The benefits of an Executive MBA #4: Real world relevance

One of the greatest benefits of an Executive MBA is the opportunity it provides students to implement new knowledge and skills immediately into their day-to-day work environment.

Hard skills, such as economics, finance, strategic management and marketing are important core competencies of any Executive MBA, but it is the soft skills students acquire in an EMBA program that employers value most.

Fine-tuning soft skills

Soft skills can be applied across a wide range of professional environments, are transferrable among a myriad of jobs and are generally in high demand on the labour market. Business schools have recognized the growing requirement of employers for strong soft skills in EMBA graduates and are increasingly catering to this need. Compulsory modules, a range of electives, and one-on-one tutorials are key elements of EMBA programs that help executives further develop soft skills such as leadership, communication skills, adaptability to new situations and self-awareness.

The every-day work environment is an ideal setting for EMBA students to put their newly acquired skills into practice. The immediate implementation of these soft skills also allows the student to hone them within the ever-changing dynamics of the real world. Adaptability, flexibility and openness toward innovation and creativity are among the soft skills employers value most in their employees and it pays to start gaining expertise and practice in these competencies early. It is these soft skills that will enable you to make better decisions in your day-to-day work environment.

Knowledge transfer

Business schools often encourage EMBA students to choose their course projects based on issues they deal with in their job. This allows students to apply a mix of soft skills and hard skills to their environment, finding solutions to acute and real world business problems.

However, when an EMBA student applies his or her recently acquired business school knowledge to the workplace it is not just the student that reaps the benefits from perhaps finding new approaches to an old problem, but the organization which could profit from new strategic initiatives as well.
This process of transferring knowledge from the classroom immediately into the workplace adds to the EMBA student’s learning experience. Having had the opportunity to discuss and analyse the theoretical knowledge in the classroom, they can now determine to what extent it can benefit both themselves and their employer in the professional environment.

A fresh perspective

Being able to approach one’s work, and the issues that arise on a daily basis, with a new outlook, not to mention a new enthusiasm, is a frequently overlooked advantage of an Executive MBA. Many candidates choose to embark on an EMBA when they feel they have reached a point of stagnation in their career; however the stimulating and challenging learning environment of the business school classroom allows students to gain a fresh perspective from both colleagues and classmates. What’s more, it is often this combination of a fresh spring in one’s step with that of newly acquired soft skills which pave the way for career advancement.

Pursuing opportunities

Embarking on an Executive MBA also offers unparalleled opportunities to open and establish new networks that could prove to be particularly fruitful for a student’s new or existing business endeavours. In most EMBA programs students will be immersed in a highly diverse environment and have the opportunity to make new contacts, both within the classroom and beyond through individual contacts or associations.

A good networker will not only be able to make the most of the opportunities an EMBA holds for their present work but will be able to build on these networks post-EMBA as well. By combining newly acquired soft skills, such as those of leadership and communication, with a new outlook on their professional career and an invaluable network of past and present EMBA candidates, the relevance of their EMBA experience will quickly be realized.