What do executive education institutions really have to offer?

David L. Dinwoodie, Deputy General Director, EADA.

There is nothing like a visit to a top-notch, friendly competitor to spark reflection regarding one’s own organization and that of the entire industry that one competes in. My visit last week to Instituto de Empresa in Madrid has left me with this tormenting question, "What do executive education institutions really have to offer to the corporate world and in what format can it be delivered?"

As traditional MBA enrolments dip we search for new formulas to deliver lengthy, solid, value packed programmes rich in cases, projects and competency building. In short, excellent masters programmes that to my mind are getting better and better across the board. My corporate clients seem to be quite positive about the new and improved programmes while at the same time they seem be shouting for something radically new and different to "top-up" their executives with doses of THEIR corporate reality.

We recently went to our main corporate clients to flush out the elements that they feel their managers needed "topping-up" in: leadership, change, transformation, flexibility, leadership, culture, complication, diversity, differences, leadership, turbulence, leadership, innovation and leadership....

....Not courses in these topics, rather, a transformation process. An individual transformation that builds their ability to steer the course. To operate across hierarchy, across functions, across organizations, across sectors, across borders, across cultures, across identities. To lead across a myriad of differences.

I would suggest that universities must be excellent transmitters of information for young, inexperienced minds. Business schools must be excellent at developing programmes to train strategic thinkers with solid managerial competencies and skills. Executive education institutions must be excellent providers of a transformation process; a very up-close and personal facilitation of growth.

It has been interesting to watch over the last 10-15 years how training institutions have been drawn together to collaborate on programme design and delivery. Globalization gave birth to joint programmes, joint activities and joint degrees. A positive step for the world of business education, I think.

I now look forward to seeing how we come together to jointly provide and facilitate the executive transformation process.

Tags(clickable): Executive Education, Business Education, Leadership, Business School