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Interested in Sponsoring a Management Challenge Project?
Key Questions and Answers
Here is a series of frequently asked questions and answers for organisations interested in
sponsoring a management challenge. This document helps frame a project, secure
sponsorship inside your organisation, and help you leverage a programme member’s
input & time.
What is a ‘Management Challenge’?
This is a project that all MBA programme members (the Henley term for an MBA
student) must complete at the end of their studies. It is a project that draws on their
business acumen, project management and consulting skills to solve an important ‘live’
management dilemma or business challenge.
The programme member is given 350 hours (roughly 40 days) to complete the project.
The detailed output can be decided between the programme member & sponsor but it
usually involves a written project report and/or presentation. Sponsors also work with
the programme member throughout, gaining insight as the project progresses. In
addition, the programme member must produce a written report to satisfy the needs of
their MBA studies.
What does my business get from sponsoring a management challenge?
We do expect some investment of time, but you get a good deal of return on this
investment. Specifically;
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You will receive results and recommendations on solving a topical business issue you
are faced with at present. The cost of such a piece of project work, based on
commercial consulting rates, would be substantial.
The person who completes the project may be somebody you would consider as a
potentially valuable team member, so you may wish to recruit them. You may want
to think about the project as an extended job interview if you are in the market for
hiring people.
You get access to leading edge thinking, and its direct application inside your
business. They can act as a catalyst for change to enable the business to address a
challenge in a unified and swift manner.
You get a person with creative ideas, and outside view on your business challenges,
and informed feedback on your plans to address your business issues.
You get a live network connection into Henley, so you can leverage the knowledge
and expertise of the college both for this project and with other potential needs your
business may have.
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You may want to place a more junior member of staff to ‘work shadow’ our MBA
programme member. Your staff member will be able to pick up a range of skills
around project management, change management, consulting skills and so on.
What type of projects work well?
The best projects are those that inform or influence important organisational decisions.
It is best to avoid projects that involve extended periods (weeks) of time to go up a
learning curve about associated/past organisational or project activities. Projects should
also have a reasonable fit in terms of timescale for completion, so scoping & managing
the size of the tasks involved is critical. There must also be a fit between the interests of
the programme member and the sponsor. This is where Henley plays an important
‘matching’ role.
We find that the best projects draw on the expertise of the person, as well as their MBA
learning. All programme members will draw on the following subjects which they have
covered in a very applied manner: operations, project management, people
management, corporate & business unit strategy, finance, accounting, marketing,
economics, leadership & change.
Recent topics have included:
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Developing a project management support office for a small (technology) solutions
company
Cost reduction strategies for small and medium enterprises during a recession
Youth entrepreneurship in developing countries
Critical success factors in implementing lean methods in company Y
Benefits of IT outsourcing to small companies
Routes to market for high technology innovation: the case of X
The scoping of a new customer relationship management strategy
What makes a project work well?
The most critical issue is making sure that the project has verbal, and preferably written
buy-in from those who will be critical stakeholders. A programme member will find it
easier to complete the project successfully if they are working with people who know the
aims & specific objectives of their work in advance. It is also not advisable to expect a
programme member to tackle a project that is ‘politically sensitive’. They will not know
the organisational issues that may have to be sensitively dealt with to make such a
project a success.
Both sides also have to buy into the outline of the project, from the perspective of the
Henley programme member (level of interest; skill; ability to work with the sponsor) and
the sponsor (ability to work with the programme member; confidence in their ability to
properly complete the project).
How much work content can I expect from the programme member?
You can expect the programme member to provide up to about 15 days of direct work
on the project, in addition to background research & reading, report preparation and
project managing the piece of work.
What if my project is commercially sensitive?
We often work with projects that have an element of commercial sensitivity. In these
circumstances we urge the programme member and the sponsor to quickly come to
some sort of arrangement about confidentiality. This may involve the programme
member signing a non-disclosure agreement.
However, whatever is agreed there will have to be a report that is produced by the
programme member which will have to be submitted for assessment as part of their
MBA studies. This will be on a very strict circulation to the members of Henley faculty
that assess the final piece of work. It will not be publicly circulated.
What should I expect from Henley Business School?
In short, we are a bridge into an excellent source of project-related help and support. We
will match you with one, or more people to select the most able person. We will also
help you by scoping the project correctly, and ensuring that there is enough detail in the
initial project definition to make it clear what the project’s aims & objectives are.
We offer the means of connecting with a person who will already have some sound
business & commercial management skills. As they complete this project at the end of
their MBA they will also have the benefit of studying with us on a range of subjects. The
average age of our programme members is thirty-five, and they must have at least three
years of managerial experience to study on the MBA. This usually equates to at least ten
years business experience.
We might not be able to provide the right programme member for a project straight
away, as we look for the right match in terms of skill, approach and personality. So, we
may have to mutually agree to not progress some projects if we see there isn’t a fit with
the people/skills/timeframe.
If you would like to open a discussion about sponsoring a management challenge
then please contact Linda Thorne:
email: [email protected]
or telephone: +44(0) 1491 414528
The purpose of this document is to set out the details of a project to be carried out by a
programme member/alumnus from the MBA programme of Henley Business School.
It is set out to provide:
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A clear understanding of the project from the client’s perspective.
The scope, terms of engagement and expected deliverables from the
programme member/alumnus who will complete the project.
A list of detailed set of notes about the key tasks
Any resource-related issues, and other operational details that may be
important.
Project Title:
Purpose of the Project:
Key Tasks:
Expected Outputs:
Key Client Contacts:
Working Location:
Skills or experience you consider to be useful for this project?
Project Timings and Deadlines:
Please return to Linda Thorne at [email protected]