It was curious that Allen Coleman was wearing white plastic gloves and wielding an 8-inch knife to chop onions in his first assignment as an MBA student.
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Under a tall white tent erected in Palmer Field for shelter against the humid 90-degree temperatures, nearly 430 Stephen M. Ross School of Business MBA students participated in a leadership-team building exercise inspired by TV’s “Top Chef” cooking challenge and supported by The Food Network. Ross Dean Robert Dolan and Associate Dean Sue Ashford welcomed the group as members took part in “Innovation Boot Camp Day” Aug. 24.
“Ross is emphasizing creativity and innovativeness as a key aspect of leadership given the competitive pressures firms are experiencing and the need to respond rapidly and change frequently in an ever more uncertain world,” Ashford said.
For this Ross Leadership Initiative Foundation session, students were divided into six 70-member sections. Each section had 2- 1/2 hours to plan, prepare and serve a meal to feed 80-90 people; market and present the meal to judges and other teams; and create an entertainment piece lasting no longer than five minutes.
The exercise opened with a morning keynote talk from Jeff DeGraff, clinical associate professor, on How to Jumpstart Your Organization’s Growth Engine, which included techniques to enhance creativity.
Just a few hours later, student Matt Plumb of Milford, Mich., was putting the learning to use. He led a group of 20 grappling with their section’s task — entertainment. “We need more singers,” Plumb said, adding, “We’re going for enthusiasm.” The group chose to vary singing with skits and comedy.
“I thought the exercise was a great way to kick off the school year,” he said. “It was an incredible bonding experience, and I was impressed and inspired by how quickly my new classmates were able to tackle new challenges.”
Across a grassy area stood a food prep tent where Coleman, from Burlington, Va., chopped onions on a white plastic cutting board. “It’s a team building exercise. We get everyone in our section working together after assigning roles and responsibilities.” Coleman said his team chose a leader based on the creativity the person showed when suggesting a main course — chicken with fruit salsa.
“I’m enjoying every minute of it,” said student Silvic Bejinaric of Romania. “It’s focused on teamwork; it’s something you need every day. There’s so much thought and consideration put into this, I’m glad to be part of this community.”
Ali Waggener Boyd, program development manager with the Ross Leadership Initiative, said the cooking exercise was an excellent way to put across the school’s message. “It supports our core leadership values as a way to integrate the lessons of creativity, innovation and teamwork,” she explained.
“It also develops organization skills in uncertain circumstances and under time pressure,” Ashford said. “We wanted it to be a robust challenge. The other part of it is just bringing the class together.”
The judging panel included Dolan; Roland Pohlman, the owner of the West End Grill who holds a master’s of business administration degree from Ross; and Mike Lorenc, online sales and operations manager at Google Ann Arbor. Despite the heat, students demonstrated enthusiasm as some stayed in costume to serve diners, some presented detailed rationales for their meals and all developed clever plating and display designs.
Before determining a winner, teams had to factor in scores from a final section challenge: developing the best video on “What it Means to be a Leader” by Aug. 29.
