More than 500 INSEAD MBA students have simultaneously built brand new play facilities for children in France and Singapore.
INSEAD, the world’s leading business school and UK-Company Splash Projects, announce joint projects which have just taken place which tested the MBA participants’ leadership and management skills to the limit. The students had to organise themselves into effective working teams in order to complete the builds over three and four days. The exact plans were a closely guarded secret, as the MBAs didn’t see the plans until the day before their time on the site.
“The collaboration between the INSEAD MBA Programme and Splash started in 2012,” said Sven Biel, the Associate Director of MBA Programme Management at INSEAD. “New MBA participants enjoy the outcome of an unusual bonding activity that creates solid foundations for team work. At the same time, it gives them a real sense of “community belonging” by positively contributing to local charity organisations. The latter ones can immediately benefit from the work delivered.”
Andy Fischtrom, Head of MBA Student Experience, added: “The Splash team has a unique ability to help identify leadership skills and push people beyond their self-imposed limits. MBA participants who emerge as leaders during the Splash activity usually end up being INSEAD Club Presidents, class representatives, or on the Student Council."
In Singapore, 210 MBA students worked on the facilities for children at The Haven run by The Salvation Army; while in France 300 students worked at L’Association Anne Marie Javouhey in Fontainebleau. Different groups of students took part in the projects on different days and so needed to pick up where their peers finished the day before.
“Handing over the reins at the end of each day is always quite a challenge for all of the participants,” said Simon Poole, the Managing Director of Splash Projects. “However that’s just a part of their learning experience. For many this kind of work isn’t what they’re used to and they have the added pressure of knowing they have to do a professional job for the children. It is designed to hone their leadership and management skills under pressure, at the same time as giving back to their community.”
INSEAD and Splash have been running successful community projects with MBA students in Singapore since 2012 and France since 2013 and during this time more than 3,500 MBA participants have created stunning new facilities for children in the two countries.
Editor's Notes
Project Day details:
Singapore: The Project days took place Tuesday 12 January – Thursday 14 January 2016 inclusive.
France: The Project took place in Fontainebleau, France on 12th-15th January 2016 inclusive.
About Splash Projects
Splash Projects is an innovative leadership and management training company, with participants delivering new facilities for real-life community projects around the world. Founded in 2000, the company has trained thousands of participants and delivered new facilities for schools, hospices and residential centres.
The leadership team is made of former British forces personnel with expertise in leadership, project delivery and motivational training. Find out more on our website at www.splashprojects.com or watch an introductory film here.
