To strengthen the leadership succession of the Board of Directors (BOD), Indonesia Financial Group (IFG), as a state-owned holding company in the fields of Insurance, Guarantees, and Investments, collaborates with Maxima Impact Consulting to prepare the Board of Directors minus one (BOD-1) through the Community Lab program. This program is designed to provide hands-on and experiential learning to equip BOD-1 with the necessary skills. Through this program, participants are invited to learn directly by addressing the issues faced by the community, as preparation for facing more complex challenges in the future.

Experiential learning, as conducted in the Community Lab program, offers significant advantages over conventional learning methods. According to Kolb (1984) in “Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development,” this approach allows participants to engage directly in the learning process, connect theory with practice, and reflect on their experiences in real-time. This not only enhances knowledge retention but also strengthens their interpersonal skills and problem-solving abilities in real-world situations.

“By integrating the values of AKHLAK (Integrity, Competence, Harmony, Loyalty, Adaptability, and Collaboration) and the design thinking approach focused on Experiential Learning, Maxima encourages participants to develop critical and reflective thinking skills. This enables them to systematically tackle problems,” explained Satya, Project Manager of IFG Community Lab.

After a series of workshops—from brainstorming to social project implementation—participants carried out social projects and lived with the community in Nglanggeran Village, Gunungkidul, Special Region of Yogyakarta, from January 18-21, 2024. Nglanggeran Village was chosen for its alignment with IFG’s background as a non-banking company and the issues faced by the local community.

An interesting story emerged from the Batik group, which explored the main problems of the MSMEs they assisted. “During the workshop, the Batik group participants had already approached the MSMEs that would become their social project. However, upon arriving in Nglanggeran Village, it turned out that the solutions needed by the Batik MSMEs were different from what had been planned previously,” explained Satya.

“This became an important learning process for the Batik group participants because, in analyzing problems, it is crucial to view challenges from a broader perspective and apply the design thinking method,” he added.

The design thinking method offers participants a new perspective to see problems as opportunities and encourages them to actively create innovative solutions oriented to the needs of Batik MSMEs from the bottom up.

Through the Community Lab program, Maxima invites participants to embark on a social learning journey that not only uncovers their synergistic and collaborative potential but also equips them to become leaders capable of facing future challenges more effectively.