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A world-class faculty for a global executive education

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Nissan Global Foundation, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and Waseda Business School hosted the Global Resilient Leadership Program from July 11 – 15, 2016.

Nissan Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn

Started in December 2014, the objective of this cross-cultural program is to prepare executives with leadership skills to manage global strategies and organizational transformation in a competitive business environment. The participants come from diverse backgrounds to this unique, one-of-a-kind program: different age groups, women, foreign nationals, and those who have changed careers or worked abroad. Waseda University serves as a hub to link participants with prestigious business schools and corporations around the world.

Our fourth program was in collaboration with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and in the fall, we will offer our fifth together with the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland on October 23 (this program is almost full). Over 150 participants will have completed the program by the end of 2016.

Multiple perspectives through theory and practice

The word “resilience” in the program’s name signifies the ability to recover and grow from downfalls in today’s rapid and unpredictable market. The five-day curriculum incorporated a real-life case study of Nissan’s success story on how they revitalized their company and other examples of global businesses mobilizing themselves for change. From both theoretical and practical perspectives, the participants acquired new leadership tools and techniques.

Professor Harbir Singh from Wharton and Professor Masataka Ota from Waseda

Nissan President Carlos Ghosn, whose impact on Nissan’s turnaround is highly acclaimed, explained what true leadership is based on his knowledge and experience. The program also welcomed key persons including Former Chief Operations Officer Toshiyuki Shiga, who was in the center of Nissan Revival Plan at the time, to lecture their theories on practical, global strategies.

Professor Harbir Singh, an expert in corporate governance and transformational leadership, along with Professor Michael Useem and Associate Professor Saikat Chaudhuri from Wharton broadened the participants’ understanding by sharing cases from foreign corporations and proceeded the class with an American business school approach through lectures, interactive group work, and class debates.

Professor Masataka Ota and Associate Professor Jusuke Ikegami were responsible for the program outline and following up on participants before, during, and afterwards. They also taught theoretical courses on global leadership for intercultural management and organizational transformation in Japanese corporations.

Participants actively engaged in discussions and expanded their business network with fellow peers. A participant commented that “I have never attended a program where theory and practice were well-blended such as this.” Some others said “I can easily apply what I have learned in my organization with resiliency in mind,” and, “I became extremely motivated by the opportunity to meet President Ghosn and Director Shiga.”

Waseda University plans to host the Global Resilient Leadership Program in September and December of 2017 at the Waseda University Nihonbashi satellite campus.

Faculty

Director Toshiyuki Shiga

Professor Michael Useem

Associate Professor Saikat Chaudhuri

Associate Professor Jusuke Ikegami