Bee-ing a Dream Green Team
Taking a break from the fast-life to better work together thanks to Permanagement !
This garden was created by Team of Internships and Profesionnal experiences of ESCP BS with the support of Natwork (founded by an EMBA alumnus, Julien MARCEL).Through this project, the team has discovered the concepts of permaculture and permanagement (an analogy created by Natwork). They had the opportunity to go from theory to practice and to implement the key learnings of the day.
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This Autum garden highlights two analogies between nature and business management: the importance of diversity and (eco)systemic thinking.
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"Mirroring Nature and human organisations sheds a new light on management. To be able to contribute to the transformations to come, it is key to grasp such new perspectives, always with a critical mind".
Prof. Yannick Meiller, Associate Dean of the MIM
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"The Permanagement day gave us the opportunity to take an introspective look at our mission within ESCP BS, but above all at our professional and human skills. The analogy between our team and our garden enabled us to find our rightful place within our department and within the institution. A unique and highly beneficial experience for all of us."
Jessica Mosquera
Head of Internships & Work Experience Service I Students Experience Department
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​This work has been supported by the ESCP Foundation as part of the project "Sustainable Agriculture and Management – an impactful inspiration”. There is funding available for other permaculture/permanagement workshops ( for students and the staff) - if you want to know more or if you want to suggest ideas, contact Prof. Yannick Meiller.
The Autumn Garden
Location:
Determine the specific characteristics of the soil: clean, clayey, sandy, chalky or silty soil, which can be enhanced with green manure, mulch, compost, volcanic siliceous rock powder, peat or potting compost, depending on its type, its exposure and orientation, in relation to the surrounding urban development and sunshine, with south and west being ideal, at a rate of 6 hours a day.
The ollas :
Made from clay or porous ceramic (not glazed), this amphora used as a water reservoir is an ancestral technique of underground irrigation by natural seepage, feeding the plants placed around it at root level.
Buried and filled to the neck with water, it saves 50-70% of water compared with conventional watering.
Plants :
By classifying plants according to their symbiosis, you can organise your garden as follows:
- the most fragile are placed in the centre, to optimise their protection,
- Nourishing plants are placed around them, providing the nutrition the soil needs,
- Protectors form a barrier against predators and pests.
This garden, created on the first day of autumn 2024, has been designed to suit the season. So we sowed and planted :
- lettuce and cabbage in the centre,
- turnip, mustard and phacelia around it,
- parsley and coriander as a protective barrier.
MANAGEMENT & PERMACULTURE
What is permaculture ?
​Permaculture is an innovative approach to culture that aims to create self-sufficient and sustainable ecosystems. It can improve resilience to environmental changes, maintaining soil efficiency and reducing costs. It is based on 3 core ethics: earth care, people care and fair share.
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What is permanagement ?
Permanagement is a translation of permaculture to management. It explains how to apply the permaculture principles and ethics to the management sphere to create a better future.
It’s a managerial framework supporting organizational and cultural changes. It fosters sustainability, resilience, well-being, and innovation of any type of groups and organizations. ​
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To have more information : click here
Listen to what they have to say about their experience with Natwork!
"Taking inspiration from nature to grow as a team and taking part in the team building activity at ESCP was a transformative experience. Through the lens of permaculture, we learned to observe and interact with our ecosystem. It was fascinating to see how understanding nature can enrich our professional relationships and foster a sense of community within our team." Sedrak
"This permaculture day taught us how to design an optimised garden that is sustainable.
The transposition of this approach to permanagement is a mirror that highlights the symbiosis within our team and the company.
A big thank you to Julien, thanks to whom we were able to cement the bonds that unite us, in a joyful and fun way." Lydie
Fun Fact !
"Our mission was to build a pretty little garden, but we were all trying to destroy a wooden pallet, like amateur carpenters. Digging in the earth, we even felt that our weight wasn't enough to support the power of the hoe to turn the soil. We got dirt on our hands and feet, but we enjoyed it;
At our lunch, as we came from different countries, we shared food from around the world and discussed some interesting French hypotheses. We really like our international team." Shuyu
A Seed of Poetry
"Un vent souffle dans les rues printanières de Paris.
Se baladant à la recherche d'un partenaire de danse, le vent frôle la branche d'un arbre, une graine s'en envole.
Menée par le vent, la graine tourbillonne dans une valse folle, à travers les rues, chatouille quelques piétons qui éternuent. Longtemps le vent ne lâche pas la graine, la conduisant loin de son point de départ. Finalement, il la libère.
La graine récupère de son trajet et se repose dans les bras de la terre. Fortifiée par sa sieste, la graine devient une pousse, qui se dirige vers le ciel comme si elle voulait l'atteindre. Une nouvelle danse envoûtante commence, avec le soleil, la pluie, le vent.
La plante est entraînée de tous les côtés, doit s'enraciner pour ne pas trébucher dans cette valse étourdissante.
Au fil du temps, la plante devient plus forte et c'est maintenant elle qui mène la danse, elle qui choisit ses pas."
Zuzanna
A Permaculture Journey, A Start in Permanagement
As members of the ESCP Paris internship service team, our participation in the permaculture workshop was an eye-opening experience. We explored how permaculture principles can be applied to our professional environment, which totally transformed our vision of teamwork.
During the workshop, we learned to observe and interact with our work ecosystem. This enabled us to understand the importance of relationships and interactions between us. Each member of our team brings unique skills to the table, and harnessing these talents has strengthened our cohesion and effectiveness.
We realised that our individual actions have an impact on the collective. This awareness encourages us to work together more effectively and to create an environment where everyone feels involved and respected. We also addressed the notion of sustainability, not only in our work but also in our relationships. By cultivating a space of trust and mutual support, we can develop a resilient team, capable of adapting to challenges.
Find out more about the Internship Team and their Mission
They provide support for our students throughout their professional experience, until they graduate and enter the job market.
Once our students have found an internship or other type of work experience, our team ensures that internship agreements are legally drawn up in compliance with the law and the rules of each programme, as well as processing requests for other types of contract.
Throughout the work experience, our team provides support and advice to students. This personalised support ranges from helping them make their academic choices and develop a career plan to resolving conflicts during their work experience.
Our aim is to ensure that their work experience is a success and that they create strong links with the various partner companies.