A look back at the “Managers for tomorrow” Design Sprint
50 master’s students took part in this 100% back-to-school event based on Corporate Social Responsibility, 100% in English.
Welcoming new students and helping them settle into their new adventure in Rennes, is of the utmost importance at Rennes School of Business. The school organises special events for each academic year in order to help newly arrived students to settle in and bond with their classmates. Annually, in January, Rennes School of Business welcomes a new intake of MSc student intake. In January 2021, this new group of students had the chance to participate in a Design Sprint based on Corporate Social Responsibility, a subject that is important to students and a subject of commitment for the school.
The Design Sprint took place during a day of reflection and workshops that were organised remotely around two collaborative and complementary events, in partnership with the company Essaim d’avenir. In the morning, students took part in a ‘Climate Fresco’ workshop, based on the key factors that contribute to climate change. During the morning, the students were able to:
- Discover, decipher and understand important climate issues
- Create new bonds and develop a feeling of team spirit
- Get involved in ‘impact projects’
- Give new impetus to selected initiatives
The afternoon was dedicated to an ‘Ecological Renaissance’ workshop to identify how students can act as young managers on issues of Corporate Social Responsibility. They were able to:
- Measure the orders of magnitude of climate and energy issues
- Collectively deconstruct their preconceived ideas
- Develop a pragmatic view of their potential for individual action
- Define a carbon footprint reduction roadmap
Vaibhav Rajendra Patil, student of the MSc in Global Business Management programme, talks about his experience during participation in the Design Sprint:
“As a new student at Rennes School of Business, I was a little bit scared about whether I would be able to merge into the culture and whether I would make any new friends, but school made it so easy for me that it wasn’t difficult at all.
During the “managers for tomorrow” event, I really appreciated how many things I have to consider as a future manager. I came across many new things there that I wasn’t aware of. I learnt that when we work in companies, not only should we focus on the companies’ future but also, we need to give something back to society. We need to take care of climate change we must find alternative ways to reduce pollution, decrease poverty, increase productivity and many other things. We have to look at these things from various perspectives.
While preparing a business plan with other students, we could actually feel that no matter which country we were talking about, the problems are the same. We were able to find solutions for one another and it was great to talk to other nationalities, it gives you a broader perspective and it was fun.
I really like the fact that there are people working towards real problems and there are people who are actually working at the grassroots level to make this world a better place for future generations. I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the moderator, I really enjoyed the event I would like to be part of it again.”
