The Importance of Executive Leadership Programmes in Merging Informal and Formal Learning for Executives

If you are working in an organisation as a senior executive, you would have had your fair share of leadership development initiatives over the past few years. Dependent on how effective these were you are likely to have either fond or not so fond memories of these. Executive leadership programmes and certainly executive short courses are certainly here to stay according to The Economist.  

Based on a recent study conducted by the team at GEBS, executive education is among the top five priorities for senior managers. It is even above strategy management and financial management. One of the CEOs interviewed for the study said that with the increasing innovations that are witnessed across the world, there is a need to focus more on creating a learning mindset and developing future leaders across organizations.

In the future, many businesses might be faced with success challenges. This is according to the GEBS executive short course tutor, Dave Romero, who also notes that training is necessary to guaranteed future executive change. Further, he states that executive education is a great way to transform strategy into action. 

Romero notes that modern organizational leaders are faced with two challenges: delivering sustainable growth and handling transformational change. Overcoming these issues requires an understanding of planning and strategy, and employee empowerment and motivation. These are the objectives of executive education, according to Romero.

Many prefer to acquire executive short courses and executive education from business schools. Many schools provide customized executive education programmes for corporate customers. Since these programmes can be costly, this education model is only a reserve for executives. 

How Organizations Can Enhance Executive Leadership Programmes?

But Romero insists that blended learning is highly effective in delivering more effective executive leadership programmes. This involves both online and face-to-face learning. He maintains that blended learning should be redefined to not simply use additional materials to complement formal education. Instead, it should involve the delivery of engaging and holistic learning experience that drives results.

Research has established that an on-the-job coaching approach followed by on-the-job training is most impactful when it comes to learning leadership skills. Besides, role-plays, simulations, case studies, and other forms of experimental learning facilitate learning among leaders. Today all executive leadership programmes at GEBS is packaged with to months of executive coaching to support executives in embedding what they have learned.

Choosing a Provider

It is vital to assess where you are in your strategy and development journey. A smaller provider is best suited for those in an early stage of the journey. If you have made much progress in your journey, pick a provider with a good understanding of strategy. This provider will be able to understand your priorities, and then transform them into talent strategy and eventually into an effective program. An esteemed business school should help you with that. 

To find an executive education provider, Romero recommends the following:

• The provider ought to have a proven record of delivering results.
• The provider should offer leadership development programmes with more practical content based on a forward-looking approach and current business issues.
• The provider should have ways to measure the impact on customer engagement, satisfaction, and organizational change.

Measuring Impact

It is difficult to find the “best metrics” for executive education programmes or industry-wide metrics accepted by everyone. Measuring impact mainly depends on the organization and its objectives. Nonetheless, the CIPD recommends that you should look for three things: strategy execution, the promotion and retention rates for executives that take part in your program, and a sense of internal network-building and camaraderie, which is often a result of good executive education.

Besides, measuring impact should involve employee and customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and financial metrics. Executive education programmes can deliver results by blending informal and formal learning and including on-the-job training and practicing opportunities.