IMD Annual Report 2021

73 Learning

The IMD EMBA

The mission of IMD’s internationally-acclaimed Executive MBA is to “develop global, reflective leaders, who lead with personal responsibility and integrity, and have a positive impact on their businesses and society”. Its tagline - “Growth starts with you” - underlines the importance of a customized approach to the personal and professional development of each participant.

In 2021, faced with the continued disruption of COVID-19, the EMBA team built on its experience from the previous year to work closely with participants to co-create the most impactful learning journeys possible, including enhancements to the career management module to help individuals reflect on, and achieve, their aims during and after the program. This approach, alongside the global reputation of the program, resonated with executive talent and translated into record numbers of graduates, enrollments and female participants. As a result, three EMBA cohorts graduated in a year for the first time in IMD’s history. Crisis training during a pandemic Building on a partnership in place since 2015 and in response to the challenges of the pandemic, the EMBA team worked with the Swiss Armed Forces to develop a three-day crisis management simulation to help participants acquire the skills and mindsets to navigate crises. Supported by senior army officers, EMBAs learned how to pivot under pressure from

a participatory style of leadership to a more direct division of labor. The course, which involved media training, put participants through testing conditions, including fatigue and ever-changing problems. This intense module filtered through to the overall EMBA experience during COVID, with faculty and participants working together through regular touch points, communication guidelines and a blend of hybrid or online learning. Discovery Expeditions reimagined Due to changing travel restrictions, planned Discovery Expeditions to China and Silicon Valley were reimagined with innovative alternative trips to Estonia and Dubai. The latter proved particularly valuable for Swiss entrepreneurs, who had expected to receive support from EMBAs for pitching to US- based investors. The cohort and startups discovered the Middle East is an extremely attractive region for fundraising.