- About 180 company leaders have participated in the forum.
- The "mini apps" initiated during the sessions have turned into projects with substantial impact on the company's future.
The GLF class used the invitation as an opportunity to add an action-learning project in "real time" to its two-week program and prepared high-level feedback for a presentation to Campbell and other top company leaders at the conclusion of the program. Being responsive to the program changes required reworking the schedule on the fly. Faculty and program designers rolled up their sleeves and shifted program sessions in real time to address the new strategic discussion on the table. Wharton was able to draw upon the deep bench strength of its faculty and program design expertise to address the new requirements.
The discussions in the Wharton classroom led directly to initiatives within the company to examine opportunities to leverage the diversity and scale of Textron's businesses as a strategic advantage "to be better together," Callas-Miller said. "Along with other operating and function executives, several of the GLF program participants served on an advisory group, dubbed 'Nextron,' that provided input to the Transformation Leadership Team (TLT) in advancing a design for the future. The TLT consists of Textron's top function and business leaders who have primary decision responsibility for the transformation design."
While completely overhauling the program in real time is a rare event, the program has consistently evolved as more than 180 executives have participated in the annual forum over six years. "It is very customized," said Academic Director Jack Hershey. "A lot of it is delivered by the executives themselves, so they have a great deal to say about what is to be done. The program is driven by their strategy and immediate issues that they want to make progress on. This changes not only the faculty involved but also the projects."
While core sessions on topics such as strategic thinking, leadership and execution, and organizational and interpersonal dynamics remain the same, the Global Leadership Forum draws upon different faculty to develop new content to address current issues. In addition to integration issues, the program over time has focused on current strategic priorities such as talent development, execution, globalization, and customer segmentation. "This is the strength of Wharton's depth and breadth to be able to address these diverse issues," said Program Director Judy McHugh.
To ensure that the insights from the classroom are put into practice, a key component is a set of action-learning projects, called "mini apps." Participants work on these projects throughout the two-week program. In the final days, they present their proposals to the company's top leaders, who can then step forward to sponsor them. Participants receive immediate feedback on their work, creating a tight loop between ideas and action.
What happens next? Because Textron's vision is to excel in the marketplace as a networked organization that leverages its strong brands, world-class processes, and talented people, the intent is to expand the learning opportunities for its leadership. There have been discussions of a reunion to touch base with past participants, and the program content itself continues to evolve, of course. "It has been a very effective partnership throughout the years as we continue to move and make change and evolve strategies," said Callas-Miller. "Wharton has been very responsive, and there is a lot of relationship building between Wharton and key executives in the company."