Workshop on Entrepreneurship and New Economy

Last week, the New Economy and Social Innovation (NESI) Forum did a workshop with about 30 of our students. The workshop was meant to raise awarness on the difference between classical and new economy and to make the students compare the pros and cons of the system we live in and the system we could live in. All of this was done is a very creative and entertaining way: a role-playing game. The main goals were to promote reflexion and debate, and to develop argument building, among others. But let me explain step by step how it went.

After a short introduction on what «classical economy» and «new economy» mean, participants were asked to pick a small piece of paper out of a bag. In every piece of paper, they would find out what their role in the game was. There were nine roles:

• Entrepreneur in the New Economy
• Entrepreneur in classical economy
• Worker in the New Economy
• Worker in classical economy
• Supplier in the New Economy
• Supplier in classical economy
• Customer in the New Economy
• Customer in classical economy
• Administration

According to the role they picked, students then had to split into nine groups. Each person had to embody their role and defend their category’s beliefs, together with their teammates. Each group was also given a nameplate: a blue plate for the teams who supported the New Economy, a red one for those who supported classical economy, and a yellow one for the administration, that was neutral.

When all the teams were formed and sitting together, participants were given fifteen minutes to discuss their roles and prepare for debate. On the whiteboard, some clues were shown about the main features and arguments in favor of each position. The first part of the debate was an orderly introduction of the pros of each system by every one of the teams. The team who would begin was randomly chosen and the administration was left for last. All the arguments were really good and the students went straight to the point. They were so good that, when the first round was over, it smoothly turned into a lively debate. Here are some of the points that they brought up:

New Economy:

• It works toward fair trade with suppliers.
• It prefers eco-friendly materials and resources.
• Everyone, from suppliers to bosses, takes part in the company’s decision-making process.
• It is based on the cooperation among companies.
• People work in a healthy and positive environment.
• Social benefits are valued more than economic benefits.

Classical economy:

• Saving on materials and resources is the main objective.
• Decisions are made only by the head of the company, otherwise agreements could never be reached.
• Competition with and predominance over other companies is fundamental.
• Obtaining the greatest economic benefit is the main concern.

When time was almost over, the debate was cut off (unfortunately). The students were asked to give their feedback by describing the workshop with one word. Then, right before leaving, they were asked how many people thought their role matched their real beliefs. It was interesting to notice that only students with blue nameplates (New Economy) raised their hands. It means that things might change in the future.

We hope we will have more educational and thought-provoking workshops like this very soon. In the meanwhile, we also hope that we have encouraged you to try this one out. You will not be disappointed!