The Fudan MBA iLab is an action learning program offered within the Fudan IMBA curriculum. The unique program is designed to create an academic and social atmosphere which cultivates experiential and dynamic learning. Early in March, the 3rd round of iLab Workshop was hosted by Dr. Deqiang Zou in Fudan. And we invited our student Brendon, IMBA Class of 2016 to share what he learned in the workshop.
At face value, it can be difficult to diagnose a problem. With so much to be considered when tasked with important business decisions, one must look beyond the obvious—ie. the ‘tip of the iceberg’ as they say. That being said, the main focus of Dr. Zou’s workshop was to impart upon us the importance of looking ‘underneath the surface’ and adopt a much more active (action oriented) research and problem solving method. Essentially, brain-storming a list of ideas is not difficult, and without qualitative research it’s impossible to determine whether any of the hypothesized solutions will actually perform as intended.
The ‘two-step’ method of having a brain-storming session and then surveying customers is simply not enough. In a lot of cases, it’s very important—if not completely necessary—to place oneself within the end-users’ shoes and see the world from their perspective. Once this has been satisfactorily done, it is then possible to develop a proof-of-concept by creating a testing method designed to invalidate any potential concerns. Only then can we, as business consultants, actually claim that any of our presented solutions will be sufficient enough to solve the problems at hand. It’s not just about being able to explain a particular phenomenon, but also formulating a prescription (or plan of attack)—and this combination of qualitative and quantitative research—using an adaptive toolkit, is the key to doing so.
