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Algerian Higher School of Business (ESAA): A look back at a digital transformation accelerated by the health crisis.

While the entire world is affected by an unprecedented health crisis, the challenge of digitalization has never been as crucial as it is today. For the Algerian Higher School of Business (ESAA), which had begun to develop its digital strategy in 2019, the health crisis has accelerated the momentum already in place. A look back at the efforts that allowed the Business School to be one step ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the beginning of 2019, one of the strategic directions established by Mr. Karim Kiared, Director General of ESAA, was digitalization with its share of technological and organizational changes. “We started by upgrading the IT and electrical infrastructure as well as improving and stabilizing the internet connection,” explains Abdelghani Zabour, Head of Information Systems at the Algerian Higher School of Business.

Digitalization to adapt to the “New normal”

Whether it concerns students or employees, the objective was the same: to stimulate the collaborative trend, cultivate flexibility and agility in order to prepare them to work in a global environment that has become more Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA). Indeed, the situation we have been experiencing since the beginning of the pandemic confirms the need for economic players to adapt their mode of operation and team management.

In this vein, ESAA launched the online registration portal in August 2020 to dematerialize the registration process, allowing students to fill out forms and submit the necessary documents through its website. “To our great surprise, we saw the number of applications double compared to previous years. At the same time, we launched the online payment portal for registration fees and we plan to include tuition fees soon. None of this would have been possible without the efforts of Ms. HAMIDI Khadidja – Head of Competitions and Admissions at ESAA, who very quickly embraced the digitalization process of the profession she has been practicing for more than fifteen years, almost since the school was founded,” says the Head of Information Systems at ESAA, who does not fail to point out that for the business school, this dematerialization of processes towards a “zero paper” objective is in addition to other CSR practices that demonstrate its societal commitment.

In addition, “we have equipped classrooms with cameras and provided teachers and students with a videoconferencing platform that allows screen sharing, class recording and many other features to deliver and follow courses remotely,” he adds.

Indeed, during 2020, while schools and educational institutions had to abruptly suspend their programs, or even close their doors following the increase in cases of COVID-19 contamination, ESAA was able to continue to provide active learning to its students, offering them the opportunity to follow courses online while having real and regular interactions with teachers, in synchronous or asynchronous mode. The school also allowed its teaching and non-teaching staff to continue working safely during the lockdown period, inviting them to switch to teleworking. “We provided all employees with remote access to ESAA networks and data as well as an internal collaboration tool so that they could work from a different location outside the school and maintain relationships with each other and with students and partners. This allowed us to continue activities that require human interaction even during the lockdown. Meetings, work sessions and training sessions could be easily done via videoconference,” explains Abdelghani Zabour. Thus, beyond maintaining its activities, ESAA participated in the collective effort to contain the spread of the virus.

Digitalization is above all a “Mindset”

‘‘We knew that this digitalizationcould only be a success if students, teaching and non-teaching staff were involved.Thechallenge was therefore to successfully complete the transformation without leaving anyone behind. This is what we did through communication and training, especially with the most reluctant,’’ recalls Mr. Zabour, who is pleased, along with the faculty, employees and students, to have succeeded, thanks to the support of management and the will and involvement of all, in meeting the challenge of successfully completing the teaching program for the 2020-2021 academic year. ‘‘This year, we are better prepared and equipped. We have gained flexibility and agility. We have no difficulty maintaining our activities and switching to distance learning during the lockdown period’’, he adds.

Distance learning, maintaining activities… What’s next?

For ESAA, digitalization is more than a response to the pandemic, the school aims to continue its efforts to perpetuate its digital transformation and as proof, other projects are underway, in particular, the implementation of an ERP to centralize the management of all departments. The ERP will also allow employees to collect data and use it to make more informed decisions (Business Intelligence).

This digital transformation is also an essential asset for ESAA in its pursuit of excellence. Indeed, the school, which is now positioned among the best Business Schools on the African continent (rankings: Jeune Afrique and EDUNIVERSAL), has recently embarked on an accreditation process in collaboration with the international organization EFMD. This process was initiated by Mr. Karim Kiared, Director General of ESAA in 2019, with the aim of registering the school in the closed circle of Business Schools offering accredited programs, of which there are 2 in Africa and 133 worldwide.