Federico Frattini, the dean of POLIMI Graduate School of Management, shares his thoughts on the impact of the EFMD Executive Academy on his staff, the institution and the reason behind his continuous support of the training programme.

The Executive Academy is a unique training programme because – to the best of my knowledge – it is the only programme focused on leadership and executive development dedicated to professionals in the business school/management education industry. This industry has many distinctive characteristics, making general-purpose strategy and leadership models less effective and useful. A training programme that not only fosters personal growth but also addresses the unique challenges and complexities of management education, provides immense value to the personal and professional development of our staff. As a result, it contributes significantly to the growth of our school.

The expectations and strategic objectives when we encourage our staff to participate in the programme are, based on previous experience with colleagues taking part in the EA, related mainly to personal development. We expect these people to be more aware of the critical contribution they can play in the development of the business school, more able to think strategically, and more solid in the decisions they make, in the partnership that they establish, in the interactions they establish and maintain with colleagues, students, and faculty. These expectations have been fully met every time one of our staff participated in the programme.

Namely, I noticed four types of impact of the Executive Academy on the colleagues who completed the programme:

(1) Heightened awareness of the management education industry’s challenges, complexities, and opportunities. The people who participated in the Executive Academy have always been inspired by the interactions and knowledge exchanges they have had with colleagues from other business schools. The exposure to different perspectives has triggered ideas about new projects in areas such as student service and experience, sustainability and impact, and innovation.

(2) Improved soft and personal skills in areas such as leading teams and critical and strategic thinking. The people who joined the Executive Academy have undoubtedly improved their ability to lead teams and work strategically with colleagues, resulting in a positive impact on the culture and atmosphere of the school.

(3) Enhanced social capital and professional networking. Those who participated in the Executive Academy built strong relationships with colleagues from other universities and business schools, which are, until this day, useful in their everyday projects and activities. The personal and professional relationships established with other colleagues have allowed our school more than once to set up collaboration agreements with other institutions in fields such as students exchange and similar areas.

(4) Higher energy, commitment, and motivation in everyday job activities. A significant positive has been the growth of the energy, commitment, and motivation that the people who participated in the Executive Academy developed afterwards.

The Executive Academy is a training programme designed specifically for professionals in managerial roles navigating the business school environment. It addresses self-leadership, leadership approaches, industry-related trends, and innovation. To ensure an individual approach, at most 20 international professionals are accepted to the programme at a time.

For information on the upcoming Executive Academy Europe Stream from 19-23 May 2025 in Prague, Czechia, please visit the events page or to secure your spot now, apply here.

For other valuable insights, topics and trends about professional development and additional reflections from previous executive academies, follow the conversation here.