IMD Business School Development of a new strategy and operational model to achieve IMD’s global ambitions. How might we develop a new strategy and operating model to accelerate IMD’s international expansion? IMD, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is a globally top 3 ranked executive education school that focuses on providing dedicated training opportunities to future leaders. As one of the only for-profit universities in its space, IMD was subject to a unique set of competitive pressures; with no endowments unlike its competitors such as INSEAD or Harvard. IMD recognized a pressing need to define and align on their short (3-year) and long (7-year)-term strategic growth plan to spark their continued growth, addressing questions such as: In the previous two years, IMD had engaged with two of the top three globally recognized management consulting firms but had yet to make meaningful headway. IMD commissioned the Awaken Group to help in not only designing the strategy, but in aligning and gaining ownership among its world leading business professors to actually implement the strategy. Through a collaborative, human-centric approach, we built consensus and ownership across the organization Building consensus for IMD’s new strategy IMD’s new CEO, coming from academia, sought to chart a new strategic direction. However, aligning the leadership team, comprised of seasoned business strategists with their own strong opinions could be challenging. To overcome this, our team prioritized fostering consensus through co-creation and coaching across the leadership group. Blending strategy, leadership, and design thinking to help them achieve their ambitions Alongside traditional strategic planning elements (e.g., market sizing, customer analysis, strategic benchmarking), we also prioritized in-depth interviews and workshops to truly grasp IMD’s systems, culture, and the hearts and minds of its leaders. This approach, a signature element of Awaken Group’s DNA, ensures that our clients are active participants in shaping their own future. A strong, effective strategy enabled IMD’s accelerated expansion into its new priority markets IMD’s Vision Realized, Ahead of Schedule: IMD developed an updated, aligned vision and five-year strategic plan one year ahead of schedule, enabling them to achieve key goals that resonate with their stakeholders’ ambitions. Strategic Expansion: Successful expansion into key markets like Asia and the Americas, fueled by innovative programs and partnerships, has strengthened IMD’s global footprint. Thought Leadership, Enduring Relevance: A strong focus on thought leadership in digital transformation and leadership has solidified IMD’s position in both new and traditional markets, ensuring continued impact and influence. “I wish to strongly recommend the Awaken Group to you. As Dean and President of IMD, I recruited the Awaken Group early this year to help us redefine the strategy of IMD. I have worked with several top consultants over my 25 years career at IMD; but Awaken is genuinely among the very best I have worked with.” – Dominique Turpin, Former CEO of IMD Creating a Global Growth Strategy for IMD
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