A good MBA program, first of all, teaches you to learn. Education professionals call this a meta-skill, one of the most important in life. Therefore, many graduates of MBA programs note that after completing the program they continue to invest time and money in education, travel, reading, communication, etc. – that is, formal and informal education.
The RANEPA Faculty of International Programs has been implementing joint international business education programs for more than 20 years, the most famous of which is the Kingston/RANEPA MBA, a joint program with Kingston University London. A year ago, during the traditional alumni meeting, we received a huge number of questions: "When will there be new programs?", "...short modules on current topics?", "Will there be a program on digital business"? There were also more specific wishes, for example: "When I studied for an MBA 18 years ago, I didn't even have a leadership course. How can I take such a course today?" To be honest, the idea of creating a program that will allow updating and updating knowledge has long been discussed at School and, having received reinforcement in the form of a clearly formulated request, we got down to business…
The Advanced Management program was launched in September 2018 as a "premium program for managers, entrepreneurs and business owners" containing "the most relevant knowledge and skills for organizational and personal success." The program consists of 2-day modules on the most relevant topics: "Strategy in the era of digital change", "Behavioral economics", "Design thinking", "Innovations that work", "Digital transformation of business", etc., and also includes two five-day international modules "Industry 4.0" in Germany and "Made in Japan" in Japan. The design of the program allows the participant to independently decide whether he will complete the program completely or prefer an individual educational trajectory consisting of a package of modules chosen by him.
A distinctive feature of the program is the so-called open loop, that is, updating the content of the program and its individual modules "online", the possibility of flexible adaptation of the program depending on changes in the environment and identifying the need for training in a particular subject, skill. For example, work is currently underway on the design of the module "Applied Neuroscience for Business", which will appear in the program in 2020. Thus, there is an opportunity to periodically return to training on the program and, in a certain sense, to study constantly, throughout life.
Another distinctive feature of the program is its pronounced international character, the absence of binding to one international partner, the intention to gather a constellation of the most interesting, innovative, sometimes provocative professors, business consultants, expert practitioners from various countries, universities, companies. The most important thing is that these people, each unconditional professional in their field, are really carriers of the unique knowledge needed today.
International modules are another important element of the program. It is impossible to learn everything in the classroom, no matter how interactive and exciting the lesson format is.
The international module, in addition to the formal study of the subject, has an extremely important informal element: learning through observation, interaction and interpenetration of another culture. And the more different the country of the visit, the more interesting and deep insights the participants have. For example, a module in Japan almost always "does not let go" for a long time and serves as inspiration for rethinking certain things not only in business, but also in personal life, in relation to oneself and people.
During my previous corporate career, I had to meet a lot of managers who believed that if you have two higher educations, then there is nothing else to study for and nothing else. I think there have been such on your way. It is not surprising that, as a rule, they were not talented managers. If you are reading this article, it means that you do not share their position, and, therefore, the Advanced Management program is for you! Continuous development is a personal task of every successful manager, while development implies a variety of formats: reading, traveling, communication, learning – everyone has their own list. I hope that the Advanced Management program will take its rightful place in this row and will allow you to maintain interest, curiosity to learn something new. Remember the words of Albert Einstein: "I don't have any special talent. I'm just trying to be curious."
More about the program
Harvard business review
Upcoming modules of the program:
November 22-23 "Design Thinking" with Dr. Giulio Toscani
Marina Shermet
Director of the Executive Education Center,
Faculty of International MBA Programs of ION RANEPA
