Introduction
From 1957 to 2005, Harvard Business School offered the Program for Management Development (PMD), a two-to-three month executive education program for high-potential middle managers. This selective program admitted leaders from all over the world. They came to the HBS campus for a full-time, intensive learning experience that covered all aspects of management—from accounting, finance, technology and operations…to competition, strategy, and marketing…to the international economy and organizational change.
PMD enabled participants to see the organization as more than the sum of its parts. And to learn how to use this broader vision to formulate effective management decisions. Shaped by business trends and technology innovations, the program's cutting-edge approach to leadership offered participants an unparalled opportunity to:
- Focus on key business functions to understand how the various areas interrelate and impact their roles
- Gain knowledge and insight into state-of-the-art management techniques and technologies
- Learn to recognize vast, new opportunities in the global marketplace—then capitalize on them ahead of the competition
Approximately 12,000 managers have graduated during the program's more than 45-year history—many of whom have gone on to top leadership positions in some of the world's most influential companies. All PMD participants received full HBS alumni status upon graduation. This life-long designation provides them with access to: alumni and reunion events, Baker Library services, discounts on open-enrollment Executive Education programs, a lifelong HBS email address, and ongoing connections to the extensive network of HBS alumni.
In 2005, PMD merged with a closely related program offered by HBS—The General Manager Program™ (TGMP). The resulting program—the General Management Program (GMP)—launched in September 2006.