Business School Institutional and Program Design

A North African country which is in the process of diversifying its economy wanted a tool to help develop the necessary managerial and leadership skills needed to successfully manage this transition. The key stakeholders of this project turned to BEC for expert advice on the type of institution and programs that would assure the rapid development and deployment of these skills.

Preliminary consultations with the client showed a favourable inclination towards management education at Graduate level as the most suitable vehicle to create the country’s next generation of managers and leaders. It was however not certain in the mind of the client what type of institution and programs would be ideally suited to meet this need.

To help the client clarify and establish its priorities, BEC conducted a seven months management education market study in the country, the region and worldwide. An intensive consultative process involving local and global multi- stakeholders was also initiated to ensure the outcome reflected the widest possible views and opinions.

Based on empirical market data and confirmation of the value of management education through the consultative process, BEC developed a high level business and strategic operating plan for a business school sufficiently endowed to help the county meet its management skills training needs. BEC was also able to help the government visualize a business school drawing on global experiences and yet finely attuned and sensitive to the needs of local public and private sector organizations and society at large.

Key value BEC delivered to the client was a rich body of knowledge on the benefits of management education, a global network of management educators and other resources and a quality framework that adequately prepares the new business school for eventual international accreditation.

To emphasize its reliance on facts as a basis for recommending solutions, BEC proposed a gradual process of introducing structured management education to the country starting with Executive Development Programs. This was in line with research data which showed an initial demand for this service. A fully fledged Business School offering MBA and EMBA programs was recommended in the latter stages of this process and would be built on the experiences the country had with the initial Executive Education offering.

The client has reserved the right to implement this Business School project at its discretion.

Executive Education Development

A global energy sector company operating in North Africa wanted to initiate an executive training program for its local managers but needed assistance in scoping the business challenges it faced and for which its executives needed training. Unable to find a suitable local service provider, the company approached BEC for a proposal to develop a customized executive development training program.

Developing a custom executive development program requires a thorough understanding of the client’s business, underlying company values and the challenges and/or opportunities it needs to address though its human assets.

BEC conducted a series of on-site and off-site interviews with C-level executives to understand the company’s business environment, its HR training policy, and the business issues that executive training would address. In addition, BEC interviewed potential participants in the program with a view to understanding the company’s training needs from an individual and group perspective. BEC also examined the company’s previous training effort to identify gaps and the evolving nature of its skills development needs.

The data gathered from this consultative process was used to develop a customized executive development program (EDP) that matched the customer’s stated training requirements and needs. The goal was to align the training program with the company’s overall strategic market objectives as well as its internal values of attracting and retaining top talent.

Before submitting the training program proposal, BEC subjected the process of designing the EDP to expert scrutiny and bench-marked the content with training programs of a similar nature in the country, the region and globally. This was to ensure that the program not only had the appropriate context, but also addressed the training challenges faced by most organisations in the knowledge economy.

BEC through its global network of experts was able to recommend a select group of Faculty with experience in leading successful executive education outcomes in the energy sector. The value transferred to the company was knowledge of the executive training challenges faced by global companies in the energy sector and more specifically in MENA and the means by which they could be addressed.

Not only was this a pioneering EDP focusing on growing individual leadership and technical skills but it also focused on the role and responsibility of company executives to both shareholders and society as a means of ensuring sustainable growth.