Cosmopolitan Managers

Book excerpt: Executive education is a billion dollar industry that has the potential to transform individual and organizational performance, but in too many cases the decision whether or not to lavish it upon any given manager comes down to whether the fear that they will leave if you don’t spend money on them is greater than the fear that they will leave if you do. Given that the future of your business, or your career, depends on developing your managerial talent to its fullest potential isn’t it time we took a serious look at how do you design and deliver an executive education program that is fit for purpose? Santiago Iñiguez is Dean of the prestigious IE Business School in Madrid – one of the world’s leading providers of executive education. From the impact of MOOCs to the evolution of new multi-dimensional strategic alliances between companies and a diverse range of international education suppliers, institutions, and consultancies, Iñiguez looks at how the future of executive education is changing to meet the needs and wants of top managerial talent. Part of the solution, Iñiguez argues, is to balance the technical, analysis-based “engineering” training that forms the basis of many senior managers’ initial study, with a more rounded, integrated approach that includes learning derived from the humanities, such as art and history. Illustrated with fascinating examples drawn from interviews with some of the most influential figures in business education and corporate training around the World, Iñiguez’s book delivers a unique perspective and valuable insights on what it takes to deliver world-class corporate training.