Breaking Barriers: GIM Students Shine at Oxford’s Global Systems Challenge
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At the global finals, the Goa Institute of Management created history as the first Indian business school chosen for the esteemed Map the System competition sponsored by the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship of the University of Oxford. Indian tertiary education will benefit greatly from this. This achievement shows GIM’s devotion to academic achievement as well as its commitment to motivate pupils to examine society problems objectively and critically. From July 3 to July 6, 2025, at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, were held the global finals of “The Competition”. Of over 1,750 participants from all over, the GIM student group excelled to rank among the top 10% and joined the 134 student finalists representing 50 colleges in 17 further countries. Before arriving on the international platform, these contenders had already triumphed in their respective national and local contests. The System Map offers the usual business case a one-of-a-kind challenge. Rather it instructs pupils to apply systems thinking methods in order to understand complex social and environmental problems. Participants must develop verbal, visual, and written presentations that show the underlying core causes, structures, and relationships behind major societal issues by means of extensive research. Conducted their project “Mapping Access to Justice in India,” which India presented at the Oxford finals, the GIM team comprised second-year Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) students Aryan Rajpal, Shubham Das, Dhruv Bhagat, Aditi Naringe, and Yash Kabra. They investigated the several difficulties preventing Indians from getting just and timely legal assistance. Their originality, careful analysis, and systems knowledge were assessed. Rather than only looking at the backlog of cases in courts, a regular subject of public debate, the GIM team investigated underlying structural problems like weak infrastructure, antiquated attitudes in legal systems, and a lack of accountability systems. Under the supervision of faculty mentors Prof. Pravat Surya Kar (Marketing), Prof. Andy Silveria, and Prof. Karman Khanna (Communication), the team unravelled the complexity of India’s legal system using systems thinking models like as the Iceberg Model and causal loop diagrams. Their study found Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) to be a feasible solution for change since it offers easy access, technology-enabled options beyond the traditional court system. Oxford’s three-day conclusion featured live events, seminars, talks, and networking opportunities with changemakers and peers from across the globe. The candidates showed their research in front of an international panel of social entrepreneurs, politicians, academic leaders, and systems change experts. Prof. Ajit Parulekar, Director of the Goa Institute of Management, remarked, “I send best wishes to the team for this amazing accomplishment. Their qualification for the global finals reflects their strong commitment to systems thinking and social insight—qualities at the heart of the Map the System challenge. ” He was very happy about this feat. Though only the top three teams received financial rewards, all finalists—including GIM’s—were urged to investigate means of utilizing their findings, distribute their work, and build relationships with worldwide organizations addressing similar challenges. “We are absolutely delighted for the chance to represent India and the Goa Institute of Management internationally,” said the GIM team. This meeting has provided us much insight and let us go beyond easy fixes to grasp the basic processes at work in real-life situations. Our development as future change agents has been enhanced by every step, from exhaustive investigation to the pleasant atmosphere of Oxford. Being selected as a global finalist in Map the System is sometimes regarded as a major success in both personally and professionally in each of those spheres. It enables people to apply for international scholarships, work with nonprofits and think tanks, and get invites to speak at major academic and political events. It shows the intellectual and personal growth of the GIM team as well as an inspirational influence to India’s voice in the world struggle for institutional reform.
