Executive Education: Individual & Organizational Advancement

In the last decade or so, organizations have undergone tremendous change and are continuing on this transformational journey to remain ahead of the curve. There is transformational change all around and inside organizations bringing in anxiety and excitement in the same breath. There is also a lot being said about jobs that are no longer relevant or may not be relevant soon, about many jobs and careers that are so new that they didn’t exist a few years ago, and about the gap between what industry needs today vis-a-vis knowledge and skills of the available talent pool. These opportunities and gaps are very real; any conversation with industry leaders across sectors from manufacturing, banking, education, and technology echoes a similar sentiment on this; they highlight the struggle they have in getting the right fit, the lack of new skills, and sometimes a missing attitude to learn among other things.

We need to ask whether jobs are becoming scarce or are the suitable candidates becoming scarce. The existing knowledge and skill base that professionals have may not fit in anymore- jobs and careers have evolved, don’t we need to? While changes like the pandemic, technology, robots, the internet, digital transformations, customer preferences, and many more are often blamed for having taken away jobs, changes also need to be credited for creating many new opportunities as long as we are willing to unlearn, learn, relearn and keep at it. As Alvin Toffler wrote more than 40 years ago in Future Shock “tomorrow’s illiterate will not be the man who can’t read; he will be the man who has not learned how to learn,” more often quoted as ‘The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.’

As organizations change to newer business models, markets, and work practices, it becomes necessary for professionals to not only upgrade their knowledge and skills to remain relevant within their organizations but also to future-proof their long-term careers. It becomes equally important for organizations to focus on upskilling and reskilling their workforce continually. To remain productive and continue contributing in this constantly evolving workplace requires a genuine commitment to learning from individuals and an equally deliberate intent from organizations to enable and empower this much-needed learning. A world economic forum (WEF) report published last year reported that “Accelerated investment in upskilling and reskilling of workers could add at least $6.5 trillion to global GDP, create 5.3 million (net) new jobs by 2030 worldwide.”

Executive education in the form of an executive MBA, a masters in management, or a program designed for working professionals in specific functional, technical, or specialized areas can help accomplish this ‘learning need’ and bridge the ‘skill gap’ in many ways. Executive programs are available in multiple formats: blended, hybrid, full-time, face-to-face, on-campus, and off-campus, with durations ranging from a few weeks to a few years. Higher Educational Institutions, business schools, and universities today have curated multiple opportunities for individual and organizational talent development needs. At IMT Ghaziabad, we work closely with industry leaders, business heads, learning & development professionals to co-create executive programs at the confluence of practice and research. These programs are available in various formats, from an AICTE-approved and AACSB accredited full-time residential 18-month PGDM ExP (experienced professionals) program to a contemporary program for working professionals to customized management and leadership development programs (MDPs).

Executive Education is not only for individual progression but also for organizations, enabling them to develop and retain talent, prepare the next line of leadership, and train people on new knowledge, thus allowing them to leverage the learning advantage. As an academic and individual, I believe learning should remain a continuous and life-long plan; a commitment to education, openness to new ideas and a passion for knowledge can help lead individuals to unexplored pathways for career success, joy and happiness in life.