Education for global executives: empowering organizations

Latin Trade, Sept, 2005 by Richard Westlund

To be a manager in today's competitive global economy means being more agile than ever. Companies need leaders who can think strategically, act quickly and move their organizations forward with best practices, international perspective and creative abilities. Universities in the Americas and overseas are responding to these needs with innovative programs that are both topically relevant and sophisticated in their delivery.

Consider the motto of the Stanford Graduate School of Business: "Change lives. Change organizations. Change the world." The words illustrate the far-reaching mission that educational institutions throughout the Americas are adopting for the corporate world. Stronger leadership skills, more cohesive teams, a more entrepreneurial culture, and greater efficiency in day-to-day operations are among the benefits.

For instance, a team from Hasbro turned to Tuck Executive Education at Dartmouth for a customized program on how to make its brands more relevant to a Latin American audience. "We saw a clear benefit to the company," says Clark Callahan, Tuck's executive director. "Hasbro learned about the critical branding issues, and created action teams that made recommendations to senior management."

These kinds of alliances are occurring throughout the region. When Farmacias Ahumada of Chile acquired a Mexican pharmaceutical retailer, it partnered with the Graduate School of Business Administration and Leadership (EGADE) at the Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico. "We developed a program that successfully transformed their retail managers into business unit managers," said Jaime Alonso Gomez, dean of EGADE.

Up-and-coming executives at multinational companies learn the best strategies to enter foreign markets in a course taught by Professor Martin S. Roth, executive director of the International MBA program at the Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina. "In addition to classroom sessions, our students meet in a virtual setting online that mirrors the way many managers have to work today. That builds their communication skills, as well as their ability to analyze business situations."

In Mexico, a recent graduate of Universidad Virtual (Virtual University) of Tecnologico de Monterrey used his expertise with online technology to build "chat" and instant messaging (IM) channels within his organization, greatly increasing internal efficiency and productivity.

Executive education delivers tangible and intangible benefits for Latin American companies. ITAM in Mexico recently developed a customized management development program for Mexican and Central American executives of a global multinational. Monica Sacristan Fanjul, dean of university extension at ITAM in Mexico City, says, "The company has been able to see a clear return on investment on the program. Just a couple of projects brought back by their students have more than returned all their expenditures. In addition, the program has helped foster a shared culture based on striving for excellence."

MANY PROGRAM OPTIONS

Organizations today have a wide array of options for educating their global executives:

TRADITIONAL ONE- OR TWO-YEAR GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS. Typically, students attend classes full-time on a university campus to earn a master of business administration (MBA) or equivalent degree. Students may sign up on their own for these programs in order to improve their individual skills, and many companies pay at least a portion of an employee's tuition. "All MBA programs are becoming global, one way or another" says Joel A. Smith III, dean of the Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina. "We're also seeing more specialization within MBA offerings, such as focusing on finance, marketing or supply chain management."

EXECUTIVE MBA PROGRAMS. Students enroll in a specially tailored EMBA program, attending classes on weekends or in online sessions while still working for their employers. "We have observed that business schools are definitely offering more Executive MBA programs," says Jerry Trapnell, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International--The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, based in Tampa, Florida. "These programs are conveniently scheduled on the weekend or on a part-time basis."

"EXECUTIVE EDUCATION" AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS. These shorter-term educational programs typically focus on certain aspects of business, such as leadership, logistics, finance or marketing; some students receive certificates upon completion. "Certificate programs are highly valued by companies," says Sacristan. "An executive education certificate is very valuable for a student when looking for a job or a promotion."

DISTANCE-LEARNING PROGRAMS. By utilizing the Internet and other communications tools, students can earn a degree or certificate without having to attend on-campus classes. These types of flexible learning programs are ideal for executives who travel frequently or cannot attend a nearby university. Other universities combine the distance-learning option with intense week-long campus visits or study sessions in international locations.