The Plato Project: A New Approach to Business School

Ideas - by Open Journal

The Plato Project is a new business school with a focus on growth mindset, mindfulness and triple bottom line business outcomes.

Long-time frustration with existing education models is now being openly discussed by government, student groups and industry alike.

The concept of the Plato Project was born from the successes and failures experienced in founders, James Tutton, Omar de Silva and Mark McCoach’s own personal and professional lives. What became clear from building teams within the business they’d been involved with was that finding employees with the right balance between technical and non-technical skills (those of emotional, cultural and mindfulness attributes) was far from easy. Combined with an inherent passion for education, the founders of the Plato Project set on a path to fill a gap in the market.

The past decade, underscored by the global financial crisis, has highlighted the need for a more mindful, conscious capitalism.

“For us entrepreneurial success means wealth creation and effective social impact,” Tutton says.

“I think we are going through a major shift where individuals and the companies they work with are seeking to bring purpose into what they do. The potential for impact in their spheres of influence is tremendously exciting,” he adds.

International research indicates that trustworthy, for-benefit, business cultures now outperform peer organisations in long-term success, while The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2016 has found that the largest segment of the workforce, young professionals, are choosing organisations that share their personal values.

The Plato Project is envisaged to be a hybrid of General Assembly, Smiling Mind and the London School of Economics.

“The Plato Project is a new business school with a focus on growth mindset, mindfulness and triple bottom line business outcomes,” explains Plato Project CEO, Omar de Silva. “We are creating an online and face-to-face program that takes the best technology, academics and learning tools to help support both entrepreneurs and business leaders. At the heart of our thinking is the idea that personal and emotional evolution and the “soft” skills that surround this growth are equally as important as the technical skills.”

Omar de Silva has a background in innovative approaches to higher education, coming to The Plato Project with an aim to educate and mentor the next generation of globally aware, strategically minded, creatively driven professionals.

The Plato Project has two key parts. The Academy, where people can enrol in single subjects or the full program, an alternative to the typical MBA program to learn new skills that can provide the foundation for life and professional growth.
“We also offer The Dialogue – a free platform with editorial from around the world on issues, thinking and ideas that our community is passionate about. Community is key for us so we have a rolling schedule of events which enables connectivity amongst our tribe,” Omar adds.

The content is all available online to enable students to adapt their learning style to their existing schedules. Bypassing clunky Learning Management Systems, content can be accessed via an app on the train, waiting for a coffee or in between meetings, with structured support provided if and when it’s required. Coursework is complemented by a permanent series of events to connect, debate and share ideas and lessons.

The Plato Project launches this week, with courses available in Innovation, Mindful Leadership and Entreprenurship.