news

On July 2nd, 2021, the first exclusive summer edition of the Circular Strategy into Action course kicked off. This was the first course brought by the Inchainge Leadership Program and we welcomed the very first group of students!

This four-week course provided students with a great blend of real-life skills, engaged learning and real-world experiences through a circular business game, The Blue Connection. This business simulation game leverages the concept of circular economy, a fundamental pillar for us, at Inchainge.

During the course, participants were divided into random teams of four and played two rounds of The Blue Connection per week (6 rounds in total). Each Thursday the rounds were closed at 8 PM CEST and then a live session was held every Friday to discuss the results.

We were thrilled to have such an international group from the following countries: Netherlands, Belgium, Cuba, Germany, Russia, United States, United Kingdom and Vietnam. The level of the competition was very high, making it a great learning experience for all seven teams of students!

About the Inchainge Leadership Program

The Inchainge Leadership Program is the ultimate learning experience for students in higher education. It consists of exclusive online courses related to value chain and circularity which are guided by expert trainers. The courses include the world’s leading business games (The Fresh Connection, The Blue Connection, or The Cool Connection) as their foundation.

This program is powered by experiential learning, in other words learning by doing. This helps bridge the gap between acquisition of theoretical knowledge and generation of skills through active participation in learning. Especially when it is applied in a team-based learning setting. With our business simulation games, participants have the opportunity to experience the impact of every decision they make which facilitates the development of hard and soft skills.

Students are enthusiastic about this approach:

“We love the method of Inchainge, learning by doing, it is very good. We support it a lot”

Ernesto from Cuba

About the First Edition of Circular Strategy into Action

The first course of the Inchainge Leadership Program, Circular Strategy into Action, was introduced in two different formats: Circular Strategy into Action (standard) and Circular Strategy into Action Premium. Both were accessible only for students and consisted of four sessions distributed in four-weeks courses, with a final exam at the end of the course. The main differences between the two formats were the workload and the learning materials. With the standard version, students had a workload of 10 hours. Meanwhile with the premium version, they could take it to the next level by incorporating the e-book ‘Mastering the Circular Economy’ by Ed Weenk and Rozanne Henzen in their learning journey (20 hours workload).

The participants of the first edition had several great surprises! For instance, instead of pre-recordings, participants had live online sessions with Egge Haak, co-founder of Inchainge and expert trainer. Moreover, Ed Weenk, the author of ‘Mastering the Supply Chain’, ‘Integrated Learning Approach’, and co-author of ‘Mastering the Circular Economy’, joined as a guest lecturer.

“The trainers talked really well, and I have understood everything […]. I would recommend it to my friends! when my course will start in September, I will talk about it definitely, and to my teachers as well!”

Sharon from Belgium

Furthermore, after successfully completing the course and passing the exam, students received their verifiable certificate. Moreover, each member of the best team got free individual access to the ‘Global Professional Challenge‘ as soon as they graduate!

Business game for students

Circular strategy into Action was powered by The Blue Connection, an innovative web-based business game. Students were engaged in the transition of a linear value chain to a circular value one by implementing a circular strategy for a virtual e-bike manufacturer. In teams of four, participants took the functional roles of VP Finance, VP Purchasing, VP Supply Chain, and VP Sales.

Participants learned how to adopt a circular approach by transitioning away from a take-make-dispose linear production towards a circular business model. This allowed each participant to not only expand their circularity knowledge but also develop their soft skills, such as leadership, teamwork, and communication skills.  

The circular business game gave each participantthe opportunity experience the impact of every decision they make, not just in their functional “silo”, but across their (virtual) business and the entire value chain!

“It is really great because it has a lot of things to be learned and […] we are able to learn while we are playing”

Rosie from Vietnam

E-book: Mastering the Circular Economy

As mentioned before, the Circular Strategy into Action premium included the e-book “Mastering the Circular Economy”, by Ed Weenk and Rozanne Henzen. As stated from one of the participants:

This e-book is an introduction to circularity from a business and value chain management perspective. It draws a direct link between relevant recent theory and practice and offers students a deeper understanding of the topic.

On one hand, the book starts with a more theoretical part, introducing the associated opportunities and challenges for organizations: from regulation and risk, to value chain collaboration, reverse logistics and product quality. On the other hand, the book aims to help students to pull together what they have learned. The objective is to see how the concepts play out in the real world, by guiding students through the right application in the web-based business game, The Blue Connection. Readers are continuously asked to reflect on the choices they would make in different roles to demonstrate a full understanding of the strategic and operational implications of the circular economy.

“The book helps a lot … having the book helped you to dive deeper into the topic”

Enrico from Germany

Out now: Second edition of Circular Strategy into Action!

Are you a student and you didn’t make it to join the summer course? This is your chance! Due to the great success of the first edition, we are thrilled to announce the second edition of the Circular Strategy into Action starting November 5th, 2021!

So what’s new? The second edition will also focus on circularity but this time it will involve more leadership aspects to support the future generations in becoming value chain leaders. Both packages of the course (standard and premium) will include the business game, The Blue Connection, and the e-book ‘Mastering the Circular Economy’. On top of that, they will also include the Belbin leadership test which will help participants to identify their behavioural strengths and weaknesses when working with other. The Belbin test identifies nine team roles and helps them explore which one (or combination of multiple) suits them best.

The premium package allows its participants to take their leadership skills to the next level. Students will get the unique chance to follow an exclusive presentation by a field professional about the circular transformation of a real company. Also, students can dive even deeper into their leadership style with the leadership workbook and professional leadership coach to get feedback/advice to use in their future job!

But that isn’t all, in the second edition, participants have the opportunity to sign up individually or participate with your friends (only complete teams of 4 allowed)!

Conclusion

What are you waiting for? Register here for the second edition: https://bit.ly/3ClwRXl

Interested in signing up as a team with your friends? Send an email to ilp@inchainge.com.

If you would like to receive more information about the program and its courses, do not hesitate to reach out to us. We are happy to assist you and clear all your doubts. Contact us at ilp@inchainge.com!