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Develop your soft skills to capitalise on your hard skills

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Develop your soft skills to capitalise on your hard skills

MIP offers the possibility of choosing from among several elective courses and exchange paths.
During my International MBA course, I had the opportunity to follow not only a series of indispensable modules which furthered my quantifiable knowledge but also to explore the means of developing my interpersonal, or soft skills, which are fundamental in today’s business world.

What impressed me the most was the lesson learned from Prof. Passerini.
Filippo Passerini is known for creating new, progressive business models and driving innovation. He currently serves as global operating executive, consultant, and educator – with affiliations at The Carlyle Group, McKinsey, Columbia University and the University of Alabama, and is a personal advisor to a number of global companies.

His lecture was mainly focused on the importance of soft skills, like contextual and emotional intelligence, developing core strengths and active listening.
This part of the Master was crucial since in the latest business environment soft skills are becoming more and more required. Soft skills training, such as communication and problem solving, boosts productivity and retention. As companies increasingly need to become more dynamic, interconnected and flexible, soft skills are key and also executives now consider these skills important for fostering employee retention, improving leadership, building a meaningful culture and the drive to succeed.

In a sense, customers are also demanding soft skills. The modern market offers consumers an unlimited number of choices through technology. For these consumers, convenience is easy to come by, so customer service is often what influences the choice. The ability to communicate efficiently and effectively with customers is, therefore, a vital factor in an organisation’s success.

Problem-solving, controlling emotions, being goal oriented, time and stress management are among the most important skills, which are also extremely useful in the internal business environment. Managers should be able to listen to employees, have good speaking skills, and be able to think creatively in order to drive their team. A lean and agile approach to change is also key, considering the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of the business scenarios in which we are living and operating.

Finally, we should figure out what we are good at and develop it even further in order to build our core skills and a personal brand. Hard skills are, of course, the bedrock to any successful career but understanding and developing our soft skills is what differentiates us from others, improves us and thus, our working environment.

All careers require at least some soft skills to make hard skills even more valuable.

That’s what MIP enables us to learn, through its challenging courses and activities, its international network and its top representatives willing to teach, such as Prof. Passerini.
That’s the MIP Experience!

Never blow out the flame
Salvatore

 

About the author
 Salvatore Interdonato

Salvatore is one of the students of the 2017 edition of International Part-Time MBA. Answering to the question “what’s your purpose in this world?” he will answer “I’m here to solve problems with more efficiency and productivity.
Problem-solving gives me energy and satisfaction as well as the proof that we can always face new challenges within our companies offering new valuable solutions”.

 

 

Flexibility, technology, responsibility. Smart working is the future

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Flexibility, technology, responsibility. Smart working is the future

The word of the moment? Smart, without a doubt. In our pockets or handbags, we all have a smartphone, if we talk about the future, we have in mind the smart city and, when we it comes to the subject of work, there’s smart working.

The Politecnico di Milano already a decade ago, when people were starting to talk about “agile work” and “flexible work”, carried out a specific study on the issue, coming up with the definition of a model “labelled” smart working, which went beyond the concept of teleworking with which it often, mistakenly is used as a synonym. «“Agile work” was born with the aim of reconciling private and work life, in particular to ensure equal opportunity, while smart working involves organizational models and related changes dictated by new technologies – explains Mariano Corso, scientific head of the HR Innovation Practice Observatory and the Smart Working Observatory and professor of Leadership AND Innovation at the Politecnico di Milano –.Smart working is a model of work organization based on greater autonomy for the worker who, taking full advantage of the opportunities of technology, redefines the hours, places and in part the tools of his or her profession. It’s an articulated concept, which is based on critical thinking that restores autonomy to the worker in exchange for accountability on results, while telework involves constraints and is subject to controls on compliance».

Understood in its essence, smart working, overcoming for the first time the barrier between self-employment and subordinated employment, was inserted in the Jobs Act as a efficiency improvement measure for companies and not as a measure of reconciliation between work and private life, even though there is a clear advantage for the worker, for example in limiting travel.

But is it possible to implement smart working in all sectors? «Clearly it works best in the area of information work, clerical and computerized work, but manufacturing also now offers wide possibilities for the application of the principles of autonomy and responsibility – responds Mariano Corso –. In addition, according to the Politecnico’s Smart Working Observatory, about 60% of medium-large companies in Italy have introduced smart working initiatives, while the phenomenon appears quite limited among small companies due to a delay of a cultural-management nature.
Smart working requires a new leadership style with mature managers able to plan activities, monitor results and provide feedback. It should be introduced by working on organizational policies and on the correct reprogramming of available technology and the logic of physical spaces».

When you talk about smart working, what immediately comes to mind are countries that are more advanced than ours in the organization of work, like Scandinavian ones. Is that correct? «At an international level we see lots of concepts tied to that which we label as smart working, which however in many cases, especially in North Europe, originate more from the world of conciliation than in increasing competitiveness – responds Mariano Corso –In this sense, the United Kingdom and Netherlands have adopted a very strong and cogent legislation for companies. Then we have countries that traditionally have a high degree of flexibility in the labour force and make significant use of telework, like Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Czech Republic. Something more like smart working we find in Belgium, however also in this case we don’t find a regulatory framework like the Italian one, in which, with a revolutionary scope, we see many of the rigidities of subordinated employment overcome».

Smart working is good for the world of work, but not only. It is part of a fundamental and desirable transition process towards a policy of attention to the environment. One of the concepts at the basis of smart working, as is the case for the smart city, is the optimal use of resources and spaces. In addition to limiting travel with a consequent reduction in CO2 emissions, smart working can provide emergency responses, from the reduction of depopulation in some areas of the Trentino area to the reorganization of work in the city of Genoa following the collapse of the Morandi Bridge.

Four companies + one simulation: a glimpse into the MBA Sales Strategy Bootcamp

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Four companies + one simulation: a glimpse into the MBA Sales Strategy Bootcamp

The bootcamps are the most intense of the MBA program’s activities. These workshops usually last for a week and contain different lectures given by MIP and visiting professors, company visits and a group assignment. Professor Alberto Cellini, director of the Master in Marketing Management at MIP, has prepared a very exciting agenda for the 2019 version of the Sales Strategy Bootcamp.

We had some inspiring presentations from different companies that set out their sales activities in the Italian market. The team from Lyreco and the Ariston Thermo group presented their KAM activities and CRM application respectively. But the biggest surprise came from the Bayerland representative, who presented the selling strategies of this company that markets German mozzarella in Italy!

The highlight of the week, however, was the business case brought by the Hilti team. It was a contest where 6 different teams had to investigate, through a simulation, how the company approaches its customers and analyzes them. The winning team would be the one who maximized the share of wallet, by increasing the engagement of an existing customer and producing the highest sales figures.

On this occasion, my colleague Clara Diniz Piani, an engineer from Brazil, shared with me her point of view relating to this experience and the story of her success when she approached Hilti for a professional opportunity after finishing the MBA program:

“This simulation was the perfect illustration for grasping the methodology of what Hilti does in terms of sales. It is important to try opening your mind and to think outside of the box when thinking about sales. Understanding the customer’s needs and anticipating solutions is key for building long-lasting business relationships. In the case of b2b sales, it is relevant to analyze the different benefits for each department, so as to better understand what would be a successful action plan for both parties involved.

I met Hilti at their first presentation when they visited our MBA class a couple of months ago. I was impressed by their energy, the work culture and the way they invest in their team like a company. It really inspired me to apply to work with them.

The bootcamp was my second contact and I decided to apply to all the positions they had available through their partnership with MIP. They are a very international company. During the first interviews we had some very honest and transparent conversations. They gave me a lot of feedback and also asked for my opinion throughout the whole process. In the end, they offered me a business development position to attract new clients and build a relationship with them. It’s a new role in Italy but it already exists in some of their international markets. I’m very excited about this new beginning and I think the lessons learnt during the Sales Strategy bootcamp will come in very handy in my new position.”

Stay tuned for my next chapter, when I will give you a list of movies that encompass the spirit of the International MBA program at MIP.

 

About the author
 Roberto Niño Betancourt

Roberto is a student of the International full time MBA. He is a Colombian filmmaker and new media artist based in Milan.
He has collaborated as a post producer for MTV Latin America, as well as many European production companies. He is very passionate about international cross-cultural collaborations, craftsmanship and the sustainable conservation of natural resources.

 

 

Sustainable, autonomous and shared. Here’s the mobility of the future

Posted on | by albe@mip.polimi.it | Leave a Comment on Sustainable, autonomous and shared. Here’s the mobility of the future

New forms of propulsion, the sharing economy, environmental sustainability. These are some of the themes that characterize the road towards the mobility of the future A revolution that involves on one side the technological nature of means of transport and, on the other, the relationship users have with their vehicles. Confirming this is Simone Franzò, researcher at the Politecnico di Milano’s School of Management and Director of the Executive Master in Management at MIP: «One of the main macrotrends that is reshaping mobility is electrification, or rather the passage from traditional internal combustion typically powered by gas or diesel to electric motors. Without forgetting other emerging “fuels”, such as hydrogen, which in a near future could play an important role.  The other big theme is so-called autonomous driving: vehicles able to carry out, completely or in part, the activities of a normal driver, an area that promises to revolutionize the driving experience itself and, more in general, vehicle use».

But changes are also of a social nature: «As in many other areas, the sharing economy is also becoming increasingly popular in mobility – continues Simone Franzò –, supported by very clear data: an owned vehicle is used on average for only 5% of its useful life, while for the remaining 95% it goes unused.  Going beyond the concept of ownership, the sharing economy allows to more fully exploit the asset-vehicle. And this isn’t true only for the automobile, but for other means like bicycles, scooters and kick scooters».

A second example of sharing, applied to electric mobility, can be seen in the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept or, in its broadest sense, vehicle-to-everything (V2X): in this case what is shared isn’t the means of transport, but its energy source. «An electric vehicle can share its fundamental asset, that is a battery, with the power grid, or with consumers such as an apartment or a building. In the first instance, electric autos can help resolve problems with the electric grid by exchanging energy with it in a bi-directional manner, as a function of the needs of the grid itself; in the second, they can be used to provide power to consumers in case of a grid deficit».

In general, the issue of the environmental sustainability of electrical vehicles – which represents one of the main drivers for the spread of electric mobility – is widely debated, and for certain aspects is still under the magnifying glass, as confirms Franzò: «Numerous studies show that the source from which the electricity that fuels batteries comes has a significant impact on vehicle emissions and, thus, on their sustainability. The decarbonization path to produce energy underway at the national level will thus have a positive impact on this».

Now the spread of electric vehicles is still limited in Italy and strictly connected to the rollout of a suitable recharging infrastructure. While in an urban setting, and thus for short trips, alternatives aren’t lacking, it’s for long distances that electric vehicles continue to show their limits: «Today the number of recharging stations in Italy is well below that of the other main European countries. In addition, the fact they are mainly located in urban settings makes the use of electric vehicles for long distances more complex, despite an average autonomy that by now has reached 300-400 kilometres».

Obviously, the challenges change if we are talking about a city or the surrounding area. According to Franzò, «we need to think about mobility in a holistic way to unite cities and suburbs, for example creating interchange points at which those who arrive from the suburb heading to town centres can easily use shared vehicles, perhaps electric ones».

A synergy that is increasingly necessary, especially as cities increasingly focus on the decongestion of traffic and reducing pollution.

 

 

 

 

A Point of view on Leadership

Posted on | by albe@mip.polimi.it | Leave a Comment on A Point of view on Leadership

Clear objectives and acute emotional intelligence. These, according to Lorenzo Wittum, chief executive officer of AstraZeneca Italia, are the two pillars on which managers must build their success. A certainty that comes from years of personal experience, which Wittum shared with students in the Executive MBA programme of MIP Politecnico di Milano. «Pressure without direction only generates agitation – explained Wittum –. Companies are focused on results, and to obtain them it’s fundamental to have a clear and precise strategy, especially if you find yourself managing a team of hundreds of people. The working group must know what the final objective is. For this it’s important that the leader is able to communicate this correctly and effectively».

In a context like this, soft skills become more decisive than hard ones, which however also shouldn’t be undervalued: «I also entered the work world thanks to an MBA in Business Administration and Management, without which I probably wouldn’t be here today. I started my career using hard skills I gained during years of study, and in the meantime I was able to develop empathic and communicative skills, which for a leader are fundamental», said Wittum.

Indeed, it would be difficult to describe a person who isn’t able to involve and motivate his or her colleagues as a good leader. «It’s necessary to know how to speak clearly: define expectations, the level of difficulty, opportunities and risks. Few things are as engaging as the opportunity to work on one’s personal growth and that of colleagues».

In addition, soft skills, unlike hard ones that often involve specific fields, can be used across all work areas.  «Business, no matter what sector, is always based on the same principles. And making the difference are always the same elements: the involvement of people, a clear strategic direction and motivation. Factors that are even more important if you think that, within an organization, there are many projects that involve high-level professionals with different corporate roles: when, as in this case, you lead a “superteam” of experts who respond to other corporate hierarchies, more than leadership, we talks about lateral influence», explained Wittum.

Indeed, it’s the leader’s job to create the right conditions to stimulate cooperation: «In this, what helps immensely is a quality I developed during my master’s programme, that of humility, which must be understood as the ability to be transparent, to know how to recognize when someone else’s idea is better than yours. It’s this attitude that generates involvement».

The role of the leader, obviously, changes significantly as a function of the dimensions of the team. «When I was leading smaller teams, I loved working in the field and giving an example. Put at the head of a larger group, I realized that this approach generated a counterproductive complexity. I realized that to involve and motivate not a team but an entire company I had to first be recognized as a leader, beyond the position I hold, by the key individuals in the different corporate functions».

The AstraZeneca Italia CEO stressed the importance of a master’s degree in an individual’s training path: «Provided, however, that you have patience and consider your career in a constructive way. It’s not a series of 100 metre sprints, but it’s much more like a marathon. It’s important to know what you want to do when you grow up, but this doesn’t mean that you should expect to find your desired job immediately. It’s a growth path that requires, also in this case, a clear objective and great resilience».

The in-company visit, a great opportunity for comparison

Posted on | by albe@mip.polimi.it | Leave a Comment on The in-company visit, a great opportunity for comparison

Among the many different activities that MIP is building up in order to let its students acknowledge more and more the complexity of a business reality, some of the most interesting experiences so far have been for sure the in-company visits.

These visits consist in a full day of lessons related to the MBA topic of that moment, physically in the offices of a big multinational company partnering with MIP.

Up until today, I have had the opportunity to join two of these “alternative” sessions in the offices of Sandoz and Microsoft and during both of them I enjoyed lots of different aspects.

First of all, these are opportunities to meet top managers directly in the field, sharing their carrier path and personal experience. These moments are really valuable for sharing ideas and comparing yourself with different people and environments, opening up your mind in terms of your job routine.

Also, these meeting sessions are chances to become aware of what companies are doing, where they are focusing their growth and which resources they are willing to obtain in the short/medium term to reach their goals. I really appreciate the transparency used in sharing these details and the effort made in helping us to understand company strategies.

Furthermore, during these lessons you can concretely perceive how strategic a company’s culture and philosophy can be, and how the management is working every day with this focus in mind.

Visiting Microsoft was the perfect example of this; starting from a classic Silicon Valley company idea, they entirely rebuilt the company, and not only in a figurative way – they really built headquarters which are people oriented and open to everyone!

Personally I really appreciated this possibility, because for me it was the occasion to compare my daily activities and environment with another reality. It has made me more aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the place I’m working in right now.

In order to unleash the best from this experience, I want to give a little advice to those of you who decide to spend two minutes of your life in reading my articles…be brave and do not be shy! These visits are mainly intended also to be opportunities to increase your network and share your CV, but no one will do it for you! MIP is giving us the privilege of meeting key managers and HR teams working in great companies but at the end of the day, it is up to you to use it as best you can.

Lastly a personal update: the second ½ of my kids has just arrived and of course, it’s another boy! Will keep you posted on:

  • Parents’ lost sleeping hours
  •  My first kid’s war of jealousy against his new worst enemy, his brother!

 

About the author
 Pietro Cavallo

My name is Pietro and I grew up in Milan, where I am currently living. I work in Switzerland, in the Supply Chain division of a clothing multinational. I am the husband of an incredible wife and father of 2 crazy kids.

 

A stroll in the city of the future  

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Sustainable, connected, shared. In a word, smart. This is the future to which a city like Milan, among the most cutting-edge cities in Europe, is looking. And this is the horizon that all urban centres, big or small, must look towards in coming years. The idea of a smart city, a city that thanks to technologies and innovation becomes more efficient, more ecological and even more democratic, is becoming increasingly tangible.

«When I think of a smart city, I think of a group of communities that co-exist and participate in the life of the city thanks to different forms of sharing», explains Davide Chiaroni, Director Corporate Relations at MIP Politecnico di Milano.  «We’ll witness a paradigm change that will impact all services and, as a result, will also change our mentality a little bit: we’ll get used to greater sharing and participation. Smart cities, in essence, will be the cities of Millennials and digital natives».

These cities will also be able to provide an adequate architectural response to changed work contexts. «Many buildings were designed based on needs that have now changed and that will change even more in the future: the growing digitalization of services, which will give an even greater impetus to smart working, will for example make many large offices obsolete. The smart city, instead, is based on the idea of so-called “circular” buildings, buildings designed considering that the end use can change in a short time. In other words, it will be a flexible city for flexible work», says Chiaroni.

Flexibility also involves the issue of mobility, which must address the double challenge of environmental sustainability and the extensiveneness of the service: «Milan is focusing a lot on setting up an electric fleet for public transport. And autonomous driving will revolutionize the conception we have of the automobile: no longer a private good but a public and shared service», explains Chiaroni. From this perspective, some experiments have proven to be quite useful for gathering data and better planning traffic flows: «The gates of Area B (Milan’s limited traffic area closed to the most polluting vehicles) will be invaluable for measuring traffic volumes and understanding in what areas to intervene and how to do it».

In short, the smart city revolution is at hand. However, some pieces are still missing, starting with energy: «Cities aren’t yet able to rely solely on clean and renewable energies. There are limits to storage, which must be overcome, but that’s the right direction», explains Chiaroni. It shouldn’t be concealed that the development of a smart city also comes with some problems. «Numerous studies concur that the smart city has positive economic repercussions. But not all actors involved in this process come out ahead». And it’s here that politics comes into play:  «The smart city will change the nature of work.  It’s inevitable to think that older people in society will be hit by this. Politics will play a role in compensating for these gaps, in the face of a balance that is nonetheless positive».

The School of Management of Politecnico di Milano aims to train people for the most suitable professions to manage these processes: «I have in mind a sort of control room that deals with the design of services, that is able to develop a road map, that’s not made up of technicians, but of managers that know which technologies should be exploited. Our school offers future managers dual know-how: management and technological. We’re convinced that one can’t do without the other. Planning isn’t enough: you also need to think of the practical effects», concludes Chiaroni.

This Business School Is Looking For Technology-Savvy MBA Students Just Like You

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Anna Bacigalupi is head of MBA admissions at tech-focused MIP Politecnico di Milano. She says incoming students need to be passionate about technology and innovation

17% of business school alumni work in technology. Big-name tech firms—like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft—are ramping up their hiring of MBA graduates from business schools with a central focus on tech innovation.

MIP Politecnico di Milano in Italy is one such school. Anna Bacigalupi, head of admissions at MIP for the International MBA, says that focus on technology and innovation starts at admissions stage. When selecting new students, she says she evaluates the ability of the student to operate in a digital context versus a traditional one.

“The more dynamic and tech-savvy a candidate is, the more weight they will get in the overall admissions ranking,” she asserts.

Anna explains that this is indicative of the job market they will enter after their MBA, whatever the industry. “It prepares applicants to face the recruitment process with companies which are becoming more and more tech-based in candidate selection.”

How does the application process work?

Digital is threaded throughout the MBA admissions process at MIP. In fact, the entire experience—application, interview, presentation—is managed online in many cases.

Because many candidates apply from around the world—there are 22 nationalities represented in this year’s MBA class—interviews are frequently carried out on Skype, and an English-language test can also be done online.

Anna describes the application process for the MBA as the most demanding out of all the programs that MIP Politecnico di Milano offers.

“Even before students decide to apply, we always want to assess their profiles,” she says. “It’s fundamental to us that the students fit our program but also that the program meets the candidate’s expectations.”

 

How does the MIP MBA focus on technology?

Company connections and experiential learning are imperative to the MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano. The school works with around 400 companies including Vodafone, L’Oréal, Gucci and Amazon to name but a few. Tech giants Microsoft and IBM also have strong relationships with the school.

Businesses are brought onto campus through management boot camps, where students are mentored by industry professionals throughout different projects. Each student will complete at least eight boot camps during their MBA, including examples like Big Data & Analytics, and The Silicon Valley Experience, which sees students tour San Francisco’s global tech hub.

MBAs further deepen their understanding of tech entrepreneurship, visiting startups and startup accelerators such as Plug & Play Tech Center, as well as Stanford Center for Professional Development, to learn how to take a product to market

Students also have the chance to gain a dual degree at MIT in the US. Studying at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics in Boston after their MBA, students can achieve an MBA plus a Master in Supply Chain Management from MIT.

 

What else can you do to stand out?

Anna says she looks for prospective students with at least three years of professional experience who are motivated to combine both practical experiences and theoretical knowledge to advance their careers.

Ambition to excel in their chosen career is also a must, as is a candidate’s desire to develop an analytical mindset. “Candidates should be ready to stretch their limits,” Anna enthuses.

Crucially, students on the MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano are passionate about innovation, technology, and digital transformation. And Anna wants students who are ready to bring their unique background and perspective to the program.

 

Originally published on 

A glimpse into Microsoft’s MBA Tech Talk and the future of the tech industry

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Juan Algorta wouldn’t have imagined a couple of years ago while working as an accountant for Ernst & Young in his native Uruguay, that he would be the MIP MBA ambassador for Microsoft’s MBA Tech Talk event in the United Kingdom in November 2018. I have already mentioned in my previous articles the diversity of the MIP alumni. Now I would like to introduce another classmate from the 39th edition of the International Full-time MBA, sharing his experience at Microsoft’s UK Headquarters.

 

What was it like to attend the MBA Tech Talk in England?

Juan – I was very excited, because it was my first journey to Britain. Microsoft (an official partner of MIP) had invited MBA candidates from the best European universities to showcase the latest advances regarding Quantum Computer Technologies. This was a very important opportunity for networking with people from all over the world and a chance to get a better idea of the working culture inside Microsoft. It is worth mentioning that, like me, many of the attendees didn’t have professional experience in the tech industry. Nevertheless, we were all very curious to know more about the development and possible impact of technological innovations in the not-so-distant future. There were three engaging talks, which gave me relevant insight that I hope to apply during my MBA journey and in my future career opportunities.

 

Which were the main topics discussed during these talks?

Juan – The first seminar was Learn about the current and future IT trends by Lee Stott. It focused on trends related to artificial intelligence, a predominant force for the future of technology. Scott explained how machine learning will be the key to recording human interactions for the creation of 3D holograms, for analyzing the reality surrounding us. Afterwards, Anita Ramanan gave her talk entitled Quantum Computing – Don’t Panic. She explained the new generations of computers currently being developed by different technology giants. Traditionally, binary codes were used for programming computer systems. With Quantum, each code can be a complex combination of 1 and 0, enabling systems to enlarge storage capacity as well as processing velocity. This technology will also be a relevant force for the development of both machine learning and artificial intelligence. The last intervention was by Heidi Jenkin, who focused on how an MBA student can be successful in the tech industry, by initiating startups and even becoming an entrepreneur. She also stressed the importance of networking during an MBA as the prime action for shifting your career, even if you don’t have a background in technology.

 

Which was the highlight of that day?

Juan – The final part of the conference was a meet-and-greet session with seven Microsoft employees, who introduced themselves as former MBA students that came from different backgrounds. I spoke with Alonso from Spain who came from the finance industry, like me. His story was very inspiring and changed my perspective for applying to a position in a company like Microsoft, which I had not thought about before attending this MBA Tech Talk.

 

What is your takeaway from this experience?

Juan – Being exposed to so much new information, I feel more curious than ever to continue researching. Technology is very important for the future of business. I used to be an auditor in Uruguay, focusing on productive processes. I believe these processes are continuously evolving with the digital technologies, so it is important to keep learning about innovations so as not to be left behind in the global trends for business development. I have also become more confident about my future outlook and would like to remain in the financial sector, but with an updated and global mindset.

 

 

About the author
 Roberto Niño Betancourt

Roberto is a student of the International full time MBA. He is a Colombian filmmaker and new media artist based in Milan.
He has collaborated as a post producer for MTV Latin America, as well as many European production companies. He is very passionate about international cross-cultural collaborations, craftsmanship and the sustainable conservation of natural resources.

 

 

How My MBA Degree Helped Me Become An Entrepreneur

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After developing her skills during an MBA hackathon, Divya Singh is getting ready to launch her own luxury startup

The fashion world is changing as we move further into the 21st century. Right now, ‘uncertain’ is the industry’s buzzword for the state of play.

According a report by McKinsey & Company—The State of Fashion 2019—2018 was the year that saw fashion executives think less about survival and more about their brand’s strategic agenda and business model.

That those in the creative industries need to be business savvy is old news, and the knowledge accrued on an MBA program is just as important for those in fashion as it is for any other industry.

Divya Singh knows this all too well. With a background in fashion design, she enrolled on the International Part-Time MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano to gain a holistic understanding of the business side of fashion.

How my MBA degree helped me become an entrepreneur

Divya—who is a current MBA student—says that MIP appealed to her because of the variation of case studies on offer, which allow students to focus on the industry they’re most interested in. MBAs can also enhance their education by taking elective weeks in modules on the Executive MBA.

It was the MBA competitions, though, that turned Divya into an entrepreneur, and put in her in the position to launch her own luxury startup.

She recently completed two competitions. The Mark Challenge hosted by the University of Monaco, and Shaping a Sustainable Digital Future, patroned by The Prada Group.

In Monaco, Divya and her teammate, Fabio Masoero Regis, developed a luxury service business plan, winning the competition with their startup idea UBIQUE: a digitized luxury concierge service.

They didn’t stop there though. As finalists from Italy for the Prada Competition, the pair flew to New York late last year, adapting UBIQUE to the sustainability ideals the challenge championed.

An intense two-day hackathon saw them team up with three non-MBA students from Yale University and present their idea to a board of Yale and MIP Politecnico di Milano professors, as well as executives from the Prada Group.

Divya thinks that it’s these experiences which distil the learning of an MBA, preparing her best for the turbulent future of the fashion industry.

“Working with students who weren’t MBAs, with people with backgrounds in architecture for example, meant we could perfectly merge business know-how with creativity,” she explains, “the competition allowed me to apply my MBA learning in a real and rewarding way.”

She adds that managing team dynamics was integral to their group’s success, as they worked in a high-pressure environment with demanding time constraints.

Divya says that she developed speedy decision making, patience when dealing with language barriers, and alternative ways of doing business with people from cultures different than her own.

The competitions have proved so valuable to Divya’s professional development that she is now getting ready to launch UBIQUE as a real-life startup.

That entrepreneurial mindset is an important part of the MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano. The startup mentality is something the school helps to cultivate throughout the curriculum with the dedicated PoliHub incubator—ranked second in Europe and third in the world by UBI Global—which offers support and services to budding entrepreneurs.

Why creatives should study an MBA

It is, in part, because of these competitions that Divya believes MBAs are such important tools for creatives.

Whilst many complete an MBA for the rapid career progression and salary increase after graduating, Divya thinks creatives can tend to view an MBA as more of a tool for self-development.

It can help to position creative professionals well for disruptions in their respective industries, as they understand the nitty-gritty numbers as much as the creative process.

“If you don’t study things like finance operations it’s hard to pick them up on your own,” Divya says, “learning how to read reports, and how to understand your business from all viewpoints, puts you in a better position to genuinely evaluate how you’re doing.”

Divya also believes that her creative background is enhancing the dialogue of her class, as she’s providing an alternative outlook to business problems that many of her peers (from more traditional MBA backgrounds) are not familiar with but are equally excited about and benefiting from.

“Teamwork is the basis of all the competitions,” she concludes, “and it’s the mixture of backgrounds and nationalities that perfectly blend creative, analytical, and business thinking which MBAs can thrive off.”

 

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