Aalto MBA Journal, Part 5: “We Seemed to Solve Problems”

"It was a really good module – the whole group digged it", says Kai Rönnberg shares

Paula Salovaara, 16.03.2017

Read the article in Finnish

It was a really good module – the whole group digged it. Aalto MBA student Kai Rönnbergs account on the change management course flows with praise although he's still halfway into the last assignment for the course, which has a deadline the same evening.

In the previous journal entry, Rönnberg explained that he was especially looking forward to professor Pekka Mattilas Leading Change module, and theres no sign of disappointment in his tone after the course. Only a couple of minutes into our conversation, he has already mentioned live cases, organizational cultures, inefficient time management among supervisors, and smart recruitment.

What was the most interesting part of the course?

Rönnberg mentions that he has mainly been considering how to distinguish a formal and informal organization, and how power is rarely distributed as outlined in the organizational chart. He began to look into the phenomenon also in his own workplace, Outotec, which has undergone major changes in the last year. With an organizational reform underway, this has given plenty of food for thought for my own work. According to Rönnberg, in future he will be playing closer attention to how well a reform is justified. If a sense of urgency is missing, its likely that changes will only go halfway. 

With an organizational reform underway, this has given plenty of food for thought for my own work.

Live cases added their spin to the module, shedding light to problematic situations in the real world. Representatives from two different companies presented problematic cases to the MBA students, who then thought up solutions in small groups. The companies in question were going through a major shift in their own sector. Rönnberg thinks highly of the ensuing conversations. I believe we solved some problems. As many as you possibly can in the short timeframe.

Rönnberg has shared some of his observations on the courses on Yammer at work, and will be updating his colleagues on the Leading Change module soon. Change management sparks a great deal of interest on the whole, and colleagues have been asking about the course. 

Rönnbergs diary is quickly filling up for the spring term. Its time for the Corporate Financial Policy module at the beginning of March, and Managing Growing Enterprises towards the end of the month. The pace has felt suitable, and the studies will after all be over next fall: There has to be some pressure; its not a holiday.

In addition to the module, things have been developing on a personal level.  A poker night with friends last week brightened up a slushy February. Also the MBA group had a get-together one evening, and Rönnberg has sensed that since then the group has transformed from acquaintances into a close-knit bunch of friends. We know each other really well by now, and theres plenty of things to talk about, which continues in our lively WhatsApp group.

Kai Rönnberg is Vice President, Services, South East Asia Pacific at Outotec. He began his studies on the Aalto MBA program in early 2016, and will be graduating at the beginning of 2018. The MBA Journal follows his thoughts and experiences along the way. All journals can be found below.

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