In the increasingly globalized world of MBA education it seems that the idea that “one size fits all” is being replaced by a “horses for courses” mentality. Not all professionals can take advantage of a two year full time MBA. For some, it is their work commitments which prevent this, while for others, family responsibilities play a key role. Whatever the reason, there is a clear market for more flexible executive MBA courses which do not lose the internationality of the traditional full-time programs.
It was with this in mind that IESE launched its Global Executive MBA program in 2001. Aimed at more seasoned participants, with an average of 14 years work experience, the Global Executive MBA is a 16 month program comprising seven residential modules (held in Barcelona, Madrid, Shanghai and Palo Alto) and six distributed learning modules supported by a state-of-the-art interactive learning platform.
Essentially, what this means, is that participants can work in companies across the world and keep their family life a priority whilst also completing an MBA. This gives them the chance to learn from each other by sharing their managerial experiences, as well as to immediately put theory learnt into practice. Just as important, they are able to get an MBA at a time in their lives when a year or two off work is out of the question.
For women participants this is a particularly attractive option. The number of women on MBA programs all over the world is substantially lower than men, as they often forgo the chance of pursuing an MBA in their late 20s - early 30s, prioritising balancing family and work. IESE’s Global Executive MBA allows women business leaders with families to get a world-class, internationally focused MBA, with minimum disruption to family life.
The current class is made up of 41 participants of 17 nationalities. By using the case method in over 75% of its classes, IESE also harnesses the knowledge of these more experienced participants, which makes for interesting discussion on their various sectors and markets within the context of the area being studied.
The program itself reflects the international nature of the participants in content and location. While the modules held in Barcelona and Madrid comprise a focus on general management with an international focus, such as Accounting, Organisational Behaviour, Leadership and Ethics, Operational Finance, Marketing, etc. those held in Silicon Valley and Shanghai are highly relevant to the context of doing business in those markets.
In Silicon Valley, the module focuses on four main topics: the key success factors in the entrepreneurial process of technological start-ups, the role of the venture capitalists in this process,the main drivers of entrepreneurial activity within the Silicon Valley model and some key negotiation issues related to different stages of the entrepreneurial path of young and/or existing companies. These aspects are taught through a combination of presentations by local business leaders, case studies and company visits. In addition, core MBA subjects relevant to the environment such as Global Economics, Managing Innovation and Information Technology and Electronic Business Models are also studied during the module.
Similarly, the Shanghai module looks in detail at doing business in China, through visits and knowledge sharing with local businesses, while also training articipants in areas relevant to exploring the opportunities in China, such as Emerging Economies, Managing Operations, Supply Chain Management and Cross Cultural Management.
Despite the demanding nature of the program, it has consistently scored extremely highly in both internal and external surveys. Earlier this year independent research by the Executive MBA Council and Percept Research, highlighted that the performance and quality of IESE’s Global Executive MBA was rated 100% overall with similar programs in the same category averaging around 80%.
This is certainly the idea that you get when talking to the program’s alumni who remain actively involved with the “Global” and the school. For example, some work with the school supporting the launch of other successful international programs such as the Inside India program in February of this year.
Whatever the participants’ motivation behind choosing this non-traditional, highly international MBA, it has consistently been shown to springboard their career advancement and professional development, be that through promotions within their companies, through career changes or through entrepreneurial activities.