning, which means more active participation in the gaining and sharing of knowledge among the participants of a learning community.

The first tangible aspect of this online EMBA program was the inclusion of a “warm-up” period at the very beginning of the journey, which helped us a lot in establishing the desired social interaction within our newly created community. The kick-off week in Milano was perfectly organized to support and facilitate the distance learning process over the following 2 years. It was a week full of discussions, emotions, curiosity, building trust through getting to know each other, training in self-awareness and soft skills, necessary for laying the groundwork for new friendships and a great network.

Another positive aspect of this virtual environment is the fact that the learning process is mostly based on working groups, facilitated by the MIP online learning platform. The roles and team members are continually changing for each course, thus giving everyone the opportunity to work with all the other classmates, as well to exercise leadership skills within a team, several times during the EMBA program. Alongside the clips presented by the professors and the weekly Q&A live sessions, in every course of this EMBA program we are engaged in virtual discussions within a team, where everyone must contribute something substantial to the project work: we can acquire information from the others, combined with that which we bring into the discussion based on our backgrounds and previous experiences.

Having said that, we have the opportunity to push our understanding beyond our own limits, by considering the ideas shared by other classmates in small groups. This kind of “learning by sharing” has the attributes of collaborative learning, as everyone within the class is changing their role from performing as an individual to creating knowledge as a group. The size of the group (four or five) is another important element to support collaborative learning in this virtual learning environment. In this way, knowledge creation is socially shared through the participation in virtual teamwork and on several video-forums organized on social platforms, such as Yammer. It means that the professors start to be more and more like coordinators, mediators or tutors in this learning process.

Last but not least, social interaction should be fed continually to stay alive and healthy in a remote environment. Almost every day we have some brief conversations for social networking within the group, trying to keep in touch with our classmates through different communication channels. The WhatsApp group created during the kick-off week in Milano has been kept active all the time, by posting comments, asking questions or sharing personal information to celebrate together, as part of a newly created set of friendships that helps us to motivate each other during this difficult and demanding period in our lives.

As I have already mentioned in one of my previous articles, we had the chance to prove the importance of our network, and the fact that social interaction through digital learning is so relevant and true, when we met face-to-face for the second time, with all the i-Flex students on the MIP International Executive MBA program. Everyone was so happy and enthusiastic to meet up again, but this time in the beautiful city of London. During the week, we had the opportunity to further strengthen our relationships within the group, having the chance to get to know each other better, not only during the day on campus, but also by enjoying the events organized together after school time, such as sightseeing around the city, visiting museums or having fun together in London’s very nice old pubs and restaurants. The positive energy created during that week was our motivation for a long time to keep going through the online learning process, while working and fulfilling family responsibilities.

The future of the labor market is smart working and I must confirm that this online platform was the best opportunity for me to recognize how to communicate, interact and socialize with people online and how to enlarge my professional network through digital means of communication.

 

About the author
Elivar Golemi

Elivar Golemi is an Albanian candidate at MIP International Flex EMBA. She is working as an Executive Director in the dairy industry, after a long experience in the banking system. Skilled in Financial Analyses, Risk Management and Internal Audit. Nature lover, passionate photographer and mountain climber.