In recent years executives across many organisations have increasingly become specialised in the functional areas in which they began their careers with the organisation. Such specialisation, while appropriate at times in the context of high potential individuals, has created a dearth of general managers who can and should manage the challenge of profitable growth for the organisation. The General Managers Programme has been designed to provide high potential executives who have excelled in their functional areas, with perspectives, knowledge, and skills that will help them transit to a general manager’s role. To become effective general managers who take an integrated and holistic perspective for making strategic choices, managers need to develop a mindset that will lead to synergies not only within particular functions but also across functions and lines of business. The programme will highlight the following managerial competencies: Managing Complexity, Managing Integration, and Strategic Orientation.

The emphasis in the programme would be on both a) short term development of skills that will lead to immediate realization of synergies within and across functional areas and b) long term development of leadership capabilities that will lead to sustainable growth of the organisation, through a strategic understanding of synergies across the different lines of business. Given this dual emphasis, the programme will offer inputs that will help managers build competencies to meet both objectives.

Indicative Programme Contents

• Developing strategic orientation.
• Understanding the nature of complexity and integration involved in obtaining synergies within and across functions, within and across businesses and across firms in different industries.
• Developing knowledge and specific skills in implementing synergies within and across functions, and businesses.
• Understanding relationships between strategy, shareholder value creation, leadership and performance evaluation.
• Simulation involving strategic decision making, while considering cross-functional implications.
• Workshops and exercises to apply learnings to workplace issues.

There would be a strong focus in the programme on application of learnings to the organisational context and challenges. The programme structure and contents can be customised, depending on the organisational context and concerns to be addressed.

Suggested Duration: Between 5 to 8 days, depending on the organisational challenges and participants’ backgrounds.