The Living Management Project is a high-pressure consulting project with a real-life business issue that MBA students worked on for five weeks, using all the new skills they have learned during the first six months of their MBA programme, culminating in a presentation of their solutions to a panel made up of company representatives and faculty members.
The teams of around five students each, worked on real-life business cases in close collaboration with Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Convergence Health & Technology, KLM + Airport Medical Services, Brogent, Keystone Agritech, Stadshaven Brouwerij, UCB, Infinity Recycling, ETG, SHV Energy, Koninklijke Van Wijhe Verf, and America Today.
New organisational structure
MBA participant Ferid Gunay’s team focused on developing a financially sustainable business model for the Naturalis Biodiversity Center’s AI-driven species identification services.
“Collaborating on a consulting project for a non-profit organisation presented new challenges and learning opportunities. The most significant outcome was the development of a new organisational structure and pricing model for the organisation, with a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability.”
Gunay says the project was a significant learning experience. “It reinforced the importance of collaboration, diverse perspectives, adaptability, and the impact we can make when we come together with a shared purpose. This experience has undoubtedly enriched my MBA journey and will continue to influence my professional path.”
Recommendations to implement
The teams had RSM faculty members and coaches to guide them throughout the process of personal effectiveness, leadership and teamwork. Students were challenged to communicate and use interpersonal skills while dealing with ambiguous problem definitions, incomplete information, new tasks, stakeholders with conflicting agendas, time pressure, and challenging team dynamics. Ultimately, each team presents its findings to a panel of client representatives and RSM faculty coaches.
“The Brogent team’s analysis was above average, and the recommendation is impactful from a business perspective. This is catching up with real consulting deliverables,” says David Hsieh, head of corporate development at Brogent Technologies Inc. in Taiwan. He was impressed with the students’ skills, energy and diversity. “The student team presented an improvement plan for one of our division’s business models. We see great potential to implement their recommendation to enhance our operational performance at Brogent.”
