A Look Inside INSEAD’s Blue Ocean Strategy Elective

After spending the previous semesters at INSEAD’s Singapore and Abu Dhabi campuses, I have finally arrived at its birthplace, the historic Fontainebleau. It is here that INSEAD’s legacy in strategy and innovation began. 

As a former management consultant, it feels particularly meaningful for me to take the elective of Blue Ocean Strategy, a globally renowned framework that INSEAD pioneered. In hindsight, the elective not only allowed me to win the championship in the Blue Ocean Strategy Competition. It also taught me the criticality of differentiation. Beyond the framework, I walked away with a powerful lesson that in both career and life, we don’t have to follow the usual competitive pathway, we can create our own “blue ocean”.

One of the most impactful strategies

In 2023, the Harvard Business Review selected Blue Ocean Strategy as one of the most influential and innovative ideas published in the last 100 years. The authors of the strategy, W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, were also honoured as two of the four leading thinkers, alongside Michael Porter and the late Clayton Christensen. So, what exactly is the strategy?

The Blue Ocean Strategy is a strategy framework that focuses on creating a new market where competition is minimal. Visually, the “red ocean” represents existing markets where companies compete fiercely. The “blue ocean” symbolises unexplored waters, new and untapped market spaces. 

The key idea is to shift from competing in crowded markets to creating new demand by focusing on differentiation and value realisation. In a world where companies go toe-to-toe, the Blue Ocean Strategy stands out as a spot to build long-lasting ventures.

Bridging theoretical concepts and reality

Facilitated by Professor Ilze Kivleniece, this elective blended two parts: understanding the theory through immersive virtual reality (VR), then applying it in a real-world competition. Delivered through 14 carefully constructed sessions, the first part provided us with a hands-on dive into the key concepts, frameworks, and tools of the Blue Ocean strategy. The second part gave us an opportunity to try out the logic and methods in real business settings.

To help us better understand how companies broke out of the red ocean, Professor Kivleniece used case studies together with theory-based videos. Coming from a family business background of commercial properties, I was struck by the case of Accor’s Hotel F1. Instead of competing with traditional hotels on service and luxury, Hotel F1 stripped away non-essential features and focused on delivering clean, safe, and highly standardised accommodations at low prices. It differentiated itself among the crowds through innovations like self-service check-in, modular room design, and minimal staffing. 

By doing so, Hotel F1 successfully escaped the “red ocean” and attracted a new segment of customers, who valued reliability and affordability. Inspired by this story, I brainstormed with my family office during the same week, and successfully identified several untapped markets together with our team.

In addition, the course incorporated virtual reality (VR) to bring strategy concepts to life in the classroom. Through using the VR headsets, we stepped into an immersive experience to reimagine how Château de Fontainebleau could address customers’ pain points. This technology boosted the learning experience by enabling me to see and feel the details of the clients like never before. It also greatly enhanced my memory, as the visceral sense of context kept me more engaged than passive case reading. By using VR, I didn’t just learn the Blue Ocean concepts, I experienced them.

The final session was the Blue Ocean Strategy Competition. Each study group was asked to present its solution to a real-world challenge by applying the Blue Ocean Strategy framework. Our team was honoured to win the championship, but the true reward was the experience itself. 

Through the process, we practised thinking empathetically from the customer’s perspective, identifying real pain points, eliminating what no longer added value, and enhancing or creating features that mattered. It was a powerful lesson in how strategy is not just about absolute competitive advantages, but also examination through a new perspective.

Innovating your career amidst change

As our MBA journey comes to an end, many are focused on securing the right job. In a rapidly evolving world, it’s equally important to take a step back and think long-term.

 Today’s career environment is shaped by disruption — from Generative AI and automation to hybrid work and global mobility.   The old playbook of climbing corporate ladders is becoming less relevant. New roles will be created, while outdated roles will be diminished.

To truly thrive, we must think more strategically, not just about where we want to work, but also about what unique value we can create.

To do that, we should future-proof ourselves. That means taking a Blue Ocean approach and shifting our mindset from competition to creation. Rather than chasing roles that are popular today, we should focus on identifying unmet needs, looking for emerging spaces, and building capabilities that position us ahead of the curve. 

For example, many companies are expanding overseas to the Middle East and Latin America; some organisations are recruiting for new roles, such as AI Ethicist and Climate Transition Risk Analyst. 

MBA students face the decision of choosing between well-established paths and a “do-it-yourself” approach. These trends are pushing us to eliminate outdated assumptions, future-proof our skillsets, and craft roadmaps that align with our strengths and the evolving needs of the world. In a world where everyone’s fighting to get into the same room, the smartest move might be to build a different door.

Five years ago, I created and founded a first-of-its-kind education programme at my consulting firm. Aimed at bridging the gap between university education and the skills needed to excel in the post-academic world, the programme has empowered thousands of students across four continents. 

The programme assisted many students in receiving job offers from prestigious multinational companies, and many of the students have remained in close contact with me.  Many continue to seek my advice on MBA applications, job opportunities, and occasionally, life decisions. Looking back, I realised that I was applying a Blue Ocean strategy to help them advance their careers:

1. In MBA applications, don’t compete with a pool of professionals on Ivy League credentials or certificates, but differentiate by bringing unique value.
2. In job hunting, don’t compete with a pool of candidates solely on performance or fast-track achievements, but differentiate by offering distinctive insights.
3. In your life journey, don’t compete with a pool of talents on conventional metrics; instead, differentiate yourself by carving an original path aligned with your aspirations.

Creating your own Blue Ccean

If I can encapsulate my INSEAD MBA experience into one line, it would be this: Stay authentic to yourself and forge your own path beyond existing competition. It unintentionally resonated with the core principles of the Blue Ocean Strategy:

1. If you identify a niche field with untapped potential that few explore, why compete in crowded spaces?
2. If you are choosing between a big-name company and a boutique firm that excites you, why not choose the environment where you can create unique value and stand out?
3. If you uncover an opportunity overlooked by others, why not seize it to innovate and craft a unique space free from competition?

Creating your own Blue Ocean means choosing a direction that reflects who you are, not just following what others are doing. 

Instead of competing for the same jobs, titles, or goals, it’s about spotting new opportunities and areas where needs are not yet met or where few people are looking. It’s about probing yourself: what problems can I solve that others aren’t solving yet? In a fast-changing world, the best way to stand out is not by doing more of the same, but by offering something different.

This article was originally published in Poets and Quants.