«Offsite training module in Kyiv gave the MSIE6 group of MSc in Innovations and Entrepreneurship master’s program an opportunity to feel themselves as if they were in the Super Mario game. Everyday visits to the leading Ukrainian companies. The task for everyone to gather the coins (pieces of advice and insights from the company’s experience) as much as possible to become stronger, survive after meeting with the enemies (fear, lack of confidence or something else) and overcome difficulties. And these «gold coins» could be anything, the main thing is to listen to them and catch them.»
Viktoriia Butelenko, the participant of MSc in Innovations and Entrepreneurship program, is writing about this in her blog. She decided to share the key revelations after the visits to the companies:
✔Innovative companies don’t always «come flying out» quickly.
It’s a process to implement the new things. It can last for several years in some spheres and this is normal. For instance, for customers to form a habit to buy things in the Internet when it wasn’t usual, when the possibility itself of such a purchase raised flags.
✔If business model has worked out, there is no guarantee that it will be successful on every market.
When coming out on the new market, you should take into account the mindset, cultural and behavioral peculiarities of the prospective clients. Thanks to the consideration of these peculiarities the company becomes closer to people and it is treated like their own. In this case there are greater chances to survive.
ou need to understand on which level you want to stand, and then start working.
If there is a goal to go into battle with a big player, you need to gain mass and grow. Though, there are markets that give the new foreign products no chance because the local products are highly competitive. That is why, start with asking yourself a question whether you have to fight with the big player. Maybe both of you can exist on different levels? Or your task is to fight with the players equal in weight?
✔Rapid growth can become a crucial problem.
When there is a crucial need in the new employees, you have to negate the importance of many steps when creating the team: the number of interviews, where you can understand whether the candidate meets your requirements, period of integration of a new worker into the team in order not to «shatter» the team. Such quick staff changes don’t let the team to normalize and work again as a Swiss watch.
✔Count the number of steps in the processes.
When you think that the processes are set, that everything works smoothly in the company, it is necessary to count the number of steps in every process. Can you avoid unnecessary ones to save time and money? As with the delivery of orders from a supplier to the company’s warehouse, and then to the ultimate buyer. Why won’t the buyer receive the product directly from the supplier?
✔Choose the team members carefully.
You should choose proactive and motivated workers for the company, the workers who think and act, and don’t wait for the moment when somebody tells them what to do. The ability to take the responsibility is the important element of learning and growth. Big companies do a number of interviews and tests to find such workers, where candidates can show themselves in different situations. In this case the recruitment is maximally effective.
✔Always do your best, as if it is the only chance.
A person does their best when understands that they have only one try, for example, to get on the training at Unit Factory. Why don’t always do one’s best? And don’t work more than it is even possible? I think that people who didn’t manage to get on the training made such a conclusion. And those who passed all «seven circles» feel the great responsibility and understanding why they are there and what they want to achieve. And most importantly, they value their place there, where they are.
