Bringing Harvard’s best to PH

Exactly 10 years ago, Harvard Business Publishing invited John Clements to become its corporate learning partner in Southeast Asia.

How could I say no? It was just like a marriage proposal. It gave me access to a whole new world of ideas, cutting-edge research and thought leadership.

I was in marital bliss! And I went even further.

Some 23 years after taking my MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management, I felt that the world was changing too fast with technology and the internet.

The marketing concepts I studied with Philip Kotler in the late 80’s needed to be drastically updated in the advent of social media.

And so I decided to go back to school and attended Harvard Business School’s Advance Management Program, an eight-week intensive renaissance MBA program for senior leaders where we studied over 150 case studies and articles.

It was probably the most intense thing I had done in my life, getting only four hours of sleep a night. Nevertheless, it was very rewarding since the things I learned got me out of the dark ages and into the 21st century.

It was truly a transformational experience and I often thought about how I could bring the same experience to the Philippines.

We are all living in a terrifying age of disruption where some of the things that made us successful in the past may not work in the future.

Hence, I would like for all of us leaders in the Philippines to be exposed to research and ideas that can better prepare us to lead our organizations and the country.

I am very passionate about the Philippines and I want to see this country advance. And the only way that’s going to happen is if we develop world-class talent. But to be world class, we’re going to need world-class help.

A very rare opportunity is finally coming to the Philippines. Two of my professors and among the most sought after at Harvard Business School, Professor Ranjay Gulati and Professor Dick Vietor, have agreed to come to the Philippines for a thee-day workshop on “Reimagining Leadership in the Age of Disruption” on July 10, Aug. 7 and 8 at the Rizal Ballroom A of the Makati Shangri-la.

The event has been organized by John Clements Consultants, co-presented by Union Bank in partnership with Harvard Business Publishing, Harvard Business School Club of the Philippines and Harvard Club of the Philippines.

Professor Gulati will conduct a full-day workshop on fearless leadership in an age of turbulence on July 10.

He will lead the discussion on two case studies, Netflix in 2011 and Mobileye: The Future of Driverless Cars. He will also lead an interactive lecture on “Redefining Innovation” and “Building Organizations that Scale and Last.”

Ranjay Gulati is the Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor and the Unit Head of the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School. He is an expert on leadership, strategy, and organizational issues in firms. Professor Gulati is also the Chair of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

Professor Vietor, on the other hand, will handle a two-day workshop on geopolitical and economic trends, the capstone of which will be a discussion of the new Harvard case study on the Philippines on Aug 7 and 8.

Professor Vietor is one of the most popular professors at Harvard Business School.

He is the Baker Foundation Professor of Business Administration of the Harvard Business School.

His research on business and government policy has been published in numerous journals and books.

What all of us want is for our companies—and our nation—to thrive. Professors Gulati and Vietor have special insights that can help us do just that. —CONTRIBUTED