Hybrid MBA Smart Week: leadership, innovation and real-world impact in the industrial sector
14 April 2025The Hybrid MBA Smart Week offered participants an intensive immersion into the business world through three days of direct engagement with key players in industrial innovation, field experiences, and reflections on the skills required to lead change in complex environments.
Immersed in industrial excellence: the Ducati visit
The company visit to Ducati was one of the key moments of the program. During the plant tour, participants explored the production heart of this Italian excellence, observing first-hand the cutting-edge processes and technologies that define Ducati’s engineering culture. The following corporate speech provided an in-depth look at the company’s values and strategies, offering an exclusive perspective on how an industry champion addresses global market challenges.
For Nilde Clarice Regina Sisti, a participant in the program, the visit was “a key moment in the journey.” “Seeing how the company concretely applies the Lean method and focuses on activities that generate real value in the production chain brought to life what we studied in Operations courses,” she explained. “Even more powerful was the sense of a deeply lived mission and vision, not just stated ones. It made me reflect on how crucial alignment between strategy and operations is for an organization’s growth.”
From theory to practice: the Business Game
From the hands-on company visit to the practical application of managerial skills, the Smart Week continued with a business game led by Nicola Tomesani. This activity tested the participants’ decision-making and collaboration skills, simulating complex scenarios and encouraging interaction among professionals with diverse backgrounds.
“Working in a challenging group setting highlighted how skills, when well integrated, can generate exponential value. I rediscovered the true meaning of synergy: when working with listening and team spirit, 1+1 can truly make 3,” says Sisti. “Another key takeaway was the importance of analyzing the context. Only through this broad vision can we understand where the market is heading and how to adapt. Lastly, I understood the risk of making decisions based only on the short term. The Business Game strengthened my belief that every managerial choice must be evaluated with a long-term perspective.”
Leadership and inspiration: learning through experience
The learning journey was further enriched by contributions from Ivano Ferrarini, CEO of Conad Centro Nord, and Riccardo Pittis, former basketball player and motivational speaker, offering two complementary viewpoints: strategic business vision and a personal mindset shaped by resilience and adaptability. Their talks sparked deep reflections on the true meaning of leadership in changing environments.
“The talks by speakers like Ferrarini and Pittis made me realize that leadership is above all a responsibility towards people. To be truly effective, leadership must become inspiration. People are not just resources: they are the key to creating value.”
The value of experience: looking back and ahead
The Smart Week proved to be much more than just a training module: it was an experience where theory and practice, strategic vision and concrete application merged to prepare managers ready to lead change with awareness.
This is reflected in Sisti’s reflections at the end of her journey in the Hybrid MBA: “Every decision has a visible impact on a company’s performance. Strategic vision, systems thinking, and awareness of cross-functional effects are essential to truly lead. Great results are only achieved together: people must be at the center, valued and engaged in a corporate culture based on trust, shared goals, and common rules.” She concludes with a conviction: “A manager’s job is to create context, harmony, and synergy. That’s where true value is born.”
