Pedagogical Approach
Program Design
Module Descriptions
Key Program Features
Evaluation
Schedule At A Glance

The program is designed to meet the development needs of experienced managers who occupy or are destined to senior management positions. Program participants are managers, entrepreneurs and professionals with at least 10 years work experience, including at least five years managerial experience.

Participants remain in their jobs throughout the 15 months of the program. Classes typically meet Thursday through Sunday, once a month, with two residential modules of 7 and 10 days. The second residential module will take place abroad in Latin America or Asia.

Reflecting the reality of Canadian business, the program is delivered in a bilingual format. Class presentations and group discussions take place in both French and English. Therefore, candidates must be able to understand and read both languages, but may contribute to discussions and write exams and papers in either English or French.

The McGill – HEC Montréal EMBA will award successful participants a joint MBA degree bearing the seals of both HEC Montréal and McGill University.

Pedagogical Approach — Managerial Mindsets

Instead of teaching the conventional business silos, so common in management education, the program uses an integrated, multidisciplinary vision of management and focuses on the actual practice of management. It is structured around managerial mindsets, which draws on the research and acclaimed international leadership programs of Henry Mintzberg, McGill University’s best-selling author and renowned management thinker. The McGill – HEC Montréal EMBA program is predicated on the following principles and philosophies:

• Participants are practicing managers with a wealth of experience and knowledge. Learning will be drawn from their own experience as well as that of their co-participants. As such, the program is highly participatory and encourages interaction and collaboration among participants.
• Program content is rooted in reality and is issue-driven, focusing on current business matters, concerns and events that have an impact on decision making and management practices.
• Like all MBA programs, analytical management tools and techniques will be presented, but in the McGill – HEC Montréal EMBA they are examined from a strategic angle.
• The program incorporates the “Five Minds of a Manager” theory. As described in the Harvard Business Review article, by Jonathan Gosling and Henry Mintzberg, managing effectively relies on employing five managerial mindsets – The Reflective Mindset: Managing Yourself, The Analytical Mindset: Managing Organizations, The Worldly Mindset: Managing Context, The Collaborative Mindset: Managing Relationships and The Catalytic Mindset: Managing Change.

Program Design

Over 11 months, participants meet for long weekends (Thursday through Sunday) once a month, plus 2 1/2 intensive, residential weeks, to cover the 8 program modules listed below. In addition to class meetings, participants can expect to spend 15-20 hours per week, on papers and assignments.

There will also be a Managerial Exchange, at a time convenient to the participants, whereby each participant spends 2-3 days in the workplace of a co-participant and 2-3 days hosting a co-participant.

Participants then complete a final integrative project on their own, which typically takes an additional 4 months.

Each of the 8 program modules fits into the broader category of:

1. Business Challenges
2. Managerial Tools & Techniques
3. Managerial Mindsets

Each module is directed by a member of HEC Montréal’s or McGill University’s world renowned faculty. Teaching is done by a mix of professors at both universities, as well as guest speakers from the business community and other academic institutions.

McGill – HEC Montréal EMBA Program

Module	Managerial Mindsets	Managerial Tools & Techniques	Business Challenges
1.	The Reflective Mindset Managing Self 7 -Day Residential Module
Venture Project
2.		Accounting, Finance, Economics, Statistics
3.			Value Creation
4.			Operational Excellence
5.	The Analytical Mindset Managing Organizations
6.	The Collaborative Mindset Managing Relationships
7.	The Worldly Mindset Managing Context 10-Day residential module in Latin America or Asia
Managerial Exchange
8.	The Catalytic Mindset Managing Change
11 months				Final Integrative Project
				4 months

Module Descriptions

1. The Reflective Mindset, Managing Self – 7-Day Residential Module

Participants learn how to be thoughtful, to step back from always doing, to see familiar experiences from a new perspective. This, in turn, fosters innovation and change, not repeating similar patterns and mistakes. Examines:

• Nature of managerial work
• Leadership
• Emotional Intelligence
• Management styles
• Ethics
• Accountability (individual, organizational, social)

2. Managerial Tools & Practices

This module lays the groundwork for the two modules on business challenges. Here, managerial tools and practices are considered from a strategic viewpoint, using an interactive problem-solving approach. Themes include:

• The firm’s competitive environment
• The firm’s macro-economic environment
• Accounting and financial tools
• Accounting and control tools
• Financial management
• Gouvernance

3. Value Creation

Technologies develop, industries converge, new markets open – businesses need to look beyond traditional competitive advantages and develop new sources of value. Includes:

• Responding to value-creation challenges
• Making the most of a turbulent environment
• Benefiting from the emergence of new business models
• Mobilizing the firm’s resources
• Reinventing the business model

4. Operational Excellence

Human resources, products and inventory, finances and information technology – optimizing and synchronizing the use of resources are essential to an organization’s success. Presents best practices and examines:

• Human resources as strategic partners
• Optimal financial policies and decisions
• Supply chain management
• Valorizing information resources

5. The Analytical Mindset, Managing Organizations

Examines the strengths and limitations of analysis in organizations through:

• New perspectives on analytical tools
• Going beyond quantitative data
• New approaches to decision-making
• How to avoid paralysis by analysis
• How to tackle complex issues
• Governance structures

6. The Collaborative Mindset, Managing Relationships

Effective managers, manage not from the top down, but from within. They create the environment and attitudes that encourage teamwork. Looks at:

• Collaborative arrangements at the intra-firm, inter-firm, and societal levels
• Engaging vs. heroic styles of management
• Identifying the requirements and implications of effective collaboration
• Knowledge management
• Strategic alliances
• Managing teams (co-located, distributed, teleworkers)
• Fostering innovation and creativity
• Managing conflict

7. The Worldly Mindset, Managing Context 10 Day residential module in Latin America or Asia

Managers need to develop the cultural and social insights essential to operating in diverse regions, serving varied customer segments, partnering with other organizations. Explores:

• Looking outward, to see inward
• Values, habits, and cultures
• Managing context
• Organizational and social culture
• Openness on the world
• Globalization of the economy
• Economic & financial systems

Learn more about the 2013 Worldly Mindset Experience in Argentina

8. The Catalytic Mindset, Managing Change

Participants will develop a richer understanding of what is change, what is not change, what is continuity and what determines effective action. Topics include:

• Market-oriented innovation and diffusion of innovation
• Sustainable creativity
• Managing the Innovation Value Chain
• Change and continuity management
• Implementing successful organizational change
• Dealing with resistance

Key Program Features

Change Project

During the length of the program, each participant will develop a “Change” – an individual program-long project focused on bringing about change in their own work environment.

Managerial Exchange

At a time in the program convenient to them, each participant will spend 2-3 days “shadowing” a co-participant in their workplace and 3-5 days hosting a co-participant.

Impact Papers

Participants will submit several papers relating the theories and learnings from the program to real aspects of their work environment. These provide an opportunity to explore job-related challenges in depth.

Learning teams

At the start of the program, participants will form small “mentor groups” to support each other on program assignments and help link the learning, in class and at work. Each group will be assigned one of the Module Directors, who acts as a Learning Coach throughout the program.

“New Business Challenge”

In teams, the participants are working with start-up companies, to develop business/value creation models, challenging their own thinking as well as that of the startups. This will culminate in a pitch to a panel of venture capitalists on behalf of the startups. This ‘live’ project will provide the opportunity to apply the learnings of the year to a real-life situation, and to learn more about the world of entrepreneurs and venture capital in the process.
Learn More

Final Paper

Once the eight EMBA modules are successfully completed, participants embark on the final project.

• Participants select a relevant management topic of research.
• They are assigned an academic supervisor to coach them in literature review, data collection, data analysis and conclusions drawn.
• The final product is a paper of approximately 15,000 words.
• The project generally takes 4 months to complete.

Evaluation

Participants will be evaluated on each module through a combination of exams, team exercises, group projects, presentations and/or participation.

Important Note:
Learning in the program will be drawn from each participant’s managerial experience as well as that of their co-participants. Participation is essential in this program and will represent a significant portion of each module’s evaluation. As such, participants must be prepared to be present at each module and need to make work and personal arrangements to allow this.

Schedule At A Glance

• Classes typically meet once a month, Thursday through Sunday, from 8 am to 5:30 pm.
• There will be occasional evening sessions.
• The program will take place at McGill and at HEC Montréal.
• Exceptional to the information above:

1. A residential module, «Reflective Mindset», will take place at a hotel in the Laurentians, Eastern Townships or similar.
2. A residential module, «Wordly Mindset», requires travel and will take place at a location in Latin America or Asia.
3. There will also be a managerial exchange, at a time convenient to the participants, whereby each participant spends 3-5 days in the workplace of a co-participant and 3-5 days hosting a co-participant.

• There is a longer break in the summer and during the holiday season.
• The in-class portion of the program is completed in 11 months.
• Participants can expect to spend approximately 15 to 20 hours per week, outside of class meetings, on papers and assignments.
• A major integrative project is required to complete the program which typically takes an additional 4 months.
• Graduation can take place Spring 2011.

Note: Revisions to the schedule may occur prior to the program start.

* Candidates without undergraduate degrees, but with substantial managerial experience are encouraged to apply, as exceptional candidates may be admitted to the program.