Abstract:

Processing Complexity with Emotional, Sensorial and Spiritual (ProCESS) is an Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliances (KA) project that started in January 2021 and will end in December 2023. Full university and company partners are Jamk University of Applied Sciences and Mediahouse Keskisuomalainen from Finland, Catholic University of Lyon, the pharmaceutical company Sanofi and the staff development company PerformanSe from France, RISEBA University of Business, Arts & Technology and Latvian Post from Latvia and Technical University of Cluj Napoca and the consulting company De Klausen from Romania. The coordinator of the ProCESS is the Catholic University of Lyon.

The main content of the project is 12 complex management case studies which are implemented in three rounds. The topics for these case studies are developed in cooperation with university and company partners. Multilevel and multidisciplinary student teams in all four partner countries solve the problems, and they are coached by university and company coaches. Students are encouraged to find solutions to proposed problems using in addition to rational problem-solving techniques the sensorial, emotional, and spiritual intelligence skills (SESS) which they get to practice in the six workshops organized during the case study process by SESS trainers at their own universities. Students become better acquainted with complex situations, and not just understand, and dare to “step outside the box” to resolve them. They also answer questionnaires and take part in interviews conducted by PerformanSe partners. Every case study round ends at the winter school which is organized in one of the partner countries and universities where all student teams from four countries and their coaches are present and where student teams have their final presentations and get final feedback from their coaches.

The paper describes deeper and wider the main activities and outcomes of the project when four case studies of the first round have been successfully completed and the planning of the four case studies of the second round is going on.

Keywords:

Complex, management, case study, international, multilevel, multidisciplinary.