As soon as the last posts were secured, the football came out…

“This project will really transform the lives of the people who live here and improve their day-to-day routine, enhancing the role sport plays in that.”

This is what Florian Galli, the sports teacher at Le Foyer de Villemer, said about the impact the football stadium – built by 50 participants on an INSEAD Executive Education programme in a day – would have on the residents.

The centre is home to young people with disabilities and is run by the charity, Les Amis d’Atelier in Villemer, central France.

Social cohesion

“It’s only the lack of equipment that’s stopped us from doing what we really want,” he continued. “This facility will promote social cohesion because normally our residents aren’t able to go to sports clubs outside, so we’ll be able to hold tournaments here with other clubs, which will really open the door to the outside world.”

Effective team working

Staff from a global automotive company came together from every continent (bar Antarctica) to build a ‘city stade’ for the charity as part of their executive education programme with INSEAD. Their objective was to work together as an effective team, reflecting the company’s value ‘creating trust’, while bonding over a project which will have lasting positive impact.

No plan survives contact with the enemy…

Splash Projects Project Manager Tommy Trindall, introduced the task to the team the evening before; the planning exercise is a vital component of the project because it’s when  the participants are first introduced to the plans and are given the time to plan their line of attack, ready for a running start in the morning. Tommy, a former soldier in the British Army, told them: “No plan survives contact with the enemy…”

When Tommy arrived on site in the morning, the team was already there chomping at the bit to get started, “I knew straight away it was going to be a lively day,” said Tommy.

Mia, a team challenge liason for the company, said: “Walking around the home, it was amazing to hear the positivity and that the focus here is on what can be done, rather than on your limitations.”

Purposeful

Thomas Hellwig, INSEAD professor, said: “We see ourselves as the ‘business school for the world’; we’re doing business for good, for a purpose. This project will transform people’s lives, this is the purpose we’re after.”

Positive impact

Peter, a project lead for the company, added: “The team gelled really well, and now we can all go back to our homes all around the world and we can say, we’ve left something behind for the people of France that will benefit them for years and years to come. And that’s awesome.”