The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) and Strategyzer have announced a new dedicated executive education program for 2023 to help organizations systematically develop and test new growth ideas. Strategyzer’s founder and CEO, Alex Osterwalder, will join IMD as a visiting professor to support the partnership.
The Swiss author, entrepreneur and celebrated business model strategy expert will co-direct the program with Cyril Bouquet, Professor of Strategy and Innovation. Designed for corporate teams of three, participants will work to develop new products or service ideas and de-risk them using state of the art innovation tools and real-life customer experiments.
“I believe everybody can be creative. We have what it takes in our heads and our hearts to achieve extraordinary outcomes, but people need the right stimulus to be able to achieve their true potential. That is the motivation,” said Bouquet.
Organizations must innovate to get ahead but turning a growth idea into a viable business opportunity is both an art and a science. The seven-week program, beginning in March, includes five days of face-to-face sessions at IMD’s campus in Lausanne along with virtual team coaching sessions supported by Strategyzer’s talented coach network. With space for 20 teams, and guided by expert coaches, participants will test their ideas with real customers and learn how to make decisions using the evidence and insights gathered from their experiments.
“What people get wrong about innovation is they think if they have a good idea then they will succeed. The reality is ideas are free, they’re everywhere,” said Osterwalder, co-inventor of the Business Model Canvas, the Value Proposition Canvas and the Portfolio Map and author of the innovation bibles Business Model Generation, Value Proposition Design, Testing Business Ideas, High-Impact Tools for Teams and The Invincible Company.
“We’re delighted that Alex has agreed to join the IMD faculty as a visiting professor,” said Professor David Bach, Dean of Innovation and Programs at IMD. “A number of colleagues have worked with Alex in the past and his practical frameworks and in-depth knowledge have proven highly effective with our program participants. The new partnership and program with Strategyzer enable us to take this to the next level – two organizations at the top of their respective games teaming up to deliver real learning and real impact for clients.”
“We’re excited about this partnership with IMD,” said Osterwalder. “We look forward to helping teams learn how to create profitable business model.”
Learn more and apply, here.
