Seven months in the program, at the completion of most required courses, I decided to revisit the website of IBM, the company I was working with, and research the organization from an outsider’s perspective. To my surprise, for the first time I began to understand “Smarter Planet” and discover how the trend of the world is influencing our daily life, and how each of us on the globe takes the responsibility to contribute into the smaller, flatter, smarter and more unified globe. I found answers to a lot of questions that I have come to Ivey to ask: the future of the private the public sectors, the importance of collaboration, the paradigm shift in business, etc. It surprises me to realize what we have learned till today, the last day of Module 2.
Yes, I had been planning to learn finance, financial accounting and economics on the top of the consulting and SCM experience for a couple of years; and I got it from the program. I had been thinking of gaining international experience and exploring best practices in North American; and I got it from the program. I had been seeking to enhance my potential in business development and marketing; and I got it from the program. I had been eager to take a break from work, gain the time to think and reflect and access an abundance of networking resources to develop the career; and I got it from the program. However, all of the above cannot be compared with the capacity to look at things strategically from the perspective of owners of the organization, and the exponentially increasing capabilities of conveying a caring heart into business language and make it understood by stakeholders in and out of the organization. Looking back, the whole is much bigger and more significant than a list of skills or techniques. This is what I have learned from the required courses.
To realize this needs time. A friend once asked whether I feel learning a lot in the first month. Today, I can answer that the learning is not like learning a mathematics formula or a new business theory. I used to think the learning would be like an inspiration over an eye-twinkling, or like the bliss of enlightenment from meditation. The learning is rather a continuous progress, demanding case reading, class contribution, team work and practice, together with self-reflecting and a series of initiatives (see my previous blog An MBA’s journey for social cause) from YOUR calling and YOUR needs. The more you contribute, the more you learn. At the beginning of next elective courses phase, I am very much looking forward to the impending exciting journey to explore entrepreneurship and health sectors. I am excited to explore more along the path of cross-enterprise leadership.
Truly, it is much more than just collaboration, bridging the gap, or cross-functional working skills. It is a power to envision the bridge where there is none, and to make things happen by cultivating the power of the organization and inspire the people in it. And when you begin to reflect deeper in what you have done, you know where the transformation has happened.
Yi Chi graduated from the Chinese Academy of Sciences with a M.Sc. in Computer Science and from Northeastern University with a B.Sc. in Computer Science. Yi started her career as a strategic sourcing buyer. Most recently, she worked with IBM as a management consultant in supply chain management. She has publications in Cloud Computing and Spirituality in Management, and is strongly committed in community development. In Ivey she is enrolled in Entrepreneurship Certificate Stream and Health Sector Stream. Yi is a world traveller, a dancer, and an improviser.