Life of a b-school student can often feel like a battlefield. Sometimes it may even feel like going to a gunfight with a knife. Every day is a new fight to be won. You win some, you lose some. But these battles help you fight the war. Small victories and huge defeats only make you stronger to be able to win the war. And that's the whole point, isn't it? B-schools are battlefields that equip you to emerge victorious at the war in the business world. And where there's a battle, there will be chaos, and with chaos comes the opportunity to restore order. Sun Tzu said, "Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." To win first, you need to fight in the battlefield. Lose if you must, because when you lose you learn. And in this endeavor to help you learn more, to prepare you for the war, Ares, the Greek God of War along with Mahindra and Mahindra bring to you the Mahindra War Room.
Mahindra War Room was first launched in 2007 as an attempt to connect the world of business to the world of business schools. In the War Room, b-school students are given realistic business challenges faced by top managers which are further developed into sector caselets. B-school students are expected to creatively and innovatively, but also realistically solve these caselets in a 4-member team over a period of 6 months; both planning and executing included. The purpose of this grand event is to help students strategize better by bridging the gap between the b-school battlefield and the war zone of the business world. The best warriors from each campus are flown down to Mumbai and given an opportunity to present their strategies to a jury consisting of Mr. Anand Mahindra, the Group Executive Board and a distinguished list of eminent Mahindra managers. The Grand Finale is covered by CNBC TV18 as a 3-part episode each year. This event is open to students currently pursuing a two-year PGP or MBA program in 21 Indian b-schools or 4 international b-schools.
Each battle lost and each war won has benefits and rewards to it. Mahindra War Room has quite a few stupendous rewards too. The Winner Prize includes Rs 5 Lakhs for the team, a Club Mahindra Holiday experience, PPI and an all expense paid trip to the Formula E International Race! If that doesn’t make you want to participate, we don't know what will. But apart from these tangible benefits, there are some great learnings too. Meet Avinash Jha, 2014 Mahindra War Room Winner and a current employee at Mahindra. He tells us, "The biggest takeaway is the thought process inculcated during the War Room which now forms the basis of approaching any assignment - keeping end objectives in mind always." Venkateswaran, a Mahindra War Room Runner Up said, "MWR is much more than just a case study competition. My team almost worked for 40 days for the case that we chose. What looks great on the drawing board may look completely impractical when you interact with different stakeholders. MWR helped us to understand the amount of effort one needs to put in to formulate innovative yet feasible solutions."
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Anisha Saluja, currently a Manager – Employer Branding & Resourcing at Mahindra and a 2014 Mahindra War Room Winner said, "War room is not just a competition. It gives you a hands-on experience for team management, team dynamics, business strategy and then finally, thinking like a CEO." It's like a crash course you do before you enter the business world. Samyak Pandya, currently an employee at Mahindra and 2008 Mahindra War Room Runner-up said, "MWR ended up becoming a career-defining event for me. Embrace the serendipity of life. You never know where the smallest of things - can be a phone call, a chance meeting, registering for an art class or anything that appears inconsequential at that time - may lead you to."
So how can you emerge as a winner? The MWR jury tells you what you need to do in order to bag that prize money. The jury just wants two things – ambition and innovation. Something that is so unique and audacious that it inspires you. Mr. Hemant Luthra, Chairman of Mahindra said, "One team persuaded Mahindra Systech (which is currently in the Automobile Component Industry) to enter the AEROSPACE business." So do you have an idea that can disrupt and re-shape the Mahindra group?
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