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As a result of the recent collaboration between École Des Ponts Business School and EADA Business School, a Global EMBA has been launched under the name LeadTech GEMBA. This programme has been designed for professionals who would like to be part of a new generation of managers with leadership skills and an in-depth understanding of the latest technological trends, capable of facing any challenge in the current uncertain and changing business environment.

During the 18-month, flexible-format course, participants travel through the main entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystems worldwide. They attend the world-renowned events and conferences in innovation and technology and network with experts from around the world. Specifically, they have six one-week residential modules (three in Barcelona and three in Paris) which will coincide with important events such as the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. There will also be six online modules, plus business trips to Silicon Valley and Hong Kong as well as individual sessions of executive coaching.

According to Alon Rozen, dean and professor of innovation and management at École Des Ponts Business School, “The LeadTech Global Executive MBA aims to equip future leaders with the skills they need to take on the challenges that companies face: constant innovation, digital transformation, virtual teams, new global challenges and the implementation of technology to improve customer experience and increase team performance, also known as employee experience.”

Jordi Díaz, EADA’s associate dean of programmes and international relations, adds: “Our mission is not to tell participants what to think, but to teach them how to think when faced with this new business environment. Digital transformation goes beyond just adopting new technology: the real transformation must take place on a personal level as well as an organisational culture level.”

Leadership, innovation and technology

The first pillar of the LeadTech Global Executive MBA is leadership. “This programme has been specifically designed for participants to succeed in the current VUCA reality, enabling participants to acquire the skills they need to achieve their goals and take any challenge in a company,” says Rozen.

To do this, Díaz adds, “We give participants the key to turning the complex into the simple - this is what we define as simplexity. Tomorrow’s leaders should communicate more effectively with stakeholders by using simple terms,  anticipating customers’ needs and retaining the best talent.”

The second pillar of the programme is innovation. Rozen talks about startupism as a new paradigm in which companies of any size and sector are redesigning their business models and focusing on innovation to scale up very quickly. “This trend is clearly provoking change in organisational culture. It has also been the catalyst for cities to start competing among themselves to become the new Silicon Valley.” He gives examples of some successful examples of this including Bangalore (India), Shenzhen (China) and Tel Aviv (Israel). “Barcelona and Paris have not missed out either - both cities have taken advantage of this race to become world leaders in innovation.”

In this sense, Jordi Díaz points out: “Innovation is not only about new technologies, but about daring to rethink the business model and being inspired by seeing it work successfully elsewhere.” He adds: “I would highlight a new generation of companies with new ambitions and values that need talented and courageous leaders willing to take on the daily challenge of positioning their company among the best.”

Among the focus areas of The LeadTech Global Executive MBA are the latest technologies. To Rozen, “The challenge lies in being up-to-date with the latest technology and integrating it into the organisation’s strategy.” On one hand, he says, “Leaders must know enough to be able to introduce technology that improves processes both on a daily and long term basis. On another hand, they have to lead the digital transformation of the company and explain to the employees, stakeholders and shareholders which types of technology they are using to compete on a global scale.” To Rozen, communication skills are also key. “Leaders must combine all of this with good communication skills so that this information is comprehensible and motivates their teams to achieve strategic objectives.”

Jordi Díaz points out that if you are not a “tech leader”, you are a “dead leader”. To Díaz, this means that “all the leaders – not just IT specialists - should know about the latest technologies, know how to implement them in an organisation and be able to see the competitive advantage they can get out of each one.” Or, in the words of the famous Adidas ad, “impossible is nothing”. “The participants of the LeadTech Global Executive MBA are people who prefer to explore the opportunities of today and the future instead of just choosing to live in it,” says Díaz.