The alumni of the Business School Netherlands Nigeria (BSNN) have described the Action Learning approach of the business school as an effective approach to learning, saying it delivers practical approach to challenges.
The Alumni disclosed this at the maiden Alumni Lecture of the school held in Lagos on Sunday.
Contained in the keynote address of the Alumni, presented by Johnson Salako, a pioneer student of the school, the alumni stated they are particularly proud of their alma mater because of the novel Action Learning method. He enjoined Nigerians who desire internationally-accredited Master of Business Administration certificates to consider BSN, saying that the feat has made BSN the preferred institution among other MBA providers in the country.
Salako said: “In addition to developing individually tailored leadership skills, action learning is particularly effective in developing the collaboration, conflict resolution and sharing skills that are emerging as critical for effective contemporary leadership.
“One of the virtues of action learning is that learning is focused on the skills that individual team member considers as high priorities. Action Learning is not based on a fixed curriculum that includes the skills that other people consider important. Individual team member decides what behaviour or leadership skills they want to develop at that time and given the specific problem at hand. Typically, the behaviour and skills chosen relate to previous feedback from supervisors, training and self-assessment instruments. The final selection of developmental goals, however, is up to each individual.
“The method presents the chance to stop and reflect on some big and small business issues. It is a do-it-yourself solution to organisational challenges and briefs. The accreditations further consolidate the Action Learning process, fashioned after the BSNN mission of being ‘a global provider of excitingly different learning experiences that enable managers to learn faster than the prevailing rate of change,” he concluded.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive of Business School Netherlands, Nigeria, Lere Baale, confirmed that BSN has become one of few international business schools to hold three highly respected international accreditations, stating the that recent triple accreditation to the ‘Action Learning’ MBA has trailed the blaze for the Swiss eduQua accreditation.
“Since receiving the NVAO accreditation, our business school has become one of few international business schools to hold three highly respected accreditations. Furthermore, BSN is the first Dutch higher education institution to receive the eduQua accreditation from the Swiss Association for Quality and Management Systems,” he observed.
Indeed, the maiden Alumni Lecture provided a meet and greet opportunity for the ex-students of BSN as they immediately held a brief session to introduce themselves and exchange contacts.
Other members of the alumni also attested to the Action Learning approach in their various testimonies as each ex-student mounted the platform telling their individual BSN story, saying the approach truly makes the school, excitingly different.
Other notable individuals who attended the event included Mr. Ayodele Aderinwale, the Chairman, BSN; His Excellency, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Nigeria, John C.M. Groffen, represented by 1st Secretary, Taco Westerhuis and Sonia Idije, the Adviser Economic, Trade & Investment Affairs among others.