Senior Management
Wharton Fellows Lifelong Learning Network

In February, a group of more than 30 senior executives from around the globe came to Philadelphia for the Wharton Fellows program, a senior management program unlike any other. While other programs have a fixed duration, Fellows is a lifelong learning network of thought leaders, senior executives, Wharton faculty members, and leading experts. Some participants already have earned MBAs or completed senior executive programs but have made a commitment to ongoing learning in a world that is advancing and evolving as rapidly as videos posted on YouTube.

"The Fellows program is a great way to get away from your routine for 2 days and think about the broader issues affecting your business," said Robert Stefanowski, president and CEO, Europe, for GE Commercial Finance Corporate Financial Services. "Most people fear change, but clearly it is inevitable. The challenge then is not how to avoid it, but to make the most of change when the opportunity presents itself."

A New Model for Lifelong Learning

While other programs have a more defined curriculum, Fellows is open to exploring the new ideas at the edges of business and the edges of the world. The content is directed by the Fellows community itself, so the curriculum, location, and focus of programs are never the same twice. Fellows concentrates on the challenges of creating the business of the future in a world of nonlinear, disruptive change.

"Fellows is an important part of the Wharton Executive Education senior management portfolio. It commands a commitment to lifelong learning in a variety of global cultures, industry verticals, and contexts," said David Heckman, Jr., director of Wharton's Senior Management Programs, including the 5-week Advanced Management Program (AMP) and 2-week Executive Development Program (EDP). "Fellows is a community of over 200 members, and normally 30 to 50 of them converge for a given program and location to examine a 'living case study' provided by a local firm's senior leadership team. The program is designed to challenge participants' outdated assumptions, build core functional competencies, encourage a shift to new leadership paradigms, and contribute to a discussion of emerging business issues from key parts of the world." 

Changing Thinking

The Fellows onsite programs also have a unique format, a series of intensive "Master Classes," typically 2 to 3 days. The Philadelphia Master Class in February, on the topic of "Doing Business in an Evolving World," was the first of three Fellows Master Classes scheduled for 2007. The session explored the impact of technological advances, globalization, organizational changes, demographic shifts, and other forces in transforming business. The program presented a smorgasbord of frameworks and tools for meeting this changing world in areas such as scenario planning, innovation strategies, relational capabilities for alliances, marketing metrics, and strategies for achieving profitable growth.

One of the broader themes of the program was the need to examine mental models to make sense of a world that has undergone fundamental changes. "Consistent with the overall theme and given the changing business environment, we need to challenge the way we are doing things today," said Wharton Professor Jerry Wind, academic director.

Action Oriented

There is a strong emphasis on translating these new ways of thinking into action. "With tough competition and a demand for top-line growth, there was real interest in coming back with new tools and ideas," said Suzanne DuBose, Fellows program director, who was a member of the first class when the Fellows program started 6 years ago. "What stood out most was the high level of participation. The comments we received were how wonderful it was to leave the work environment and be in this new thinking environment. 

"The program is very action oriented," Wind said. "Each of the participants found some new insights and actions. I don't think there was any session where at least one or two of the participants didn't have major takeaways for their businesses." 

He noted that to increase the impact, programs are tailored to the interests of participants. During each class, Fellows share their challenges and interests at an opening session and then form interest groups that work together throughout the rest of the program. The sessions also are punctuated by opportunities for reflection when executives create action points for their businesses based on the discussions.

"Fellows presents the latest developments in the study of business and management," said Seth Demsey, Product Manager for Google. "The professors take great care to connect new theory to practical execution.  It's this framing that allows me to take what I learn in Fellows and apply it directly to my organization.  One key takeaway I've already implemented in my organization is using a tool similar to the "darwinator" presented to evaluate and grade ideas in my R&D pipeline.  I'm hoping that using these analytical tools, and leveraging the 'wisdom of crowds,' will help us choose better ideas—and increase the overall effectiveness of our R&D budget."

To deepen the impact of the program, one CEO at the Philadelphia session brought two of his top managers. This allowed them to absorb the new insights and apply them directly to their own business. "They were doing real planning and business," DuBose said. "He doesn't have to go back and tell his top two executives what is going on, because they are now with him. He decided to use Fellows to keep in step with all the latest management concepts and tools and to educate his own senior team."

In addition to the participants on campus, other Fellows joined the discussions through a virtual classroom, with streaming video and presentations, as well as opportunities to participate in the classroom discussion. This virtual classroom, a regular feature of the Fellows community, will continue to draw together the community to examine critical emerging topics among Master Classes.

The World as a Classroom

Master Classes are held in different locations around the world to bring executives into contact with diverse issues, industries, geographies, and business leaders. The locations and topics of the programs are customized to the interests of the Fellows, in collaboration with program faculty and leadership. Following the February Master Class in Philadelphia, this year the Fellows will meet for a program in Shanghai in May and in Silicon Valley in October.

The Shanghai Master Class (May 21-23, 2007) will examine the transformations of the Chinese economy as an emerging market for sourcing and selling. "Things are moving so fast in China that business leaders need to understand what is happening there," DuBose said, who added that the location was selected through a poll of the Fellows community. "Everyone is trying to understand the impact of China on business. Even if you are not trading in China, it is still going to impact your business. In addition to business issues, China's development raises climate issues and environmental issues. As they use more cars and become mass consumers, what does that mean for global health?" During the program, Fellows will engage in discussions of strategy and challenges with senior leaders at companies including Roche Pharmaceutical, Shanghai General Motors, Pudong Development Bank, Carrefour, Focus Media, and Shanghai Urban Planning Bureau. The participants also will engage in hands-on negotiations with Chinese executives to understand firsthand the cultural and economic differences that affect doing business in the region. "We really want participants to have a flavor of what it is like to do business in China," DuBose said. Fellows also will be invited to join Wharton's Global Alumni Forum in Hong Kong following the class, with a special Fellows-only session with Victor Fung of Li & Fung.

In October, the Fellows will return to Silicon Valley (October 14-17, 2007) to examine "The Next Big Thing" from this hotbed of innovation. What are the next eBays, Googles, and other firms that are emerging? Given the fast-moving nature of the environment, the exact companies and speakers will be firmed up closer to the program start. Past Fellows classes have visited companies such as eBay and Sun Microsystems and held discussions with thought leaders such as John Hagel and John Seely Brown. 

DuBose said they are already beginning discussions of the 2008 classes, including a proposal for a program at the computer and electronics show in Las Vegas, which also will offer Fellows an opportunity to understand the innovations in the multibillion-dollar gaming industry.

The world will continue to change, and Fellows will continue to anticipate these changes and prepare senior leaders to meet them. "The key thing about the Fellows is that you don't go through to graduate and get a certificate," DuBose said. "Those that we welcome into the Fellows program are now Fellows for the rest of their lives, as long as they are dues paying, and they are joining a network of other executives in a quest for lifelong learning. They have made a commitment to always be on the competitive edge and to keep up with a rapidly changing, evolving business market."

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