“We create knowledge. We develop leaders. We are changing the world for the better” is the mission of the Graduate School of Management of St. Petersburg University (GSOM SPbU). What values form the updated mission? What role do they play in the successful implementation of the Business School's development strategy? Olga Dergunova, Deputy Chairman of the Board of VTB Bank, Director of GSOM SPbU, discussed the importance of values ​​for building a successful organization at a meeting with students of the Business School as part of the Management Career Week (MCW).

According to Olga Dergunova, values ​​are the cultural code by which people recognize each other: in large companies it helps to formulate tasks and find solutions to problems. The Business School has specific values: they must meet both the challenges of science and the requirements of employers and the labor market. It is equally important to comprehend the current international agenda and follow the spirit of the world's leading business schools. “When we worked on the strategy of GSOM SPbU, formulated ideas and set goals, we imagined what kind of specialists we want to see next to us, what qualities and views these people should have. Not astronauts, but ordinary people achieve great goals,” said Olga Dergunova.

GSOM has defined its values. So they are:

• continuous development;
• responsible leadership;
• openness and multiculturalism;
• customer focus;
• a team of like-minded people;
• professionalism.

Describing the values, Olga Dergunova noted that they are all interconnected and they are the principles that GSOM SPbU adheres to in its work. “The main result of the Business School's work is alumni who will be successful and in demand in the labor market, it means they will be professionals. Further, the value of professionalism goes alongside responsible leadership: the willingness to take responsibility for the decisions made and for the way to achieve the result. And all these values ​​should be the basis on which the Business School's activities are based on,” shared the Director of GSOM SPbU.

Встраивание ценностей в образовательные программы станет целью ВШМ СПбГУ на 2021 год. Например, принципы ESG (англ. environmental – экология, social – социальное развитие, governance – корпоративное управление) войдут в структуру курсов — от математики и программирования до маркетинга. 

Making the values ​​part of all educational programs will be the goal of GSOM SPbU for 2021. For example, the principles of ESG (environmental, social development, corporate governance) will be included in the structure of courses — from mathematics and programming to marketing.

At the same time, values ​​are not static postulates; they can and should change in order to remain relevant to the demands of the time. “If you or generations of future students have different ideas about values, we will change them together. Then the process of improving the Business School will be constant and continuous. Our task is not only to formulate a strategy, but to observe how it is being implemented and changing in accordance with time, and the values will ​​help us in this,” added Olga Dergunova.

The students were interested in how important business principles are for an educational institution, how quickly they can change and how long it takes to implement them, as well as examples of the decision-making based on values and the benefits of higher education for a modern person.

From March 22 to March 28, during the MCW 2021: Spring panel discussions, workshops, career consultations, a business hackathon and a digital HR buffet were held for Business School's students. VTB Bank, L'oreal, PwC, Procter & Gamble, Avito, Lenta and other Russian companies were corporate partners of the event.