Learning from Analogies – LEAN

“New skills for new jobs” is the new EU strategy that concerns also the ability to solve problems, learning from different disciplines and multicultural experiences, to work and take decisions in a global context. In this sense, VET actors and trainers need to improve their training offer and methodologies in order to boost this kind of skills and aptitudes.

Based on this logic, training organizations and trainers themselves require the need to improve their current offers and methodologies of their services in order to boost the aforementioned skills and behaviors.

This project, through the transfer of an innovative methodology based on the use of “analogies” and cross-cultural cues for the management education, answers to this increasing need for skilled resources for managers and entrepreneurs. A particular attention will be paid to the specific sector of small family-based enterprises, whose business approach is often far from the consideration of that set of multidisciplinary hints and suggestions which are of the utmost importance in a context dominated by globalization and intercultural dynamics. Multicultural training is intended to be an effective instrument to help SMEs entrepreneurs and managers to acquire an intercultural vision based on a cross-functional set of information, histories and best practices which are often very far from their way-of-thinking.In so doing, entrepreneurs will be supported to look behind the specific scenario in which their activities take place, learning how to reason and act in global and intercultural terms.

The analogical training addresses SMEs needs to:

• increase their capabilities to act in a global context
• increase their aptitude to analyze problems in a strategic way, combining different cultural approaches
• increase their problem solving skills, with a particular emphasis on the management of multiculturality and internationalization processes
• support companies family-owners aptitude for a new concept of leadership, based on a multicultural, competitive and business-oriented approach
• spread of a cross-functional approach, able to support SMEs evolution from a traditional functional structure to a new inter-functional one

LEAN project aims to transfer innovative didactical methodologies for problem solving and decision making training. To be trained on topics that apparently are not relevant with specific working problems means to learn a new thinking methodology that can be very useful in a business world marked by rapid changes.

The Consortium is composed of 4 internationally recognized institutions, active in the management education and enterprises support and of a local NCCI.

The project will allow to reach various tangible results:

1. The state of the art of theoretical and operational models of cross-cultural education in EU
2. The identification of CY,PL and RO training needs regarding informal and multicultural learning methodologies
3. The development of a set of training sessions locally customised on the base of ISTUD methodology
4. The training of local trainers from CY,PL and RO who could play the role of facilitator in delivering training sessions
5. A wide exploitation and dissemination of results.

Eurosuccess Consulting is the lead partner of this project, in which we have the following project partners:

• Istud Foundation (Italy)
• Polska Fundacja Osrodkow Wspomagania Rozwoju Gospodarczego “OIC Poland” (Polland)
• Centrul pentru promovarea invatarii permanente (Romania)
• Nicosia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Cyprus)

Duration: 01/10/2012 – 30/09/2014