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Creating Value Through Executive EducationAuthor: Bertrand Moingeon, HEC, Paris As businesses are confronted by markets which are increasingly global in nature but less and less predictable, they need executives and managers who are capable of managing complex issues and of challenging the status quo. Companies' borders are themselves constantly being challenged by the numerous strategic alliances and organisations in ;he network. Moreover, intangible assets now have a central place in the strategic management of companies which are increasingly virtual in nature. The period where control of a technology was enough to give a company a lasting source of competitive advantage is over. Today the real source of competitive advantage lies in learning capabilities. In this context, companies expect business schools to help them to become learning organisations. At HEC Paris, the Executive Development Center has developed an internationally recognised expertise in the subject of changing organisational structure and of individual and collective knowledge creation and knowledge sharing. The HEC Executive Development Center helps partner companies to become global learning organisations. The range of international open programmes has been developed so that participants are placed in a truly multi-cultural environment. Executives and managers, as well as professors come from a large variety of countries. The HEC Executive Development Center itself offers training programmes combining the expertise of HEC with that of partner business schools. One of the longest standing of these consortium programmes is the Programme for International Managers in Europe (PRIME). PRIME was conceived in February 1997 by HEC in conjunction with five other European Business Schools: Copenhagen Business School (Denmark), Erasmus University (Netherlands), SDA Bocconi (Italy), WU-Wien, (Austria) and ESADE Business School (Spain). It is an executive course which provides a global approach to management whilst also emphasising cultural diversities in Europe. Each of the five, one-week modules is held at one of the different business schools which also gives participants valuable insight into the business practices and customs of that country. "The cross-cultural experience was an eye-opener. The programme enabled me to enhance my vision of the European economic context." states Kitty Heeremans, a participant on PRIME '98 who works for the Rotterdam Port Authorities. Francois Argouges, a participant from Hewlett Packard is of the same opinion: "PRIME is a very interesting concept which deepens the fundamentals of management in a truly international and multi-cultural environment." A learning company can build upon and share knowledge, even if initially this knowledge is held by only one person. This is one of the beliefs central to the Executive Development Center's philosophy. Even in the case of an open-programme, the training leads participants to consider the practical application and how to best disseminate the acquired information. The practice of coaching allows this process to be made easier. A manager who attends one of the range of open programmes has his or her own coach who meets with them at the end of the programme. The objective of these meetings is to work on the practical application of these new skills within the participant's company and the way in which his or her colleagues can benefit from them. One can cite as an example HEC's Global Leadership. This programme takes place in a modular form with one week in the US, the next in Europe and the final week in Asia. Clearly the global aspect is heavily emphasised and the cultural diversity offered to participants is immense. Furthermore the continuation and practical application of the learning process is actively encouraged by the employment of Action Learning Projects. Participants are given topics on which to work in the interim periods between modules. Back up is provided by senior executives of the company and the projects are always of strategic relevance to the company. One company team on Global Leadership 1998 addressed the problem of customer relations and how to realise the customer's full potential. As regards in-company programmes, the design is geared towards participants acquiring collective knowledge which allows the participant to become a powerful lever of change and of culture- management of the partner company. The use of new technology is something the Executive Development Center is keen to emphasise. Websites specific to in-company programmes have been developed by the Center. Participants can visit these sites to access documentary data and on-line tutorials. They can download articles made available by Professors, make suggestions and exchange ideas. They can also take part in net-meetings within the context of the action learning projects described previously. The website is a powerful tool for distance learning and knowledge sharing which adds a further dimension to our executive programmes. The objective of HEC Executive Development Center is to help make companies become true 'communities'. The new International Management Programme is just one illustration of this innovative approach. Aimed at senior and high potential managers, this highly flexible programme is taught by a combined team of faculty from HEC, Harvard Business School, London Business School, INSEAD, Erasmus University, London School of Economics and the University of Michigan Business School. Designed in five self-contained modules, the IMP allows participants to 'and match' depending on their particular requirements. This takes into account the fact that managers have less time available for attending programmes and they desire more flexible approaches to learning. The IMP allows any module to be attended independently of the other sessions. HEC sees flexibility as a key competitive advantage for staying at the forefront of executive education and intends to build on it as it enters the next Millennium. More than ever before, companies who can show real learning capabilities will be the leaders of tomorrow.
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