Sustainability Report 2021

IMD’s Five Core Focus Areas

Cutting Edge Education

IMD continually invests in new technologies and pedagogical tools to remain competitive in a rapidly changing environment, where knowledge of the environmental, social and governance impacts of business is crucial. Education and pedagogy enabled by cutting-edge technologies is a priority and together contributes to our sustainability focus at IMD, while maximizing impact.

Pedagogical Tools Bring Sustainability Dilemmas to Life

Pedagogical Tools Bring Sustainability Dilemmas to Life

In 2021, Professor Bettina Büchel developed a new experiential game, which put program participants in the shoes of sustainability managers aiming to support the strategic direction of the business. Participants must develop and implement a sustainability business unit strategy, while at the same time contributing to the company’s overarching sustainability strategy. The key learning focuses on the trade-offs between the short- and the long-term, between the different potential focus areas and their return on investment, and the alignment of goals and actions.

Investment in Technology Opens New Possibilities

Through 2021, IMD invested heavily in innovative technology to ensure effective program delivery in both face-to-face and via technology-mediated interactions.

By equipping teaching rooms with the latest audio-visual equipment, and by working with faculty who redesigned programs for a virtual liVe format, IMD developed new ways of delivering real impact and reaching beyond the limits of in-person learning. This increases flexibility to tailor and pace learning to individual needs, with virtual liVe programs producing similar impact scores as face-to-face programs. About two-thirds of IMD’s program revenue base in 2021 came from technology-mediated programs, compared with more than 90 percent from face-to-face programs pre-pandemic.

“Technology creates new opportunities, allowing us to reach deeper into an organization and offer executive education to those who did not previously have access,” said Louis Leclezio, IMD Chief Digital and Customer Experience Officer. For example, many participants from more than five countries in Africa participated in IMD’s liVe virtual programs in 2021.

IMD also started to transform its flagship auditoriums (+350 seats) with the latest technology to capture and stream live sessions including four High Definition cameras and integrating AI technology.

Faculty, learning managers and program coordinators use various best-in-class applications for synchronous interactive and highly personalized learning with virtual study rooms, live polls (built-in Sli.Do or Mentimeter, virtual reality), interactive whiteboards and online collaboration tools such as MIRO.

Based on the room designs developed in 2020, IMD invested in technology to provide:

  • 10 liVe Auditoriums compatible with Zoom, Teams or Webex.
  • 3 immersive auditoriums and 1 world-class fully immersive interactive facility supported by X20 technology.
  • 14 liVe rooms support virtual sessions via Zoom or Teams all equipped with multiple screens, 4K cameras, digital whiteboards, special lights and prompters.
  • 9 Video-Conferencing rooms


Facilitating Large Events

IMD has fully integrated the Spotme digital event and networking tool, ensuring swift configurations of sessions and speakers.

Case:

A large financial intermediary requested a self-paced, custom-designed program spanning more than three years and reaching more than 15,000 participants. Using technology mediated-interventions, IMD was able to deliver a bespoke learning experience that cascaded throughout the organization, delivering education to a broader workforce and their affiliates. The solution provided seamless access directly from the client’s intranet portal and IMD’s learning platform and allowed the consumption of the course in a self-paced asynchronous manner. This solution can be applied to any custom-designed client program with similar requirements, offering integration with the client’s authentication systems, automated signup, program enrollment and certification. The content is delivered through a new Learning Management System (LMS), SYLVA, which is cost-effective, fast, and modern.

Scaling Online Open Programs

The Digital Transformation Sprint is a new online program offered in 2021 that focused on skills building by opening the door to IMD’s expertise on digital topics to a broader population of busy executives. The program is delivered using NovoEd, a learning management system providing excellent community building capabilities, peer-review functionality, and an immersive and collaborative learning experience. The first “Sprint” was delivered in December 2021 to a diverse range of participants over a period of 15 days.