This summer, Fudan MBA introduced four summer programs for our MBA students, including Leadership and Strategy Program at Yale, the Strategic Mindset Innovation in Israel, Global Perspective and Strategic Vision in Singapore, and Entrepreneurship for MBAs in Germany. Each program offers lectures and plenty of other activities including cultural tours, local company visit to make this summer the most unforgettable one for Fudan MBA students.
Global perspective, a central mindset of Fudan MBA education, has been an anchor in upholding the “Young elite, Future leader” concept of the program. Each year over 300 Fudan MBA students are offered the opportunities to study at 90+ first class business schools around the world.
Fudan MBA Students taking a group photo at Yale School of Management
This summer, 40 Fudan MBA students arrived in the beautiful New Haven, embarking on a 5-day summer program at the School of Management, Yale University. The program was comprised of two main parts: a three-day study centered around “Leadership and Strategy” and a two-day tour to local companies and historic sites.
Focusing on “how to become a better leader”, seven professors from Yale School of Management brought to the students a number of delicately arranged courses, covering contents from macroeconomy (global economy, Sino-US trade), to personal decision-making as a leader (decision-making process, character analysis as a leader).
Professor from School of Management, Yale University was introducing the program to the students
Tailored Solution towards a Scientific Decision-making Process
As the core content of this program, how to become a better leader has been the students’ main concern.
Before her class began, Professor Marissa King prepared 30 cases, from which the students were required to make a choice from 5 decision-making methods, before a tailored analysis report on the students’ decision-making style was generated for each of them. The cases involved various situations in which one may make the decision in ways of direct decision, group discussion, or just letting the subordinates to make the choice.
Professor King explaining the DMFL model in class
The report showed each student their own shortcomings in their ways of leading a team, therefore helped a great deal in improving it. Liu Mingyan, after a careful study of her report, found that in the previous occasions when she was making a decision, she tended to ignore influential factors including Likelihood of Commitment and Development. This may end in lower efficiency and lower spirit for the team. So after the class, Liu said she would reconsider her way of doing things, in comparison with decisions made according to the DMFL (Decision Making for Leaders) Model introduced by Professor King, before making a final decision.
Chen Daimeng, with 15 years of working experience, spoke very highly of Prof. King’s course. “Through comparison with the control group, students can learn about their own decision-making style, whether you choose to be headstrong or you play it safe. The DMFL model helps a lot in choosing different ways of doing things in different situations. Though people always say decision-making is an art, a scientific model can help a great deal,” Chen said.
The DMFL Model makes choices according to a number of influential factors including importance of the decision, professionalism of the leader and the employees’ attitude, among others. Li Lu found out that the decision she made on instinct was quite different from that came out of the DMFL model. Li said, “the model Prof. King introduced can help us make the right decision through a very scientific thinking process. This will be a greatly useful tool for us as future leaders in enterprises.”
Look For Needs, Not Just Answers
Professor William Putsis, lecturer of Competitive Strategy was a person very passionate about change and the future. He shared with the students a series of cases from big companies, indicating the fact that enterprises should keep focused on the needs of their customers to establish their competitive advantage.
Ren Waimei, a student, pointed out that the “Strategic Control Point“ and “Vertical Incentive Control” theories Prof. Putsis introduced provided new tools for her everyday work of selecting suppliers and establishing supplier matrix. “The two theories can also apply to our individual career development. At a time when intelligence technology is rapidly developing, to find your own “Strategic Control Point” is a perfect way to ensure your advantage compared to other competitors, including AI,” Ren said, “and to use ‘Vertical Incentive Control’ to find alliance is also helpful in our career development”.
As Zhou Jiexin said, “I have leant one important point of view in this class, that is, the key point in strategy is to understand the customers’ needs. And in other class here at Yale I’ve also learnt things that are greatly inspirational to our future development, just as Professor William Putsis wrote in his book “Compete smarter always!”
A Fudan MBA student taking a photo with Prof. William Putsis
Stand on a Higher Point for a Global Perspective
To make sure the students have a comprehensive view of world trade and economy, Yale School of Management arranged two courses on macroeconomy for the students, elaborating on the current world economy and how it influences strategy making.
Starting with some detailed cases, Professor Peter Schott analyzed the main factors affecting global economy growth. After the class, Dong Gaofeng realized that as the world was becoming more integrated, one, as a leader, must go beyond to a higher point for a better view.
Professor James Levinsohn’s analysis on global economy trend against the background of Sino-US trade provided a brand new perspective to learn about the politico-economic relationship between the two countries. Wang Li thought that it was a good replenishment to the students’ knowledge framework to learn about the drive behind the policies of the two major economies in the world from the perspective of an American professor.
A New Journey is ahead
The students also paid a visit to American Express, where the senior managers introduced to the students the company history and their future plan. At the event, the company’s HR personnel communicated their understanding of leadership with the students.
The students were communicating with the staff from American Express
At the end of the program, Dong Gaofeng said that though short, the program had offered so many activities that kept encouraging him to be a better leader.
Professor Zheng Ming, assistant dean of School of Management, Fudan University, sending her congratulations to the students at the farewell party
Zhang Yixin was much impressed by something said by Prof. Putsis – “Look for needs, not answers”. “This is not just an attitude we hold towards the customers, it’s also one towards ourselves，”Zhang said, “there are too many things we don’t know the answer of. But at least, we can try to find out about the needs.”
Leadership is about perspective, about strategy, as well as a sense of mission and responsibility. Just as Wang Li said, “On completing the program, a vivid image of an outstanding leader has emerged in my head. And I will take advantage of what I’ve learnt and make contributions to the society with a sense of mission and responsibility.”
