Executives in search of a global programme
ESADE and Georgetown launch an innovative training programme. It costs €85,000. The students study in 7 countries.
Eyes are focused on the world. Competing in local markets is over. Corporate business extends beyond our own borders. The first 38 executives to participate in this innovative programme hail from 4 different continents. They all know this first-hand or, at least, it will become engrained in them by the end. The programme is the Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) taught jointly by ESADE and Georgetown University, the prestigious institution renowned for its international relations programme. The MBA programme provides theoretical and practical classes on how global industries work.
The great appeal of these classes is that they are taught in seven countries. Concretely, the academic year is divided into six modules lasting eleven days each and held every three months. Students meet in Washington (United States) - where the programme was launched last June; Barcelona - where students stayed from 28th August to 7th September; Sao Paulo (Brazil); Buenos Aires (Argentina); Bangalore (India); China; Moscow (Russia); and ending in August 2009 in the United States (New York and Washington). Tuition costs €85,000, travel not included. The majority of the participants' respective companies have paid for the programme. “It is a unique opportunity for our training, even though we may already have international experience, to further explore more global topics, see first-hand how other markets work, and for this we have to travel to different countries,” declares Miguel Montes, Adjunct Director General of Banco Sabadell and one of the students who earned a spot on this programme.
The participants this first year had to pass certain tests and demonstrate skills and competencies in a personal interview, later forwarding their curriculum vitae and two letters of recommendation. They were also required to be completely fluent in English since all classes are taught in that language and they had to demonstrate ample professional and managerial experience (this year the students have an average of 16 years’ experience).
More candidatures were presented than spots available. As such, some aspiring students were left behind and will have to wait until the second programme which is already being organised. “Other students couldn’t participate because they didn’t meet all the requirements. The executives’ level is very high and they have to have a very similar profile within a certain diversity,” they declare at the Spanish business school.
Students work in various industries, ranging from mass consumer products and investment banking to new technologies, aeronautics and medicine. Jaime Santamaría, Director of Human Resources and Services at Unión Fenosa Gas in the energy sector, underscores the enormous effort this programme implies. “It is a big sacrifice for our companies which have to assume that we’ll be away for more than a year even if we stay on top of day-to-day things in our free time. We have no other choice because we cannot disconnect from our obligations. And it implies personal effort because, as an international programme, we have to travel and be far away from our families; but it’s a unique opportunity and that’s how we have to see it,” says this executive who, in one month, will have his second child.
Our conversation takes place during lunch on Friday, 5th September in ESADE's Barcelona campus. Students have a tight schedule and barely any time to change from the informal clothes they wear to class into the more formal attire demanded by protocol for institutional receptions. As the final touch to their programme here, Professors Xavier Mir, former CEO of Joyco, a dessert company, and Juan José Pérez Cuesta, former Director of Chupa Chups, have asked students to prepare a business proposal to be judged by a panel.
They’ll have to prepare the proposal in their free time because their afternoon is completely booked: a visit to Barcelona Activa, a municipal organisation created as a nursery for new firms, and a reception at Town Hall. The day will then end with a dinner at a restaurant in Barcelona’s port. “It’s important that they know the local institutions because they’ll establish contacts that way, in addition to gaining a complete vision of how business is done in each country,” comments Pedro Parada, Academic Director for the programme and Professor at ESADE.
Common Concerns
In his opinion, things are seen differently in different places. “There are common concerns, but, as a result of the globalisation process, the perspectives have changed. Knowing your own business isn’t enough. Learning about the geopolitical reality of each area is fundamental, from its society and taking into account intercultural differences.”
Parada tells us about a few of the surprises students have in store for them while travelling around the world. For example, in Buenos Aires, a visit is scheduled to the Casa Rosada (Pink House, literally), the seat of the Argentine government. “But we don’t know whether or not we’ll actually be able to get in until the last moment because, as we’ve been told, it’s difficult due to the frequent demonstrations held in front, blocking the way.” In Bangalore, the heart of India’s technological industry, “we’ll see a different work pace, different ways of doing things, equally efficient, where everything has to be written down, with established guidelines, when, in Europe, and especially in Spain, we improvise a lot,” comments Parada.
In addition to sharing the knowledge that each participant has of his or her respective area, they will be able to take advantage of customised leadership evaluation sessions and coaching with instructors, all to develop new skills and acquire new points of view. For example, Miguel Montes feels that he will improve in one facet which he hasn’t paid much attention to thus far, that is, sharing his agenda with others. “I hope to improve the relationship with my team and value others’ visions more,” says this executive with all humbleness, while recognising that one of the things he will clearly learn from this experience is to coexist with the other participants. “You take for granted an exchange of incredible experiences because, when you're relaxed in an informal environment, everything influences you in a much more natural way. It's enriching to know how the rest of the colleagues work and move about in their respective markets,” declares Montes.
Jaime Santamaría UNIÓN FENOSA GAS
“I’m going to try to understand what’s happening in the world”
This 42-year-old executive from Madrid is the Director of Human Resources for Unión FENOSA Gas; he’s married and has one daughter. In a month, he'll have his second child. He ensures us that doing this programme implies a lot of effort. “But I couldn’t let the opportunity my company gave me slip by, learning first-hand what's happening in the world and trying to understand it.” Another element which made Santamaría eschew any doubts was the fact that the programme is offered jointly with Georgetown University. “It’s an added plus because to be able to do business world-wide you have to develop international relationship skills, and this institution is very prestigious.” He’s excited about the experience and, for the time being, nothing has disappointed him. He dedicates special words of appreciation to his fellow students who include Pakistanis, Russians, Jordanians, Americans and Portuguese.“It’s interesting to see the other executives’ homes, learn about their concerns and interests. We’re going to end up being like one big family.” And the best thing: “You forget about the position you hold here; we’re all equals.”
Miguel Montes BANCO SABADELL
“It’s interesting to learn how to establish relationships with other countries.”
He is the Adjunct Director General for Banco Sabadell. He is 47 years old, from Barcelona and has a decade of international experience, having worked for different entities, including Deutsche Bank. Doing this programme, he declares, will allow him to learn about different countries, “because one of any bank’s objectives is to delve further into the international challenge while, personally, it helps you rebuild skills and knowledge well beyond just life experience.” The geopolitical ingredient enriches the experience. “Because globalisation implies an in-depth analysis of political topics as well as knowing how to establish relationships with other countries.”
Another asset is the travelling companions. “We’re a family. We’ve all connected really well. Diversity makes you realise how similar we all are in terms of life. We all have a different cultural inheritance, but our objectives and the values which make up the essence of the person are all the same.” Montes recognises that he has found what brings the group together: “We all compete with similar ethical and social responsibility criteria.” Doing the GEMBA programme implies a great effort for him. “Work piles up, but I’m learning to delegate.”
Joaquín Mendiluce GAS NATURAL
“I'm sure I’ll be a better manager when the programme ends.”
His objective, like that of the rest of his colleagues, is to learn how to establish relationships with other countries. “What interests me a lot about the programme is the geopolitical component since, at this time, international expansion is relevant when making decisions in an organisation. In the energy industry it’s important because we work with regulators,” affirms Joaquín Mendiluce, Director of Planning for Regulated Businesses in Gas Natural. He was born in Pamplona 36 years ago and he affirms that dealing with people from other cultures will make him a better person. “Knowing and respecting values as well as their way of thinking, makes us question how we act.”
When the programme ends, he is sure that he will “improve as a manager because I’ll have a more international perspective, something which companies really value since a very significant expansion process is underway,” declares Mendiluce. He’ll also broaden his network of contacts. “In just a short time we've become a very close-knit group; we’re a united and powerful team. Spending 11 days in different cities makes cohesiveness very important. Here we are, all side by side.”
Ignacio Narvarte BANCO SANTANDER
“I’ll come back refreshed, with a broad vision of business”
Banco Santander, where he works as Director of Means of Payment in Spain, offered him the chance to broaden his professional development with the Global Executive MBA. He didn’t have any doubts. For Ignacio Narvarte, 37 years old from Madrid, it seemed like a great opportunity. “It’s always good to refresh your knowledge, but when you make contact with other cultures and other ways of thinking, the experience provides greater value.” It also implies checking to see “if I’m going in the right direction.” Globalisation isn't fiction. “It’s a reality and we have to know about cultural diversity.”
When he attends classes, he doesn’t ignore his day-to-day tasks at the financial institution. “During breaks I read my e-mail; even though I have a good team on whom I can delegate, you always have to know how to supervise.” He values the different opinions his fellow students share during class. “I’m sure that when the course ends, I’ll come back refreshed, renewed, with a broader vision of business as well as new friends in my address book. We’ll probably end the last class in tears.”
The game of doing business
One of the last exercises with which the students ended the module held in ESADE’s Barcelona campus was a game. Xavier Mir, former CEO of the dessert company, Joyco, and Juan José Pérez Cuesta, former Director of Chupa Chups, came up with the idea.
After the students were divided into various chocolate and dessert companies, the business game consisted of the different teams designing a growth strategy for their respective organisations. “We didn’t work with the case method as is traditional in Business Administration programmes. Rather, we told them that the world has become global and we can play and have a broader business vision, ” commented Xavier Mir.
The first thing they had to do was study the industry as well as the company they work for, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and, lastly, decide how the organisation should grow. “There are many formulas possible, ranging from making a bid on another company or two joining up together to complement each other to entering new markets on their own.”
According to Mir, “it’s not a question of buying for buying’s sake, without criteria. Decisions, correct or not, have to be defended.” The novelty of this method, ensures the professor, is that an entire business industry is analysed, not just an isolated firm, and all with the help from professors who come from this same business area.
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