Skip to main content

TRANSFORMING CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES

Poole College's Executive Programs – delivered through the North Carolina State Executive Education, LLC (NCSEE) – has seen tremendous growth in the past few years, reports Dan McGurrin, who joined the college as director in spring 2011.

That was about the same time that the college announced a new business collaboratories approach to executive development, delivered through custom and consortia programs and specialized open enrollment offerings.

McGurrin and the directors of research centers and initiatives at Poole College have been refining the collaboratories model, building cross-disciplinary teams of faculty and other subject experts who work collaboratively with clients’ leaders in a ‘teaching clinic’ setting.

“Our goal is to enable companies or organizations to effectively diagnose problems and turn challenges into business opportunities,” McGurrin said. That requires carefully matching both the content and the presenters to the client’s needs.

In the past 15 months, he has worked with faculty in Poole College, across NC State and in the college’s network of faculty and practitioner experts, to develop and deliver nine specialized programs attended by approximately 600 individuals. Content has focused on the following key areas:

  • Managing disruptive innovation
  • Identifying opportunities for organizational growth
  • Leadership for food sustainability
  • Innovation and organizational agility in difficult times
  • Leadership in enterprise risk management
  • Preparing military units for mission changes
  • Leadership development for civilian leaders in military operations

"We are drawing on the college's key areas of expertise in developing and delivering these programs, using innovation management tools and processes developed over the years by our faculty and others affiliated with our Center for Innovation Management Studies (CIMS)," McGurrin said. These include the Innovation Management Maturity Assessment, Value IQ assessment, New Product Development Decisions Support, Market Driven Business Plan Workbook, Virtual Team Readiness, and Big Data analytics.

"We have had great feedback on our collaboratories model, our content and the results they provide the participating companies," he said. McGurrin provided the following testimonials from recent programs.

  • "The high-level content is strong. It was useful, diverse and practical – You just can't read this stuff. – NetApp participant
  • "I think the entire concept of being introspective that was promoted throughout the course (without all the 'touchy-feely') was by far the most valuable to me. It did not fall in line with other leadership courses I have taken and was way more useful and gave me real tools that I can apply, not just great ideas that only work in theory." – JSOC participant
  • "This is the type of training our leadership needs. Professors top notch; other industries discussed; real life experiences; high energy; 1st internal training that I was focused, engaged all day long! Well done!" – BCBSNC participant

In fall 2012, Poole College formed a partnership with the General Hugh Shelton Leadership Center to develop and present programs especially for military units, following the successful delivery of several pilot programs in the year prior. Dr. Chris Hitch was brought on board in a joint appointing, serving as the college’s program director for the military programs delivered through NCSEE and leading the expansion of youth leadership programs at the Shelton Leadership Center.

Following are several of NCSEE's current or recent clients and topics; many are multiple-year engagements that involve leaders at many levels of the organization, from individual units to the c-suite.

  • Annual leadership programs for civilian leaders in two layers of the U.S. military’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), in collaboration with the Shelton Leadership Center
  • Annual program on Managing Disruptive Innovation at Biogen Idec, using action projects to help define disruptive opportunities for the organization
  • Worked with NetApp to pilot a new version of the Disruptive Innovation Program to inspire innovation leaders at the company. The new version was developed by a consortium of companies  and is currently being adapted for Cisco
  • Partnered with NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to deliver a program on food sustainability for Bayer CropScience and its partners. This program includes research under way at NC State and with partner schools on various factors affecting agriculture, such as water, land access, government funding, and GMOs (genetically modified organisms).
  • Currently developing a client-centric marketing organization and an approach to innovation for Pitney Bowes’ senior leadership, preparing the company to compete more effectively in a changing marketplace
  • Developed and delivering a leadership series for BCBSNC’s organizational leaders responsible for driving innovation and organizational agility during a time of difficult change in the healthcare industry
  • Managing a series of global deliveries for Deloitte in support of its enterprise risk practice, delivered by faculty in Poole College’s Enterprise Risk Management initiative
  • Working with the senior leadership team at PRA, a global clinical research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., to identify disruptive opportunities for strategic growth
  • Working with over 100 platoon leaders of the North Carolina National Guard as they progress through a mission change following reduced operations in the Middle East

Poole College's Executive Programs also offers a select number of open enrollment options. In March 2013, it is offering its Business Essentials for Technical Professionals program, designed with the same real world, applied learning approach as is used in its other collaboratories projects. Check the Executive Programs website for details.

Related

Poole College, Shelton Leadership Center Partners in a Shared Commitment 
Poole College's Executive Programs, Shelton Leadership Center Delivery Program for JSOC Staff

Return to SOTC 2013 Industry Connections