Embedded Files
A brief history of iMagination Week
A little over 15 years ago, in October 2011 to be more specific, Françoise Rey, then Deputy Dean of ESSEC wanted to offer a seminar that would meet a number of objectives:
- bring together all the students of a cohort for the first and perhaps the only time
- foster a more inclusive spirit among students, regardless of their origin (French, international students), their personal circumstances (e.g. admitted on the basis of prior qualifications or through the School’s competitive entry exam, etc.) or their academic background (engineering, humanities, etc.)
- provide students with the tools for developing a new and more future-looking mindset instead of only looking to the next term
- help students develop their creativity, something which is critical considering how uniform, sometimes even standardized, their prior academic or professional experiences might have been.
Our proposal was this: to organize an entire week dedicated to imagination, during which students would encounter inspiring people who are not mere commentators, but rather individuals who have enjoyed extraordinary experiences thanks to their imagination. In addition; students would attend workshops facilitated by professionals and built on a unique methodology developed exclusively at ESSEC–which would be improved upon year after year.
We further proposed students be set the objective of creating, for the end of the Week, a visionary, innovative and sustainable project that aligns with the School’s values.
Moreover, as art is a major vehicle for imagination, we felt it important to also invite artists in residence to Cergy, a first since the establishment of the school in 1973.
That is how iMagination Week saw the light of day, inaugurated in January 2012.
In 2013, Jean-Michel Blanquer, ESSEC’s then Dean and President, wanted to broaden the scope of iMagination Week and asked for it to be extended to the BBA program, an initiative which was warmly welcomed by Hugues Levecq, Dean of BBA program. Under the impetus of Anne-Claire Pache, the Associate Dean of the Master in Management, we also developed the seminar for the Singapore campus. In 2016, when Vincenzo Esposito Vinzi was appointed to lead ESSEC, iMagination Week took on a new dimension with the development of Executive Education initiatives and the establishment of the iMagination Center, a body that would prolong the existence of the scheme beyond the annual seminars.
Most recently, in 2018, Felix Papier, Dean of Pre-Experience Programs and Director of the Grande École converted the seminar into a core course, and so a necessary requirement for graduation. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of them for the trust they have placed in us over these 10 years.
Since the first seminar in 2012, more than 13,000 students have taken part in iMagination Week. This unique Week does not discuss traditional business school disciplines, nor does it feature companies or other organizations.
It is a Week that has featured several hundred speakers in France and Singapore from all walks of life: singers; physicists; craftsmen; philosophers; mathematicians; artists; Nobel Prize winners; comedians; politicians; etc.
iMagination Week truly puts transdisciplinarity into action. This seminar has received numerous educational awards and is recognized as a unique experience in the world of business schools. Although there were some difficulties, doubts, and challenges—which is the fate of any pioneering initiative—the Imagination Center’s teams have always endeavoured their utmost to deliver the best possible experience for our students and participants and to ensure this Week remains a key feature that sets ESSEC apart.
Xavier Pavie
For the iMagination Center
iMagination Method
iMagination Method
“Learning how to iMagine” can be approached as a methodological question.
Since its inception, the iMagination Week method has evolved to better meet student’s needs for their personal and professional future.
It is a 5 days hands-on method that alternates inspirational talks by world class experts and workshops to learn creative tools, facilitated by experienced lecturers.
Each day of the week is devoted to a specific step of the method and the entire learning journey is about 50 hours in total.
Students will work in teams, to transform themselves and transform the ecosystems towards the responsible world they want to see, by creating a responsible innovation project.
The method draws its sources from several conceptual frameworks: such as Philosophy, Coaching, Visual and Performing Arts, Human Centered Design and Design Future.
The transdisciplinarity approach that unfolds throughout the week is absolutely necessary to truly develop imagination. It is reinforced by the intervention of the many experts from the Arts, Science, Philosophy, Social Sciences, Fashion, Politics, Media and Gastronomy fields to say a few, embedded in the iMagination method.
Strong from these conceptual frameworks, the current iMagination method is based on four fundamental pillars: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and inquisitive posture.
On the completion of this program, students will have acquired 20 competences and critical skills, that can be categorised under these 4 pillars.
Each of these critical skills and competences will equip students to become authentic, powerful and responsible leaders, leaders with a visionary spirit and capable of creating the responsible world they want to see.
In practice, students are divided into teams of 6 in their tutored groups. As a team, they will team up and cooperate to complete all the steps of the method and carry out their responsible innovation project. The best responsible innovation projects are presented on stage on the last day during the closing ceremony.
Evaluation method
Evaluation method
At the end of the week, each team presents its project in front all the rest of the group. The other teams in the group and the tutor give them a score based on an evaluation grid.
By pool, the 5 best will present their project on Friday, and the projects will be submitted to the audience for a live vote to determine the winning responsible innovation projects of the week.
At the end of the seminar, all students receive the DesignThinking-iMagination method in digital version.
These resources allow students to capitalize on their new knowledge and apply it at other stages of their academic career, or for their professional project.
In line with the objectives set, we wish to develop their visionary spirit and transmit to them strong creative techniques, which they can use in their future life as managers and citizens.
Report abuse