Focusing on success

Execution management is one of a number of trends and issues, identified as hot topics for today’s business, being addressed throughout 2006 in a series of short, highly focused courses: the Short Focused Program Series, run by IESE Business School.

Designed for senior managers – results-oriented and time-poor – the courses provide a multi-functional, multi-sector, topic-based approach. IESE combines real-life case studies, discussion, transformational insights and radical thinking to help generate revolutionary, but practical, solutions to attendees’ ongoing business problems. Mark Wuijten, Programme Director at the IESE Business School, spoke to CXO to elaborate further.

CXO. Why does a school like IESE see the need for three-day courses?

MW. Our programs are designed for senior managers that are results-oriented and time-poor. IESE has identified the hottest business topics and dedicate one program to each one of them. The three days offer a uniquely focused and concentrated learning experience.

CXO. How do you find state-of-the-art subjects for the course? Could you give an example of a recent and successful course?

MW. We have three main sources: IESE research, corporate clients and IESE alumni.
An excellent example of a successful course is the program that carries the name “Getting Things Done”. All too often, when a business strategy founders, the mistakes are not in the strategy but in the execution. Historically, the importance of this most fundamental of business skills has often been overlooked by managers and CEOs in favour of newer, more esoteric strategies. However, for us, ‘getting things done’ – that most deceptively simple of phrases – is one of the key issues affecting today’s business world.

Led by Professor J Pfeffer, visiting professor at IESE and world-renowned expert on management, leadership and human resources, the course will help executives understand and exploit the complex series of interrelationships needed to successfully implement manage and monitor business strategies. Participants learn how to identify sources of power and use them to build influence; how to understand and leverage an organisation’s political landscape; and how to measure, evaluate and adjust performance to cope with today’s rapidly changing conditions.

For an overview of the recent programs, please visit www.iese.edu/SFP.

CXO. How do you measure the impact of the courses?

MW. We use a set of tools, the most innovative being a platform that allows us to monitor the program of objectives that were set by the participant during the program, until 100 days after the participant has left our campus. This time period is a trade-off between cost and efficiency, but is flexible. Another tool is the ‘red thread’ review at the end of each day. During this session, the participant reflects on the learning in a transformational way. Why is this relevant for me? How can I use this? What should change in my situation? Other typical tools are rigorous program evaluations and the tandem of academic director and program manager sitting in class to listen to the participants.

CXO. According to recent courses, leadership is a critical issue, as are topics such globalisation and the rise of India and China; however, courses such as Getting Things Done are more vague. Why are those issues still important?

MW. We try to offer a complete portfolio of programs divided in four areas where we think international executives have interest. There is no doubt that topics around India and China (an outcome of globalisation) are hot. Regarding Getting Things Done, it might surprise readers but this concept was voted most likely to affect a business’ long-term success (according to a recent survey by Strategy & Business magazine). The program is all about strategy implementation. Can there be a more urgent reason to assist this program?

CXO. In your experience, what are the most critical competencies and competitive advantages, and how do you reflect them on the executive courses?

MW. Rather than competencies we prefer to talk about business issues – specifically globalisation (India, China, a global and integrated value chain); social and environmental shifts (new technologies, leisure, media and entertainment, our scarce natural resources); the corporate agenda (competitive strategies and the innovation of business models, innovation and how to make it work, getting things done, growing pains); and leadership development (the leadership pipeline, developing leadership competencies).

CXO. What are the most common comments of the students leaving the courses? Which statements assure you that the course was successful?

MW. Most testimonials talk about two things: firstly, that the experience was truly
transformational; and secondly, that it was both professionally and personally enriching.

CXO. One of your research topics concentrates around alternative energy sources. What would you consider to be the big trends affecting the related business world? And what big hurdles still have to be overcome?

MW. There are several critical issues facing energy companies at the moment and I believe that much of what is going on is driven by the medium term impact of environmental regulation and consumer attitudes driven by concern for the environment.

Essentially, our current energy system is very much dependant on oil supplies coming from the Middle East and if we take a long-term viewpoint these supplies are unstable. There is an ongoing debate concerning how long oil supplies will last but in any case, the political situation across the region is very delicate and huge upheavals could happen at any time.

Natural gas is the clearest alternative but it is coming to Europe form North Africa and Russia and political stability is also a concern as made evident in the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine at the end of last year.

Also, the Kyoto accords and other environmentally motivated legislation and initiatives will require energy companies to make huge investments in the years ahead for emissions compliance, carbon offsets, investment in alternative energy technologies, and customer oriented activities associated with people's growing concerns in this area. Many analysts believe, for example that nuclear technology will be an essential part of the future energy mix and such technology requires huge investments.

Mike Rosenberg, lecturer at IESE Business School and expert in the automotive industry, believes these issues are partly responsible for the wave of cross border mergers and acquisitions that the energy companies are trying to achieve at this time. The biggest hurdle in his view is the misguided effort on the part of national governments to halt this process.

With respect to the automotive industry, all of the major car companies are working on vehicles that can run on different fuels including hydrogen. The issue here is that so far, individual consumers have not been ready to pay more for such technology or accept trade offs in comfort or performance and European governments have not been ready to impose restrictions mandating radical change.

For Professor Rosenberg, the breakthrough has already come with the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, two hybrid vehicles with very low fuel consumption that are selling well to a specific, environmentally conscious consumer. The vehicle manufacturers will naturally proceed cautiously in this area, but will certainly develop products as soon as people want to buy them.

Pull quotes:

“A truly worthwhile experience, combining idea interchange among peers, class discussion and tutorials by IESE professors and visiting scholars. Highly knowledgeable professors and outstanding service by support staff were key to the success of the program”
Dr Joao Oliveira Rendeiro, Chairman & CEO, Banco Privado Portugues.

“Stepping back from operational details to assess the enterprise in the light of current management knowledge is a privilege that managers without corporate proprietary training programmes rarely enjoy. But it is the prime task of senior decision-makers”
Alexander Mettenheimer, Partner Merck Finck & Co.