Global Management Foundations

IMD Business School

General Management

About Programme

Global Management Foundations is a high-impact management acceleration journey for executives ready to broaden their influence across the business and take on greater strategic responsibility. It develops the confidence, clarity, and execution capability required to lead through complexity, industry disruption, and rapid technological transformation.

The program’s modular design reflects how leaders actually work. Across the initial online modules, participants build essential management capabilities, integrating strategy, finance, marketing, AI and digital transformation, while immediately applying learnings in their own organizations. New approaches and ideas are tested in real time, assumptions challenged, and outcomes examined with peers and faculty using a rigorous decision framework.

The journey culminates in a nine-day, face-to-face transformative experience that includes a live consulting project, where participants operate under real strategic pressure and translate insight into action while strengthening leadership effectiveness, collaboration, and decision-making.

The result is not abstract theory, but stronger strategic judgment and leadership capability – developed through action, reflection, and repeated exposure to real-world complexity.

Master core general management disciplines

Build integrated expertise across strategy, finance, marketing, digital transformation, and AI to make more informed leadership decisions.

Learn by doing through a live consulting project

Work on a real strategic challenge for a partner non-profit organization and develop practical solutions under real-world conditions.

Strengthen strategic judgment and decision-making

Develop the ability to frame complex problems and make confident decisions that are stress-tested in real time.

Accelerate leadership impact with coaching

Boost personal and team performance with targeted business and leadership coaching that drives reflection and continuous growth.

Build a trusted peer leadership network

Develop lasting relationships with experienced leaders who challenge your thinking and broaden your prospective.

This program is part of our broader General Management portfolio for ambitious executives , designed to strengthen strategic leadership, drive organizational performance, and prepare leaders to navigate complex business challenges.

Programme Content

Virtual module 1 – Build your foundations

5 weeks online

Strategic thinking: 20 hours of workload (watch videos, submit assignments, peer review discussions, attend 4 x 120’ liVe sessions)

Accounting: 12 hours of workload (preparatory work, attend 4 x 120’ liVe sessions)

Negotiation: 12 hours of workload (preparatory work, attend 4 x 120’ liVe sessions)

Virtual module 2 – Shift into higher gear

5 weeks online

Managerial economics/navigating a dynamic world: 6 x 120’ liVe sessions

Strategy and digital transformation: 2 x 120’ liVe sessions

Marketing/customer centricity: 4 x 120’ liVe sessions

On-campus module 3 – Achieve real impact

9 days on campus

Leadership – Leading self and others – Team contracting – Experiential exercise (VR) – Feedback and action planning – Moving forward

ESG foundations

Executive presence – with professional actors

LiVe consulting integrative project

Testimonials

"This journey is an incredible opportunity to engage in deep, reflective learning, pushing me to challenge assumptions, broaden perspectives, and strengthen my leadership skills. The truly special collaboration with incredible and inspiring peers from diverse industries has made the exchange of ideas, combined with guidance of world-class faculty, a learning environment that fosters growth and encourages critical thinking."

Maria Karlova

Head of Direct Sales and Marketing, ITM Isotope Technologies, Germany

"You get the importance of analysing complex problems to test assumptions and look for opposing evidence. The importance of being effective over being right. The framework we got for building effective teams was very helpful as was the three-horizon model in ESG, showing how sustainability is an opportunity to innovate."

Shini Narayanan

Enterprise Architect, Brunei LNG Sendirian Berhad, Brunei

"I gained valuable insights into enhancing negotiation skills, a topic I had never explored in depth before. I’m applying these techniques in real-life situations. It deepened my understanding of leadership and gave meaningful insights about myself and colleagues. I learned what true leadership is and how to strengthen teams through effective team building and feedback processes."

Dr Jenny C. Kienzler

Attending Neurosurgeon, University Hospital Lausanne, Switzerland

"The quality of the learning is exceptional. From the lecturers, the material, and I really love the case studies. Super interesting. We get input from people directly involved in the cases."

Laure Frank

Director Digital Business, Raiffeisen, Switzerland

"Global Management Foundations is innovative, effective, and flexible. The content is well-delivered so we can enjoy high quality interaction with class peers and faculty. We break out into smaller groups, then come back to the main classroom and discuss with everyone. It’s a great way to learn."

Dominik Stock

Senior Director Sales & Marketing EMEA, ams Osram, Germany

"Global Management Foundations is firstly a human experience. IMD gives you access to a whole community of high-caliber individuals who you quickly build connections with."

Rosario Osobase

Managing Director, Tenaris, Nigeria

"You quickly forget you are at a distance for the virtual modules. The full immersion is a deep dive which quickly focuses you on the interaction, the content, and the learning."

Stéphanie Schenk

Head of Business Development & Sustainability, digitalswitzerland, Switzerland

"The biggest highlight of this program is the human touch. The professors are so empathetic and enthusiastic. You feel valued and get personal attention throughout."

Rashod Nasirov

Product Group Manager, Bakery Category, KSA & Gulf Countries, Almarai, Saudi Arabia

Testimonial Source