Brazilian Execs Dig Into Disruptive Innovation at College’s Executive Programs Seminar
The participants, who hold leadership roles in their companies, are enrolled in the FIA Business School International MBA program at USP, and participated in the seminar through their study abroad option.
The seminar covered five topics faced by business leaders the world over: leading virtual teams, building innovation management competencies, converting market signal to change imperatives, designing breakthrough business models, and creating a culture of innovation. These are among the key areas of research for a number of graduate faculty members in the NC State College of Management, which focuses on management for today’s technology driven global marketplace.
‘Value proposition’ was the topic of conversation following one faculty presentation. When asked what he saw as the value proposition for participating in the executive seminar, Richardo Annicchino, FIA managing partner, said, “This is helping us understand better the innovation process as well as the dimensions of the team leader – the wider scope of that role.”
It wasn’t Annicchino’s first visit to NC State University. He had earned his Master of Arts in Management in 1991 – the year before the College of Management was established at NC State and six years before the Jenkins Graduate School was named in the college.
Annicchino, who previously was a consultant with a leading global consulting firm, has remained a friend of the college and has given classroom presentations on business cases to Jenkins MBA students. A colleague of his had mentioned the Center for Innovation Management Studies based in the College of Management, as well as the MBA program’s innovation management concentration.
“I was impressed with the course and the idea behind it, and saw that it would help us understand a little better about innovation management,” he said, and brought the materials to the attention of Isak Kruglianskas, professor and dean of the USP management school and coordinator and director of the FIA Foundation. “He thought it would be a great opportunity for a joint activity (with NC State),” Annicchino said.
Participant feedback indicates the program was a good fit. “This is a well structured model, very well moderated. I can see how I can take this back and apply it,” said Sidnei Vicentim, operations director for ZF, which produces transmissions for electronic engines.
Following a presentation on the Technology Entrepreneurship Commercialization (TEC) model developed by NC State faculty, he said, “this was very important for me because innovation management is not a role of R&D. It got my mind to work, stimulated new thought processes and gave me questions to check on when I go home.”
Students said they also appreciated the final session, on creating a culture of innovation, saying it was a perfect wrap-up presentation for “a bunch of engineers and chemists.”
“The NC State College of Management and USP officials are committed to additional joint offerings and future international study opportunities,” said Ira R. Weiss, dean of the college.
The FIA Management Institute Foundation was created in 1980 as an initiative of the professors from the Business Studies Department of the University of São Paulo. Today it is the largest institution dedicated to higher education and research in Brazil. It has become one of Latin America’s top ranked business schools and is considered one of the 60 best Executive MBA institutions in the world by the Financial Times.
About NC State and the College of Management
North Carolina State University is a comprehensive university known for its leadership in education and research, especially in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is the largest university in North Carolina. The NC State College of Management was established in 1992 to provide management education for today’s technology focused global marketplace. Its faculty brings real world experience and perspective to the classroom. The college is home to the Center for Innovation Management Studies, and has initiatives in biosciences management, enterprise risk management, supply chain management and technology entrepreneurship and commercialization. The college’s Jenkins Graduate School of Management offers master’s degrees in accounting, business management, and global innovation management. It offer doctoral and master’s economics programs jointly with NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Natural Resource Economics. The college’s Office of Undergraduate Programs offers bachelor’s degrees in accounting, business management and economics, and minors in the fundamental business disciplines and entrepreneurship.
