The international BMDA 2021 Innovativeness Award for the International MBA Gdańsk Tech | Faculty of Management and Economics at the Gdańsk University of Technology

The competition concerned two categories. In the first one: IMPACT, which concerns units particularly involved in activities for the local and global environment, two schools from Kazakhstan and Portugal were distinguished. In the INNOVATIVENESS category, the International MBA in Strategy, Program and Project Management from Faculty of Management and Economics of the Gdańsk University of Technology turned out to be unique and the best. The BMDA jury distinguished the innovativeness of the program in three areas:

• application of innovative teaching methodology,

• innovative substantive elements of the program and

• using innovative tools in the process of developing managerial competences of MBA students.

The model for the development of managerial talents of MBA students, which includes the diagnosis of the Extended DISC® behaviour style and the development of a competence development plan for the entire two years of the MBA program, was appreciated as an innovative methodology.

“Thanks to the analysis of personal communication style, decision-making, reaction to difficult situations and management style, our students are highly aware of their personal potential, appreciate their strengths and use them to set goals that strengthen their managerial effectiveness. We interpret the results of the individual analysis during a 1 to 1 meeting and we discuss them in the context of organizational culture and professional tasks undertaken by our students. It is often an emotional experience, but at the same time a valuable start point for the participants of our program,” says MBA Director Dr. Beata Krawczyk-Bryłka, who has been implementing this model in the program for several years.

An element of the innovative methodology of the International MBA program are also Capstone Projects. Students in teams of 3-4 undertake the implementation of a selected topic, which, in addition to verifying the knowledge acquired during the two-year MBA program, delivers solution important for the ecosystem in which they operate. These are both business projects aimed at the development of organizations in which MBA students work, but also start-up initiatives that, after defense, may become independent businesses. Many of the Capstone Projects are also of value for the social environment, because they are focused on delivering solutions (for example, applications) that support the development of children or neurodiverse people, initiate local ecological activities or support intercultural integration.

The awarded innovative tool was the Impact Project - gamification, which is used to engage MBA students in the implementation of plans regarding personal managerial competences. The project combines three inherent elements of gamification:

1) fun (participation in the project is voluntary, participants collect points - bananas, the entire project is in the form of an internet portal),

2) mystery (each subsequent task is different, concerns the four pillars of the MBA program, but it can also be surprising, sometimes it requires cooperation with other program participants)

3) a prize (the number of bananas collected by the participant determines the access to individual prizes, but also the sum of points collected by the group results in a joint prize, e.g. a webinar on a selected topic).

The main goal of the gamification is to engage participants in activities for sustainable development through the adoption of orangutans in the Gdańsk Zoo, which is the main prize.

All the above-mentioned solutions also build the unique content of the International MBA programme at the Gdańsk University of Technology. It is strengthened by the recently started meetings with the innovative technology available at Gdańsk University of Technology. The visit in Immersive 3D Visualization Lab at the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunication and Informatics was the part of the module on business digitization. Students not only experienced the possibilities of this technology in various fields, but also had the opportunity to reflect on its application in the sectors and companies they represent.

The BMDA 2021 award for the innovativeness was received by the Dean of the Faculty of Management and Economics, dr hab. Małgorzata Gawrycka, Prof. GUT together with MBA Director Dr. Beata Krawczyk-Bryłka. Ms. Dean thanked the entire MBA team, which has been working on the quality and prestige of the International MBA program for years, constantly implementing changes and increasing the competitiveness of the offer thanks to innovative content and solutions.

“I am proud that the efforts of our team to combine the innovativeness of the International MBA programme with the care for sustainable development goals have been appreciated by this prestigious BMDA award. I am especially pleased that we have managed to integrate our MBA students’ competencies development with building pro-ecological awareness. We are the only one MBA programme where students’ development results in the adoption of orangutans. This is our favorite innovation. " - commented the MBA program director receiving the award.