Nicole Zenel, MBA ’11

Action Learning at Sloan

One of the programs that Sloan prides itself on and is working to expand on is action learning. This can take many forms from a class where you are partnered with a client and they present you with a problem to solve to a study tour where you have classes on the background theory and then spend time on site visiting companies or organizations. Another form is a lab class where you spend a few months working remotely for a client then spend time on the ground implementing your recommendation.

I have been fortunate enough to have done all three of these types of action learning in the past two years. Last Fall for the proseminar in financial management my team was partnered with an investment company and charged with the challenge of analyzing Basel III and forecasting the impact that would have on banks' balance sheets and the impact on return on investment. We then presented our findings to the class and took questions.

Last spring I also had the opportunity to do the European Luxury Study Tour. We had five sessions prior to the trip learning about high end retail marketing from some Sloan professors and people from outside organizations. Then during Spring Break we spent a week in London and Paris visiting LVMH, Chanel, and other high end retailers learning about their business. Other study tours offered have included a micro finance tour to Africa and a trip to Brazil focused on education among others.

This Spring I had the opportunity to take part in the Global Health Delivery lab where we worked with an HIV/AIDS awareness organization in South Africa and then spent two weeks on the ground. Other teams in our class worked with health organizations in Uganda, Kenya, and India.

We had our final presentation for the Global Health Lab today and it highlighted the value that action learning adds to the MBA experience. When I think about our project it really went through three phases: 1) In the first phase we were MIT MBAs with all the answers and the fancy frameworks and powerpoint deck who were looking at the problem remotely and approaching it as we would a case write up. 2) In the second phase we got on the ground and quickly realized the situation wasn't as cut and dry as we thought and our original solution was not going to work. In this phase we had to leverage the skills we learned at Sloan and life in general to redefine the problem and work to find a solution. It reminded me of the line "Don't worry about what you don't know, life's a dance you learn as you go." 3) I found the third phase the most challenging and am not sure we were able to overcome. In this phase you have found a solution and the management agrees with you that the solution is advantageous to them and better than the status quo but still there is resistance to implementation. At that point you have to go back and try to better understand the organization and culture to figure out why.

The reality is the classroom will get you the first phase of that but to get beyond that you really have to give it a go and be onsite.

That's BRICS with a Capital S

Despite taking multiple economics courses in the past year somehow I missed that South Africa had been invited to join the BRIC nations. It wasn't until I was actually in South Africa that I happened to read it mentioned as a side-note in an Economist article online. At first I was actually a little surprised seeing how South Africa's growth has lagged the rest of Africa recently and unemployment is such an issue at around 25%.

It didn't take long in Sandton, a suburb of Johannesburg, to see signs of a country on the upswing. Besides the Aston Martin dealership, a mall to rival many of the best in the US, there is also a booming financial district and the BMW 3-Series seems to be the welcoming gift to the upper-middle class. However, that is only the tale of one South Africa.

Every time we asked for directions to Sandton we were always warned that under no condition were we to get off the N3 on the exit before Sandton, London Road. That road leads to Alexandra, an overcrowded township with inadequate housing just on the outside of Sandton. I think this photo from Reuters is an incredible example of the dichotomy. It is amazing to think how many people in Alexandra spend their lives looking at the skyline of Sandton City with the malls and BMWs, but yet never being part of that reality.

For the people in Sandton being the S in BRICS is great news, but I am not sure if that matters to those in Alexandra. We didn't visit Alexandra, but visited Soweto and Orange Farm, and from talking to the people there they had concerns about not having enough food or not being able to find a job. I will say that one of the elements that most surprised me in South Africa, other than the Aston Martin dealership and penguins, was the entrepreneurial spirit.

A prime example was in Soweto we visited an informal settlement and our guide told us the story of how they would always see the tour buses drive by and look with interest but would never come in. He decided to create a tour and he reached out to the tour companies and told them that if they brought visitors he would create and give a tour of the community and would only ask for donations. The money goes back to the community and is a great example of people realizing they can create a service that others are willing to pay for instead of just hoping for handouts. We also found people were ready and willing to watch your car, get you a taxi, or wash your windshield for a tip; any work they could find to create value and earn some money.

I hope the rising tide in South Africa starts raising more ships and not just the SS Sandton. Although the Black Economic Empowerment movement is a start, it will also require more equal education and skills development for the generation that grew up under apartheid and were deprived of anything resembling an equal education. However, based upon the determination and entrepreneurial spirit of the people I met in South Africa I am hopefully the South Africa will realize the growth potential it has and that growth will be shared by all. And just remember that it is BRICS with a capital S! (for South Africa, not Sandton.)