In 2017, ESADE launched its bi-annual programme “The Journey to Business Transformation”, a uniquely curated, immersive learning experience in Silicon Valley, partially delivered at Singularity University, the global epicentre of exponential technologies, located at the NASA research park in Mountain View.

Through this 5-day journey, we intend to take senior managers out of their comfort zone to help them understand the major forces that might disrupt their business and how to take action to lead transformation.

They will take a deep dive into new frameworks and exponential technologies, understand in which ways all industries are being disrupted, learn the tools to lead organisational transformation, connect with the local community in Silicon Valley, and finally, have time for self-reflection, unlearning, and relearning to unlock their potential.

Foundations for a new operating system

Participants embrace change with new mental frameworks such as moonshot thinking, making a significant difference in both their personal and professional lives.

Exponential organisations

Participants discover the new business models and characteristics of exponential organisations and the exponential economy.

Launching the Moonshot

Participants activate their key learnings about moonshot thinking and exponential organisations by launching a startup to literally “hack” their own company. In that exercise, participants have access to mentoring from a team of VC’s, senior executives, and entrepreneurs.

Moonshot Landing

This is the end of the journey where participants learn how to apply new tools to actually transform their company and how to fully unlock leadership and human potential within their organisation in order to successfully land their breakthrough innovations. Most of this conversation is moderated by the Aspen Institute, one of the world’s most influential leadership think tanks.

Participants’ profile and experience

The Journey to Business Transformation is particularly inspiring for:

• Senior executives at existing companies willing to understand the major forces that might disrupt their industry and how to take action to lead transformation.
• Company owners at family businesses for whom the possibility of industry disruption has an impact beyond the P&L.

Participants come from a variety of industries, job positions and roles.

In the latest edition of the programme, these were some of the industries represented: Airlines, Automotive, Banking, Chemicals, Education, Energy, Insurance, Media, Telecom

And these were some of the executive roles represented:

• CEOs and VPs at divisions/branches of global companies
• CEOs/Owners at family businesses
• CMOs (Marketing), CSOs (Strategy), CFOs (Finance), CIOs (Innovation), HR/Talent Management

Insights from programme participants will certainly give you a flavour of their experience and the added value of this journey.

“We live in a world of rapid and constant changes. The aerospace sector especially faces many challenges due to digitisation. Only when we understand the real impact of digitalisation on our company and on people, will we be prepared to drive the necessary cultural change. The programme with ESADE was exciting, not only because of the strong network of ESADE alumni in the valley, but also because of the variety of representatives of European companies that participate in different markets, entrepreneurs and sizes of managers that are taking advantage of opportunities for change," shares Oliver Juckenhöfel, VP, Head Human Space Flight, Airbus/ORION - NASA

"Certain technologies that are developing exponentially will revolutionise the business and social environment completely. The understanding of what exponential technologies can mean for your business is fundamental, since your ability to anticipate and adapt to its effects will be decisive for your continuity or not in the market. What the ESADE programme brings you is an experience through which you get a deeper insight and a clear understanding of how exponential technologies will break into the economic ecosystem and allows you to face the challenge of transforming your organisation to anticipate what is coming, to become an exponential organisation and be able to win in this new environment," highlights Vueling’s Head of Innovation & PD, María Cardenal,

"Technological advances and their application allow us to rethink the bases of operation of all sectors of activity. All organisations, large and consolidated, will face crises in this sense soon. Adaptation to change will be an essential quality to reinvent yourself,” claims Carlos Trenchs Sainz de la Maza, CaixaBank’s Director New Technologies and Investment Banking and former Managing Director of Caixa Capital Risk

Learn more from executives who took “The Journey to Business Transformation”.