In an interview for The Statesman’s young readers, who are on the threshold of their corporate career, Mr Srinivasa Addepalli, Founder and CEO of GlobalGyan Leadership Academy, addresses how strategic case competitions aid in gaining strategic excellence and problem-solving skills, easing their journey towards becoming future leaders.

Q. What was the vision behind launching India’s first strategy case competition for professionals?

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Last year, we launched India’s inaugural Chief Strategy Officer program, which achieved remarkable success. The program featured a distinctive approach, incorporating case studies from Indian corporates and including conversations with the leaders who were directly involved in those cases.  We realised that managers love solving real cases about familiar businesses – so we wanted to expand the reach of this method of learning and engaging. We wanted to design a competition where any professional could work on such cases and get an opportunity to pitch their solutions to business leaders.

Thus, the idea of India’s first case competition for professionals took shape. We worked with four interesting organisations to build cases about their ongoing challenges. These cases cover diverse strategic themes, whether it is the creation of new markets or categories, developing a customer value proposition, finding growth avenues in mature markets, or dealing with commoditisation. We also have a fair mix of industries, covering automobiles, information systems, luxury goods, and media streaming.

At GlobalGyan Leadership Academy, we are deeply committed to developing future leaders and what better way than giving everyone a platform to tackle real-world business challenges faced by top Indian brands.

Q. How can participation in this competition benefit an employee’s career prospects in the long run?

We see two distinct benefits to managers who participate in the Strategy Case Competition. First, it offers a unique platform to solve strategic business problems from familiar markets. By dissecting complex scenarios and designing innovative solutions, participants not only sharpen their strategic thinking and decision-making skills but also appreciate the challenges of running a business. We are supporting all participants with learning modules so they will receive the methods and tools to successfully solve the cases.

Second, this competition will provide a tremendous networking opportunity for those who make progress and get selected for the future stages. The best entries will get to present their recommendations to the case leaders, the protagonists – and engage in deep strategic conversations. Winning the competition will also help managers build their credibility and enhance their professional visibility. Finally, several shortlisted managers will be invited to the GlobalGyan Strategy Conclave, a grand finale event.

Q. How does the competition encourage innovative and out-of-the-box thinking when tackling the case studies?

We are offering participants a choice of four case studies – of course, they can solve more than one if they wish to! Each case covers complex market scenarios and business issues; this will require a deep analysis of various stakeholders, pushing participants to think critically and creatively. All those who have registered for the competition get free access to our best-selling digital course on critical thinking and problem-solving to help them learn even as they solve the cases.

Those who get shortlisted for the final stage of the competition will also get coaching from our top faculty to help them stretch their perspectives, go beyond the obvious solutions and provide innovative solutions. Indeed, our esteemed jury of top global business leaders, investors and consultants would be looking forward to such differentiated solutions.

Q. Can you briefly explain the role that the winners of the competition will be playing at the GlobalGyan Strategy Conclave?

Winners of the Strategy Case Competition would be invited to participate in the Strategy Conclave, our grand finale event. Here, winners will get to present their solutions to a wide corporate audience. Not only will they get to discuss their solutions with a core group of business strategists, but they will also receive personalised feedback from the jury members and leaders of the case organisations.

There is a real possibility that the companies would actually implement the winners’ solutions! This practical application of their strategies is a unique chance for the winners to contribute directly to business growth and transformation. Of course, the winners also stand to win several prizes worth Rs. five lakhs.

Q. What is the long-term vision for this Strategy Case Competition? Do you plan to make this an annual competition?

My vision for the Strategy Case Competition is to cultivate a culture of strategic excellence and problem-solving among professionals. Such competitions are customary for college students, but why not for life-long learners? Equally, we want this to be a platform to create interesting case studies about wonderful Indian businesses, thus showcasing their work and challenges to the professional world.

Indeed, we do want to make this an annual competition, encouraging more organisations to participate in offering their cases and a larger group of professionals to compete to solve these problems. We could introduce other managerial categories beyond strategy in future editions.

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