MAP 2021 Kicks Off for Michigan Ross MBAs: 68 High-Impact Projects With Companies and Organizations Around the World
With support from alumni and longtime organizational partners, the Ross School of Business is offering its signature MAP (Multidisciplinary Action Projects) program as an engaging virtual experience with new opportunities for leadership development and networking this year.
In creating the 2021 MAP program, Michigan Ross strived to transition its hallmark action-based learning experience for Full-Time MBA students to a virtual format, ensuring the learning outcomes and benefits to sponsoring companies that the 29-year-old program is known for.
As every year, all first-year Full-Time MBA students are tackling dozens of pressing challenges facing diverse companies and organizations. These include Fortune 100 companies, startups, minority-owned businesses, and nonprofits focused on everything from global climate change to industrial recycling. Of the 68 projects, 22 are in technology, eight in healthcare, seven in media/entertainment/sports, and six in the financial services, among many other industries.
The 52 participating organizations hail from five of the seven continents, and 50 projects are sponsored by Michigan Ross alumni.
New MAP programming and action-based learning opportunities
Since MBA students are not able to travel to companies due to the pandemic, Michigan Ross has created new programming and opportunities for team building, skill development, and networking that will run throughout MAP 2021. These include a variety of workshops focused on the topics of diversity, leadership, engagement, resilience, and practical skills that can immediately apply to their MAP projects.
“When we decided that Full-Time MBA students would not be traveling due to health and safety concerns, we recognized that we had the ability to create additional programming that we would traditionally not be able to offer,” said Gretchen Spreitzer, associate dean of engaged learning & professional development, Keith E. and Valerie J. Alessi Professor of Business Administration, and professor of management and organizations at Michigan Ross. “While we look forward to the day when we can resume travel for MAP, we are excited to provide new opportunities for students this year to further their leadership development and positive engagement with the Ross community and organizational partners.”
Here are three of the new programs slated for Full-Time MBAs this year:
Leading Inclusive Teams
Leading Inclusive Teams will teach evidence-based knowledge and practical tools to help design and lead diverse, equitable, and inclusive teams and organizations. Students will learn how to increase self-awareness of their personal identity in the workplace; gain new skills to identify privilege, implicit bias, and microaggressions in teams; and learn how to take action as an active ally and change advocate.
Live mini case sessions
Live mini case sessions will offer insider access to the decision making at a company transformed by the pandemic. During the interactive sessions, business leaders from well-known companies, such as DoorDash, will share pandemic-related challenges faced by their organization. After hearing the explanation, students will work in small teams to quickly develop frameworks for finding a solution and then present the solution to the business leader as well as a Michigan Ross faculty member.
Center for Positive Organizations accelerators
Based on research into the science of thriving, Center for Positive Organizations faculty and staff will introduce MAP teams to evidenced-based practices that can be immediately deployed to amplify engagement and resilience at the individual and team level. Students will learn theories and practices — pioneered by Ross faculty — to deepen their self-awareness and ability to work effectively with others.
