Strategic planning to improve organizational performance
From 27 January – 7 February 2020, 20 participants from different nationalities coming from all over the world took part in the 5-day Strategic Leadership program and the 5-day Change Management program. These programs are developed to help (potential) leaders to improve their leadership and organizational skills, and the skills to implement change in their own organizations.
Strategic Leadership
In the first week the focus was on directing your organization. Leo Kerklaan, lecturer and consultant in Strategic Performance Management, taught the participants the most relevant aspects of effective strategic leadership, the nature of a strategy and on decision making about the desired strategic position. Part of the program was a Strategy Challenge in which the participants worked together in smaller groups on a specific assignment. Working on the assignments is a great way to put the newly gained knowledge into practice which was very much appreciated by the participants “It was a very good course, I liked the assignment part which forces students to apply what they have learned” according to Jennifer Asnahy from Ghana. On the last day of the program, each group presented the outcome of the strategic management game after which the winner was announced.” They did extremely well according to the jury of fellow participants. The other teams did a marvelous job as well, but as it is…the winner takes it all”, said Leo Kerklaan.
The participants were very positive about the content of the program and the expertise of Leo Kerklaan, like Amir Hamza Syed from Saudi Arabia “The course is very well developed and the content is truly vocational and job specific. Wish to come back again in the near future!”
Elizabeth Rukmini from Indonesia considered the Strategic Leadership as a very good experience: “The course provided me with new cases and experiences both from the consultant as well as from the fellow participants. I love the way this course was delivered. Attention was paid to each of the participants."
Change Management
In the second week Geert Heling, Professor of Organizational Behavior at MSM, took the participants into the world of leading and managing organizational change processes. Geert taught them the fundamentals of organizational change: trends, concepts and explained the importance of diagnostic tools for detecting a need for change. Geert Heling also emphasized the required skills necessary to lead a successful organizational change: “Compared with normal management, managing change requires different skills, more flexibility, and at times even a counter-intuitive approach.“
Based on the theoretical input provided throughout the week, the participants worked on various assignments to get a better understanding and feeling on how to apply the theory into practice. The overall experience of the participants was very good. “A great experience through which I gained new skills and knowledge”, said Reda Ajaraam from Morocco. Marin Amoamah from Ghana added “Geert Heling is very practical oriented and he never dismissed a response”. In addition, Geert Heling himself was also very positive about the group and mentioned the benefit of having participants from all corners of the world: “This group was a joy to work with; they were quick in picking up the main concepts and techniques. Because of their different cultural and professional backgrounds, it was easy to discuss issues from different angles, making it immediately practical and culturally relevant. I am confident they will be able to apply the techniques and once back home will create change in their own organization”.
Interested in joining the next Strategic Leadership and/or Change Management program?
MSM will run the next Strategic Leadership program from 16 – 20 November 2020 and the next Change Management program from 23 – 27 November 2020. In case you would like to join, make sure you reserve your seat on time. In case of any questions, please feel free to contact Manon Souren-Huppertz.
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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