On the morning of July 8th, the First Program of Innovative Leadership Action Learning (IDEAS China 3.0)”, initiated jointly by the Organization Department of Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, MIT Sloan School of Management, School of Public Policy and Management of Tsinghua University, GT UID Foundation and Shanghai Administration Institute, successfully completed in Shanghai. The nine-month program was launched in October 2015 and divided into five stages based in Beijing and Shanghai. With the completion of their study, a total of 28 trainees attended the graduation ceremony.

    HE Li, Head of the Cadre Education Division of the Organization Department of Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, chaired the graduation ceremony. WANG Guoping, Executive Vice President of Shanghai Administration Institute, Ms. Cherie Liem, Vice Chairwomen of Giti Group, David Capodilupo, Executive Director of International Program of MIT Sloan School of Management, and MENG Bo, Vice President of the School of Public Policy and Management of Tsinghua University, were present at the grand event and they all delivered speeches. The ceremony also witnessed the attendance of other distinguished guests, including Peter Senge, the originator of the learning organization theory and Director of the Research Center of Learning Organization of MIT, Otto Scharmer, Supervisor of IDEAS program and originator of Theory U, Stu Krusell, Director of the International Project Office of the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Wang Ming, Director of the Research Institute of Public Welfare and Charity of Tsinghua University. Before the ceremony, the 28 trainees demonstrated their study results in four groups. At the end, Professor Peter Senge and Professor Otto Scharmer, together with other leaders and guests, awarded the certificates of course completion for the trainees.

    Led by Professor Peter Senge and Professor Otto Scharmer, a number of well-known scholars and top experts in the field of innovative leadership were involved in the program as teachers and instructors. Focusing on the Theory U and systematic thinking, the program consisted of five integral stages, including the opening ceremony and preparatory training (at Tsinghua University), the basic training (at Shanghai Administration Institute), the deep-dive study (at the No.1 Branch of Shanghai Administration Institute), the program discussion (at Tsinghua University) and the program summary (at Shanghai Administration Institute). A rich variety of teaching methods and forms were adopted to help the trainees understand how to enhance personal and organizational leadership through innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The typical teaching methods and forms included lectures, sculptures, case diagnosis, social theatre, meteorological change simulation and live show.

    The full name of “IDEAS” is the English abbreviation of “Innovative, Dynamics, Education and Action for Sustainability”, which could be translated word-by-word into Chinese according to their meanings. Just as the name implies, aiming at boosting the construction of Shanghai into a world-renowned technological innovation center, the program is intended to enable the participants to embark on a journey of exploring their common in-depth vision of both individuals and the collective through action learning, By doing so, the participants would be able to improve their leadership skills and solve the organizational and social issues in an innovative and sustainable way. The trainees of  the first training program are from the organs of Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, the state-owned enterprises and institutions, as well as large private businesses.