Keele Management School Magazine Keele Management School Magazine. Issue 1 | Page 7

Summer2014 l Keele Management School News
06
Getting Creative with KMS
The Employer’s Story
“Even more significantly, one of the
comments made during the feedback
clicked on the proverbial light bulb in my
head and got me thinking, so much so,
that the following year when I was
invited back, I was able to accept the
invitation in my capacity as the owner of
Hilderwulf, another new business that
had found its genesis in the previous
year’s study trip!
The Creativity and Personal
Development module (also known
as the ‘study trip’) is an opportunity
for students to develop creative
problem-solving techniques, interact
with real businesses on their business
problems, work on team building and
team dynamics and put into practice
project management skills. A key part
of this module is the input from our
network of employers, one of whom is
Andy Johnson, Director of ‘From the
Front Consultancy Ltd’. He has been
involved with this project for the past
couple of years and here he tells us
what the experience is like from the
employer perspective.
“As the director of a consultancy
and training company, I am more
than aware how valuable it is for
an organisation to have a fresh pair
of eyes take a critical look at their
operations f rom time to time. So,
when I was offered the opportunity to
put ‘From The Front Consultancy Ltd’
under the spotlight as part of the KMS
Student Study Trip for 2013, I was
more than happy to volunteer. After all,
you can’t pass up the offer of FREE
consultancy, and of course, how are
students expected to develop into
effective practitioners if they cannot
test out their newly acquired
knowledge on the ‘real world’?
“So it was that I found myself in
front of a panel of students giving
them a run-down of my company;
its structure, mission statement, lines
of operation, turnover, aspirations
and much more. At the end of my
monologue, I left them with a specific
question relating to business
development and company growth,
asking them to consider what we could
do that we weren’t already doing,
and what we could just do better.
“Over the next couple of days, the
students set to work; researching me
personally, my business, our clients,
our histories and activities; in effect,
scrutinising and analysing every aspect
of who we are and what we do.
“At the appointed time on the
Wednesday evening, I returned to the
study trip venue to receive feedback,
which was delivered following a delicious
meal; sourced, cooked and delivered by
the students themselves. From the word
go, I realised that I had been wise to
accept the invitation. It was quite clear
that the students had really ‘got inside
the mind’ of my company. Their analysis
and recommendations were detailed,
original, and backed by evidence
and suggested roll-out sequences.
The depth of analysis and practicability
of the suggested solutions went far
beyond that which I had expected and, I
freely admit, I was implementing most of
the recommendations by midday
the following morning.
“My experience in 2014 was no less
valuable and no less stimulating, and the
concentrated academic input of the
students from KMS continues to affect
my various business interests positively
and progressively. Having seen the
pressure under which the students work
during this intensive week, I have no
doubt whatsoever that they find the
experience immensely valuable. Most of
them are generally looking forward to a
good night’s sleep at the conclusion of
this demanding yet highly rewarding
activity. In my opinion, it is precisely this
kind of activity that differentiates KMS
from other management schools; that
insistence of exposing their students to
the jeopardy of the real world, under
intense time pressure and with limited
resource, so that they have to fall back
on their retained knowledge, logic and
common sense. Such exercises create a
much more capable individual than one
who has simply learned by rote.
“As I write this, I am currently in the
middle of implementing many of this
year’s recommendations, whilst already
hoping for a repeat invitation in 2015.
Quite simply, the best money I have
never spent!”
Andy with his Student Consultants