Education for global executives: empowering organizations.

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.

CUSTOM EDUCATION. A growing number of businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations are teaming with a business school to create an on-site learning experience that meets their specific requirements. "The Latin American Leadership Program (PLL) we designed with IAE Business School has been a unique and successful experience for our leaders throughout the region" says Rodolfo Gonzalez, Latin America HR director for Monsanto. "We have been able to share, broaden and discuss our strategy in depth with participants from various countries through the academic learning process."

While learning about specific business topics, students taking in-person programs have opportunities to demonstrate their leadership and teambuilding skills, says Callahan. "Study groups can be used as a method to look at team performance. While you can teach and study leadership skills, you really want to give students plenty of practice opportunities."

Sean Bandarkar, program development director, Executive Education, Stanford University, says both in-person and distance-learning models have their advantages. "If you are looking for a transforming learning experience and making changes in an organization, a situation away from your day-today environment is ideal," he says. "You can easily share ideas and experiences with a group of people, often from different parts of the world, and gain new perspectives."

Distance learning offers a convenient way to teach specific skills, such as engineering or accounting, or to reach out to students who can't attend in person, Bandarkar adds. "Distance learning can also help with the implementation of a program, since a senior manager can complete a program, then use technology to spread those concepts throughout the organization."

A GROWING DEMAND

Demand for executive education, especially programs customized for larger corporations, is growing throughout the region. For instance, IAE Austral in Buenos Aires, which recently moved to a new campus in Pilaf, Argentina, is serving multinationals like The Walt Disney Company. "IAE provides students with sound knowledge on business theories, culture and decision-making processes," says Edgardo Rosso, finance vice president. "Second, it offers an ethical perspective, and lastly, it teaches individuals to know themselves better, to develop their leadership potential as managers."

At IPADE in Mexico City, most participants come from family-owned businesses. IPADE stresses the importance of human behavior and covers the business-family issues from various perspectives, which help them in planning for passing the business to the next generation.

Government agencies, public school systems and health care organizations are also turning to business schools. In Mexico, many state-owned health clinics will be operating in more of a free-market economy, according to EGADE's Alonso Gomez. "We have been training the medical doctors to become directors of business units," he says.

The Moore School of Business reports a growing interest in Latin America among students from other parts of the world. "We are seeing foreign nationals who want to build their second-language skills through immersion experiences and internships in Latin America," says Roth. "We also have Latin American students enter our program in pursuit of careers in the United States or Europe. Other Latin students want to broaden their exposure and take their new expertise back home with them to enable their companies to be more successful."

Distance learning meets the needs of both organizations and individuals, according to Patricio Lopez del Puerto, president of Universidad Virtual of Tecnologico de Monterrey, an institution that uses advanced technology to deliver its educational programs. "The Virtual University offers flexibility in time and space for people who cannot attend regular classes because the demands of their jobs or personal circumstances," says Lopez del Puerto. "For companies, the Virtual University can provide homogenous training at a reasonable cost for a large number of employees spread out across a broad geographical area."

GROWTH AND INNOVATION

When it comes to executive education, Latin American companies today are thinking more about growth and innovation than cost control, says Bandarkar of Stanford University. "Latin American companies want to learn how to innovate, develop a product strategy, improve leadership and move the company forward," he says.