The base team
Base Teams are a core element of the programme. We will create teams of five or six based on diversity. Your team will be a base for you during the programme and there will be several team assignments in the programme. The teams are also important in supporting the members learning and development in the programme. Among other things, the teams will be meeting a tutor on a regular basis (see below). In short, we suggest that you see the programme as a number of projects and that your team is sharing the responsibility of managing these projects. Ensuring that each team develops a constructive team dynamic is of course very important. Management is, to a large extent, a question of cooperation and teamwork. Teams must also be managed or lead. Working in diverse teams for an extended period is a very good learning opportunity. Ultimately you are all responsible for creating a good team dynamic. Naturally, we will help you by teaching various theories on teams, team development, team leadership, handling diversity, conflict handling, communication in teams, feedback, etc. We will also organise team development sessions with a team coach throughout the programme. The faculty will create the teams in early September.
The learning journal
From day one of the programme, each student must keep a learning journal to be handed in monthly. A learning journal is a collection of notes, observations, thoughts and other relevant materials built-up over a period of time. It is a piece of writing, which allows you to record thoughts and insights about your learning experience. It encourages you to review and consolidate learning, to evaluate performance, to plan future learning based on past learning experience. The purpose is to enhance your learning through the very process of writing and thinking about your learning experiences. This journal will be read and commented on by a tutor (see the MiM Learning Journal Guide where you will find a suggested format for the journal).
The learning tutorial
Five times during the programme you and your base team will meet a tutor. The purpose is for you individually and in a team to talk about your learning and development. It is also an opportunity for faculty to stay in touch with you. The tutorials are three hours and will be used for sharing reflections, for monitoring progress and for agreeing on plans for the further learning and development. The tutors are all experienced coaches.
Developing as a future manager is very complex and to a large extent a tacit process. It involves integrating all sorts of knowledge, skills and mind-sets into a whole. It is certainly much more than passing the various tests and assignments we give you and is certainly deeply personal. To make sure that you are exploring these issues in an open and curious manner, it is a good idea to also talk about your experience with others undergoing the same process and with a faculty member that knows the programme design.
Career coaching
Connecting the programme and your ideas for your future career is valuable. Among other things we think it is a good idea to connect your career plans to your Undergraduate experience, to your topic for the degree project and other learning opportunities in the programme: all in the effort of building a relevant CV. Several times during the programme, you will be given the opportunity to meet a career coach. The coach will help you define your career plans, build a CV, build your “brand” and build a network that can help you find the job you are aim for.
Shadowing a Manager
The task of managing is, on one hand, very concrete, and on the other, a very elusive phenomenon. Reading about Managing and Managers is only a small part of developing the ability to manage. To support your learning and development you will be shadowing a manager for some time. The purpose is for you to develop your understanding of what management might be by observing the “everyday” task of managing, by interviewing a manager and by reflecting on what it might mean to manage. Based on the shadowing, you will write a report and share your experience and learning in a seminar. To increase the value of the shadowing, you should, of course, find a type of manager and/or a type of organisation that relates to your future career plans. You are responsible for finding a manager to shadow, but if needed, we will help.
The organisation project
To have the opportunity to participate in and closely study an organisation and the managing of it, we will break down the class in 2-3 large groups and give each a large project. In these projects, the groups will work together in a project for an external client. The groups will be fully responsible for organising, managing and delivering, in the project. We will provide the projects and some coaches.
The business game
Managing an organisation is a complex task. Management is a profession dealing with the need for integration. In other words, it is about ”bringing the pieces together”. It is about overcoming all sorts of dilemmas; bridging the long and short-term needs; bringing thinking and acting together effectively and efficiently; and harbouring diverse perspectives. The business game will provide you with the opportunity of experiencing the challenges of managing a company. Your base team will compete against other teams in a business simulation. Your team will be the management team of a company. During the simulation, instructors focusing on strategy, marketing, management control, etc., will coach the teams.
