Wharton/HiMD Executive Management Program

Approach

The program takes an interactive and multidimensional approach including faculty-led lectures and discussions, group-based exercises and presentations, a PC-based business simulation and a field study.

Key Modules

The program is consisted of the following three modules.

• Module I: Sessions designed for acquiring management knowledge, skills and perspectives
• Module II: Sessions designed to integrate, apply and internalize the learning from Module I
  • Reflection of one's daily learning and sharing/discussion of implications of such learning in groups
    Development, commitment and presentation of individual 100-day Action Plan based on daily individual/group reflections
    
  • Experience managing a company as a member of the board in a virtual competitive environment through a PC-based business simulation
• Module III: Activities designed for building an effective learning community as well as promoting active communication and exchange among diverse participants
  

Selected Session Topics

Below is an illustrative list of topics to be covered in the program;

• Leadership and Organization
  • Motivating and managing individuals and teams for high performance
  • Managing transcultural teams and organizations
  • Understanding different approaches and models of leadership, and your leadership profile
  • Using emotional intelligence in workplace for effective leadership
  • Understanding and overcoming work-life balance issues
  • Understanding core organizational concepts (culture, values and norms) to build adaptive organizations
  • Leading and managing organizational change
• Marketing Management
  • Understanding key marketing frameworks and the concept of being market-driven
  • Market segmentation and positioning to maximize life time value of the customer
  • Understanding and leveraging brand equity
  • Pricing strategies for capturing value
  • New product development and product lifecycle strategies
  • Issues in allocating marketing resources
• Strategic Thinking and Management
  • Understanding frameworks and tools for formulating strategy
    (e.g., competitive analysis, competency assessment, value propositions)
  • Leading and managing effective strategy execution
  • Understanding keys to successful acquisitions and strategic alliances
  • Understanding key success factors in service driven strategies
  • Designing and managing high performance organizations
  • Leading and managing strategic change initiatives
• Accounting and Financial Management*
  • Understanding key accounting and finance terms and concepts
  • Understanding how to read and analyze financial statements
  • Using valuation tools and techniques for making investment decisions
  • Understanding how capital structure and financial policy influence corporate value

*basic knowledge and skills required for the PC-based business simulation will be covered

Exploring Japan's Unique Culture

The program offers participants a field study opportunity to explore business and/or cultural aspects explicitly unique to Japan that have the potential for gaining fresh perspectives transferable to one's own business situations. Previous classes have examined the concept of monozukuri (art and wisdom of Japanese manufacturing) and the essence of shinise kigyo (Japanese long-lived companies).

Management Simulation

The program will use HIMAX, a PC-based business simulation developed by HIMD. With a proven track record as an effective experiential learning tool, this simulation has been widely used in management development programs within the Hitachi Group as well as by other corporations.

Working in teams, participants will act as members of the board of a manufacturing company in its formative years. Each team will develop corporate strategy and make resource allocation decisions over seven half-year terms. Teams will compete for financial performance as well as sustainability of profit as a going concern.

About HiMD

The Hitachi Institute of Management Development (HiMD) was established in 1961 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Hitachi, Ltd's foundation. Since then, HiMD has been highly regarded in Japan as the first management school operated by a private company aimed at fostering managers of the next generation. In 1973, HiMD became an independent institution jointly supported by Hitachi Group companies. The purpose of this change was to reinforce HiMD's role as facilitator of "knowledge sharing" and "information exchange." HiMD now provides services not only to Hitachi Group companies but also to many external companies.

The program is designed for high-potential middle managers (from headquarters as well as overseas operations) who are being considered for senior management positions. With more than 10 years of business experience in one or more functional areas and a preferred minimum of three years of managerial positions, the participants are expected to already play a key and active role in the global business arena.

Participants must be sufficiently proficient in the English language as all classes, discussions, and text materials will be in English. For participants whose native language is not English, HiMD’s language institute facilitates the transition to an intensive, all-English environment with an English immersion course, which incorporates reading materials from the program.

Faculty with business and consulting expertise ensure a dynamic and insightful balance between theory and practice in the classroom.

SHERMAN ABE

Professor and Associate Dean
Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy (ICS), Hitotsubashi University

Professor Abe joined the Hitotsubashi University in 2000 as a founding faculty member of the ICS, the first full-time international MBA program offered by a Japanese national university. His academic specialties are corporate finance and equity investments, with topical interest in corporate restructuring, M&A, and private equity in both Japan and non-Japan Asia.

He has more than 25 years of experience in international business. He was formerly a Director of Investment Banking with CS First Boston with assignments in New York, London, and Tokyo. He has also worked for Merrill Lynch Tokyo as a securities broker and as a partner in the San Francisco office of Korn/Ferry International.

Professor Abe received his BA from Harvard College and an MBA in finance and international business from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

TOSHIO GOTO

Professor of Integrated Engineering
Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries
Shizuoka, Japan

Professor Goto is on the faculty of Integrated Engineering at the Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonic Industries where he teaches courses on strategy and venture management. His academic research focuses on strategies for sustainable growth, entrepreneurship and innovation of Japanese long-lived companies.

Prior to joining academia, he worked at NEC for thirty years in a variety of areas including telecommunications and home electronics. He has also taught at Nihon University, Musashi Institute of Technology and Tokyo Institute of Technology.

He holds a BA in economics from the University of Tokyo and a MBA from the Harvard Business School.

DANA KAMINSTEIN, PhD

Fellow, Aresty Institute of Executive Education
The Wharton School

Dr. Kaminstein is an organizational psychologist actively involved in research and teaching at the Wharton School as well as the School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania. His areas of expertise include leadership development, organizational diagnosis, team building, creating learning organizations, organizational change, life-work balance, executive coaching, and action-learning.

At the Wharton School, most of his time is currently spent toward designing and teaching Executive Education programs for both open-enrollment and customized programs, including leadership development programs for companies such as Aviva, Scottish Power, and Textron.

Dr. Kaminstein received his MA in counseling psychology from Goddard College and a PhD in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

JOSEPH RYAN, PhD

Founder and President, True North Advisory Group
Adjunct Professor of Management,
The Wharton School

Professor Ryan has been affiliated with Wharton since 1991 and teaches in the MBA, Executive MBA, and executive education programs, including programs jointly offered with Wharton's alliance partner, INSEAD. He works with executives as an advisor on strategy and change management assignments. He is also a frequent speaker at industry conferences. His teaching, consulting, and research interests include strategy implementation, strategic alliances, leading and building high-performance organizations, strength-based leadership, service management, and best practices in change management and executive education.

Dr. Ryan has held management positions in strategic planning, business development, and organization development with GE, GTE, and ARAMARK. He has also worked as a consultant in the Kepner Tregoe Strategy Group and at the Wharton Center for Applied Research.

He holds an MBA and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and attended the GE Crotonville executive education program.

PATRICIA WILLIAMS, PhD

Associate Professor of Marketing
The Wharton School

Patti Williams is Associate Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School. She currently teaches courses on advertising/marketing communications to both undergraduates and MBA students at Wharton, and has also taught on marketing and the Internet. She is the recipient of an Excellence in Teaching Award.

Her research interests include the role of emotions in persuasion and consumer decision making and automatic and effortful processes in consumer behavior. Her papers have appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research and the Journal of Marketing Research, among others. She serves on the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Consumer Research and the Journal of Consumer Psychology.

Prior to joining the Wharton School in 2000, Dr. Williams was an assistant professor at the Stern School of Business at NYU. She received a BA in communications from Stanford University and an MBA and PhD in marketing from UCLA.

"I have to say that the program far surpassed my expectations.
It was a culturally rich experience in which people from very diverse backgrounds met, worked, learned and thrived together. The faculty was outstanding and organizational aspects of the program were exemplary."
—Business Manager, UK

"It was a very timely learning opportunity for me as I was beginning to face a whole variety of management issues. I was particularly impressed by the quality and enthusiasm of faculty who kept me fully engaged despite long session hours. My learning will continue after the program with the initial task of refining and implementing my 100-day action plan."
—R&D Manager, Japan

"Exploring Japan’s Coolness" is a very unique topic and one that differentiates this program from other global executive programs. We studied the key characteristics of Japanese long-lived companies through a field trip to an 150-year old sake brewery. These characteristics offer strong learning points that are important for us to focus on. This topic should definitely be retained for the benefit of future participants."
—HR Deputy General Manager, Singapore

"The HIMAX simulation is extremely useful in that it provides great opportunities to think, strategize, plan, make and correct mistakes, and build and sustain teamwork. It is a wonderful practical tool to train up managers. It made us realize there is no such thing as born managerial talent, every business needs various skills, strategies as well as teamwork, and never to risk one’s own company. I love it!"
—Production Senior Manager, China

"The program was extremely valuable to both my personal and professional growth. The concepts and guiding principles learned during the program have changed the way I approach my day-to-day and long-term business activities. Also, it was truly a multi-cultural experience, enabling me to establish friendships and global business relationships with like-minded professionals."
—Management Consultant, USA