Company Based Programs
The Executive Development Center offers uniquely tailored business educational programs for companies.
The Executive Development Center (EDC) designs and implements custom executive and management programs for individual companies, structured to help business leaders drive organizational success. Our custom programs meet the interests and needs of executive and senior management teams, both technical and non-technical, and are developed through a collaborative process between the EDC, SCU faculty and the client company.
Let us design a program for you.
The EDC works collaboratively with our partners to identify:
- the critical challenges to be addressed,
- the target audiences,
- appropriate pedagogical approaches and faculty,
- and the expected educational and performance outcomes of the program.
Our goal is to help create a learning experience that closely ties classroom learning with the development of effective leaders, stronger teams, and impactful management practices. We carefully listen to the needs of the client company, their rationale for a custom program, the potential scope of the initiative, the intended audience, as well as identify who will champion the program. In many cases, the faculty involved in developing the program will conduct in-depth, confidential interviews with senior management to better understand the business issues facing the company and its culture, their expectations for the program, as well as any preferences for program format and content.
Programs can include a combination of highly interactive classroom sessions, case discussions, small group exercises, advance assignments, and company speakers who may be integrated into the program. In our 50+ years of executive education experience, we have discovered the best learning environment is away from the hectic, distraction-prone environment of the participant's office. Thus, the majority of these programs are offered on the campus of Santa Clara University.
The University's close ties to Silicon Valley also guarantee that our high quality business faculty has a solid understanding of the unique issues faced by companies in the most innovative and entrepreneurial business environment in the world.
Frequent Topics for Custom Programs:
- Systems and executive thinking
- Managers becoming leaders
- Marketing strategy: delivering customer value
- Financial strategy: tools for strategic analysis
- Creating a high performing teams
- Developing a culture of innovation
- Power and politics in an organization
Examples of custom programs delivered by SCU's Executive Development Center:
- The dilemma of remaining competitive in an increasingly challenging business climate and able to sustain a culture that values innovation was the core focus of a 3-day custom program designed for the R&D group of a mid-sized silicon Valley-based global company. SCU faculty focused on the core themes of innovation as a core competence, market leadership, and systems and executive thinking. To help reinforce the learnings, the curriculum incorporated an 'application session' each day lead by the senior executive responsible for the group. A wine-tasting session led by a SCU alum was added to the curriculum as a team-building activity.
- Individuals identified as 'high potentials' in a leading Silicon Valley-based high tech company participate in quarterly, week-long sessions as part of an in-depth, "Performance Academy". Topics such as high-performing teams, strategy, finance, innovation and entrepreneurship, leading and managing are central to this program. The importance of the program was underscored by the fact that the CEO of the company lead an entire morning session that covered a wide range of topics. The program culminates in a SCU certificate for all participants.
- The EDC was asked to design and deliver a three-day executive development experience for a well-established Silicon Valley company for its worldwide executive team. The focus of this program was to create a common understanding among executive team members of the management practices desired by the company.
- New management in the San Jose office of a Taiwan-based technology company decided to push decision making further down into the organization and closer to the customer. In order to do this, company leadership felt that people needed greater understanding of finance, marketing, and gathering and processing customer information. A program was implemented with these areas in mind.
- A leading Silicon Valley technology company approached the EDC when one of their business units was attempting to change its operating model. Their goal was to have their people think in terms of "value add" for the customer, as opposed to time/materials/markup when pricing their services. Given this, the EDC built a program around systems/executive thinking, finance, and customer focused visits.
- The west coast office of a global transportation company saw the need to build a more cohesive executive team. Based upon interviews of the executive team by a SCU faculty member, a program was designed around the findings from the discussions. In addition, the faculty member attended and helped facilitate an off-site for the group.
Sample of Corporate Curriculum
International Custom Programs: Your University Partner in Silicon Valley
Does the most dynamic, innovative and entrepreneurial business climate in the world interest you? Do you want to design an educational program that capitalizes on the unique aspects of Silicon Valley business culture and its unparalleled successes? If so, the Executive Development Center leverages SCU's ideal location in the heart of silicon Valley and the pivotal role it has played in making this area the global leader in business and innovation. SCU has a vast network of executives, entrepreneurs, and investors to draw from in designing a program to meet your needs, including alumni who are leaders throughout Silicon Valley, from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. Hundreds of companies are within a short distance from campus, including such leaders as Cisco, Google, Intel, Yahoo!, Apple, HP, eBay, Facebook, Genentech, Twitter.
Sample of International Curriculum
For further information, please contact:
Larry Robertson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Executive Education
Executive Development Center
Leavey School of Business
Santa Clara University
e-mail: lrobertson@scu.edu
tel: 408-554-4681
