Reflections on Foundation Week.

The culmination of Foundation Week was a fun two days of team building with Fintan. After going through the nuts and bolts of libraries, IT systems and all the other practicalities of the year ahead it was great to enjoy untypically Irish sunshine in which to gallivant on the school’s idyllic campus and learn about each other in an informal setting.

Without giving away too much for next year’s intake, you can expect to be blindfolded, jump through spider-webs and try your hand at ad hoc Civil Engineering. The physical activities were mixed in with analysis of personality types and how these characteristics can work in harmony (or stifle productivity if not properly managed). People arriving late to any of the sessions can expect to be punished in creative ways!

With such a diverse student group team building is challenging but having some laughs and stepping out of a normal classroom environment really works and you feel closer to every one of your classmates after surviving the two days of tasks. Everyone is encouraged to find their voice and to try out as many team roles as possible and for me the proof of how successful the whole process was is the fact that people are still laughing about the adventures we had and everyone seems to know more about their own team working style and is enthusiastic to develop into more well-rounded contributors.

Conal Campbell.

FT MBA 2014.