For companies in any industry today, sustainable operations are no longer a “nice-to-have” goal but a prerequisite for survival. From resource shortages and climate disruptions to the significant effects of technologies like AI and automation on the workforce, everyone is affected. This is why it was especially meaningful for us to partner with Bain & Company in realizing the global management consultancy’s bold vision to equip nearly 13,000 of its consultants with the knowledge essential to advising clients on sustainability strategy in every sector.
“Climate change is without a doubt the world’s greatest business challenge, and MIT is uniquely positioned to lead in this arena,” said Donald Lessard, the program Faculty Director, the Epoch Foundation Professor of International Management, and Professor of Systems Engineering, Emeritus. “While best known as a technical and scientific institute, MIT also has significant business and allied social sciences expertise.”
The MIT Bain Sustainability in Action program delivered an online learning experience consisting of six asynchronous modules supplemented by 60 live online sessions. This format allowed the busy Bain consultants to engage with the material effectively, dedicating about three hours a month to the program. The sessions weren’t just about independent learning; they included interactive simulations that enabled consultants to apply theoretical frameworks to real-world sustainability challenges, viewing them from various stakeholder perspectives.
“In designing this program for Bain, we were charged with creating a customized program that was broad in the spectrum of MIT content and faculty we engaged and immediately applicable to the work of a wide range of consultants,” said Kristin Zecca, Director, Executive Programs and Lecturer, MIT Sloan Executive Education.
Cate Hight, Partner at Bain and Company, emphasized the importance of being able to co-design the program’s content with MIT professors for the Bain consultants to be able to access best-in-class content they could apply to their day-to-day client work. “Consultants are not an easy group to teach, as we constantly question the data and assertions being put forward,” she noted.
The curriculum covered a broad scope of critical sustainability topics such as climate change, business sustainability, technological impacts, agriculture and bioengineering, and more, ensuring that participants gained a sufficient understanding of the various facets of sustainability to be effective advisors to their clients.
Zecca pointed out, “The learning experience prioritized efficient delivery in a short amount of time. To achieve that, we augmented classroom sessions with focused live interactive experiences and we customized the content for the participants by getting to understand their organization and those of their clients to make sure that everything they learned would be effective in maximizing the impact.” The faculty, drawn from various departments within MIT including the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, the School of Engineering, and several labs and centers at MIT Sloan School of Management, brought a wealth of diverse perspectives and expertise to the program.
“This program embodies the MIT motto of Mens et Manus–Mind and Hand. It’s not just about what to do but how to create a healthier, safer, more prosperous world for all,” said John Sterman, Jay W. Forrester Professor of Management, Professor of System Dynamics and Engineering Systems, Director of the MIT System Dynamics Group, and one of key faculty members in the program.
Learn more about the MIT Bain Sustainability in Action Executive Education program.
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