Toward impactful university social extensions

While it is true that universities are centers of knowledge creation, what good is this if it is not shared and applied to the society they serve? At the Externado de Colombia University's School of Management, we believe that extension is a fundamental pillar to impact society and where research and education converge.

One of the ways in which universities and specifically business schools can impact society is by supporting micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which provide employment to a large part of the population and contribute to national economies. The Responsible Supply Network is an example of this. The initiative was developed in 2006 by Universidad Externado’s School of Management and the United Nations Global Compact Local Network.

The Network aims to strengthen the management of MSMEs in the country. The work carried out in an articulated manner between companies, civil society, the State, multilateral organizations and academia means that everyday inclusive and sustainable development is promoted more and more in the different links of the supply chains in Colombia. Through business strengthening programs, participating MSMEs seek to improve their competitiveness in order to respond to the needs of the environment while implementing ethical and transparent standards in economic, social and environmental matters.

The Network implies signing an agreement between the University and companies belonging to the Global Compact Network Colombia. The network members must meet certain basic requirements but above all, demonstrate a real commitment to sustainable development and good business practices. Once the agreement is in place, the companies, which are usually large or multinational, provide members of their SME supply chain the opportunity to sign to one or more of the different programs offered at our school of management.

On the one hand, this alliance allows students to work with a real company by acting as junior consultants and helping it solve administration, sustainability, and social responsibility challenges. On the other hand, research professors have the opportunity to carry out research projects with member organizations; last, but not least, it seeks to generate a positive impact on local companies by providing them with a high-quality business consulting service at no monetary cost while anchor companies reduce operational risks and carry out a sustainable management of their supply chain.

So far, the Network is made up of more than 30 large important companies in Colombia and has been able to impact more than 3000 SMEs as well as more than 4000 undergraduate and graduate students who have carried out business consulting processes on topics such as administration, strategic foresight, corporate social responsibility, circular economy, social business, and base of the pyramid businesses.

As for the educational component, the programs resulting from this type of alliance enables students to experience the following. First is having meaningful experiences working with a real organization and help it identify opportunities and generate proposals for improvement. Second is experiencing active learning because students are linked to the business sector, visiting the facilities of companies and exercising a role as expert consultants. Third is social interaction since students work in collaborative teams and are in constant contact with company managers and conduct interviews with employees and stakeholders. Fourth is iteration when performing the diagnosis using interactive tools that can be revisited to feed the information and see results in real-time and correct on the fly. Finally, delight and satisfaction in knowing that the skills and knowledge obtained during their career studies is being applied to a real organization and has a tangible impact.

There is nothing like listening to the sincere words of gratitude from entrepreneurs and managers when presenting the results. By providing students with real-world learning opportunities and enabling local enterprises to adopt sustainable practices, the academia can play a more concrete role in effective positive community change through social extension.