CASE STUDY | EDUCATION
How IE Business School Uses Transform! to Amplify Its Global Advanced Management Program
The University
IE University is a globally recognized top international university with campuses in Madrid and Segovia, Spain. With a diverse student body hailing from across the world, IE University is renowned for shaping leaders who drive innovation and change in organizations. Their international, cross-cultural learning environment where technologies and diversity play a key role in fostering global vision, an entrepreneurial mindset and a humanistic approach.
Spearheaded by global thought leader and bestselling author Peter Fisk, the Global Advanced Management Program at IE University is a flagship executive program designed to prepare business leaders for the rapidly changing world.
A highly successful program
that lead to transformational outcomes
The IE Global Advanced Management Program is a nine- to 12-month program designed to bring together all of the different skills needed to lead a business in today’s world, and it is particularly targeted at executives with 10-15 years of experience who are stepping up to a business leadership role, such as those joining the C-suite or those who may become CEOs in the coming years.
Delivered in a hybrid format that combines the best of virtual and in-person learning, the program is unique in that it doesn’t start with strategy, but instead immerses participants in the ten-year future, allowing them to work backwards and develop a plan to transform their business and themselves.
Over the past five years, the program has seen tremendous success with graduates from the program creating new businesses, new products and services and modifying existing ones to create more value.
“We have so many examples of great results coming from the graduates of the program – for example – the creation of a craft beer ecosystem by the largest bottling company in Latin America, a bank in South Africa significantly reducing the time it takes to grant loans, and a Japanese pharmaceutical company partnering with 23andme to develop personalized medicine, something unprecedented. We’ve had a retailer which served around 500,000 customers, and they’ve transformed their business in three years to five million customers,” said Peter Fisk, the Academic Director of IE’s Global Advanced Management Program.
“You can see lots of different sectors and there are many more I’ve not mentioned. This is typically the transformational outcomes we’re looking for from the program. We want people who can go away and make a radical change to their future businesses,” he added.
Growing beyond its success with the Transform! Strategy & Transformation Simulation
Over the last 12 months, the Transform! Simulation was introduced as a new component within the Global AMP to provide participants with an immersive, team-based experience in strategic decision-making. The simulation allows participants to take on different roles within a simulated company, such as CEO, CFO, and COO, and make strategic decisions that impact the company’s performance.
“I wanted people to see the connected nature of transformation – it isn’t just about strategy, not just about people, mergers and acquisitions, or finance – transformation is an amalgamation of many different aspects and I think the Transform! Simulation immerses participants in that experience beautifully,” explained Peter.
“What was truly unique was how Transform! was run at IE. We designed a five-month, hybrid format that worked very, very well,” said Christian Rangen, project lead and founder of Strategy Tools.
The sessions were laid out as follows:
Session 1: In-person
Launch of Transform! (introduction level)
Case work: Strategy development
Session 2: Digital
Accelerating Transform! (intermediate level)
Case work: dealing with activist investors
Session 3: Digital
Outcompeting through M&A and strategic leadership (advanced level)
Session 4: In-person
Debrief, key learning points for my own leadership role
This hybrid model allowed the learning to stretch over multiple months and gave the teams a chance to work together over the long-term.
“All told, this was one of the most impactful formats for running Transform! we have ever seen,” Christian added.
“Many participants say that despite all the great faculty, content, and toolkits they walk away with, it is what they learned from each other and the network within that was the best thing. The Transform! experience really fostered that sense of teamwork and bonding.”
Impact
Participant feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many reporting that the Transform! simulation was one of the most valuable parts of the program. Participants appreciated the way the simulation helped them develop a deeper understanding of finance and M&A, as well as other aspects of a business transformation.
The IE Global Advanced Management Program will continue using Transform! as a capstone to the program in the upcoming intakes due to its success.
“We have really embedded Transform! as part of the Global AMP, it is integrated in a way that it brings the entire program together – we have deep structured sessions on what transformation is – which culminates in a Transform! session where participants can utilize the knowledge they’ve gleaned throughout the program. This format really works,” Peter explained.
Peter Fisk is now working with Strategy Tools to bring the Transform! Simulation to other business schools across the globe.
About Peter Fisk
Peter Fisk
Peter Fisk is a global business thought leader on leadership and growth, innovation and customers. He is a bestselling author of nine books, an expert strategic consultant and a keynote speaker.
Having trained as a nuclear physicist, he went on to work with brands including British Airways, Adidas, Red Bull and Microsoft. He has also founded a digital startup, and was CEO of the world’s largest marketing network.
Alongside his role at IE University, he runs GeniusWorks and was Thinkers50 Global Director. His books include, “Gamechangers: Innovative Strategies for Business and Brands” and most recently, “Business Recoded: Have the courage to create a better future.”
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