Developing a strategic plan to enhance business performance
On Monday 21 October, MSM kicked off the 5-day executive program on Strategic Leadership followed by the 5-day Change Management program. The two programs brought together a group of 24 participants coming from all corners of the world and with different professional backgrounds.
Strategic Leadership: directing your organization
Leo Kerklaan, lecturer and consultant in Strategic Performance Management taught the participants the most important elements of the Life Cycle Strategy, how to define strategic issues and showed some examples of strategic concepts. The hands-on teaching approach of Leo Kerklaan was very much appreciated by the participants. ”After joining this program, I gained a better understanding on how to determine the goals and objectives of an organization. Mr. Leo Kerklaan explained everything in detail, and used concrete examples of various organizations, which made it easy to understand” said Aryo Sesotya Gumilang (Indonesia). Leo Kerklaan on his turn was very much impressed by the learning curve of the participants: “Amazing to see how fast participants are able to apply the tools and concepts of strategic thinking. I was really thrilled!”
Furthermore, Leo introduced the different tools and instruments for strategic planning, analysis and implementation. On the last day of the program, the participants integrated all the new insights, knowledge and skills in the implementation plan to achieve the strategic objectives of their own organizations. “We had the opportunity to apply everything that was taught to our own organization. Back home, I hope I can apply this newly gained knowledge into practice and improve the performance of my organization” Aryo Sesotya continued.
Change Management: leading and managing organizational change processes
In the second week Prof. Geert Heling focused on the very important challenges of change in today’s business world. He taught the participants the fundamentals of organizational change: trends, concepts and explained the importance of diagnostic tools for detecting a need for change. Geert Heling explains: “Many people think managing change is similar to normal management, but actually it is quite different. Change management requires a much more creative and counter-intuitive approach and a deeper insight in people’s mindset. Change Management knows specific approaches, techniques and skills. The group picked them up quickly”.
Through the mix of cultures and professional backgrounds, the participants learned a lot about various cultural working styles in different markets, which is of high value as working environments are becoming more and more global. Geert Heling continued: “Having participants from different cultural and professional backgrounds made the course vivid and the discussions immediately practical and relevant. I was impressed by the energy and dedication shown during these 5 days. And I am confident they will be able to apply the techniques and create change when back home in their own organization.”
All participants went home equipped with managerial skills and capabilities to lead organizational change processes. “This is a great program to get your first step in the field of change management” said Tapan Sharma (Germany). Yuchen Zhang (China) added, “Geert Heling is an excellent lecturer, he not only gave the theoretical input, but also used case analysis with real life examples”.
Insights from companies
For each of the two programs a work visit was organized. In the first week, the participants visited the Municipality of Maastricht where they learned about the various steps of the change process to transform the municipality from a rather bureaucratic organization in 2001, to the public friendly and transparent set up of today. In addition to this change process, the municipality is confronted with new challenges of change, due to the influx of foreign students and refugees.
In the second week, the participants were invited at SABIC in Sittard (NL) were they learned all about the implementation of Sabic’s strategic decision to move away from a traditional office configuration to a flexible workplace concept (Flex 4 All Concept).
Curious?
Do you also want to learn how to design effective change programs and develop the personal management skills to successfully lead change processes in your organization? MSM will run another executive course on Strategic Leadership course from 27 – 31 January 2020 and another Change Management course from 3 – 7 February 2020. We hope to meet your there!
About MSM’s executive education programs
In today’s rapidly changing world, it is important for leaders and professionals to keep their knowledge and skills up to date and relevant. Investing in executive education is investing in your future. At MSM, we embrace this lifelong learning approach! MSM’s hands-on executive programs, led by thought leaders and business experts, provide a practical and action-oriented learning experience and are designed to have an immediate impact on performance.
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