Finding Insight Where You Least Expect It
For Gabriela Rosende, Executive Vice President of Process Excellence at General Motors Financial, it's all about managing and improving the processes that support service. She enrolled in the Achieving Breakthrough Service (now titled Transforming Customer Experiences) program at Harvard Business School (HBS) to tap into the knowledge and insights of highly accomplished faculty and peers. She comments on her experiences with the program's case studies, living group, and more.
Why did you choose to attend this program?
We were looking for something related to service, and this program was a direct match with our needs. We already knew that the programs at HBS were very professional, so it was clear that this was what we wanted and needed as a company.
How would you describe your experience in the program?
I found it very interesting, and most important, very relevant to what I do. The program provided an excellent view of different types of situations and different types of businesses, and it allowed me to better understand how to put together solutions for my own company. It was a very rewarding experience.
What did you think of the living group environment?
I liked the design. It made it easy for us to interact and share insights as a group, and to take advantage of the facilities and the living areas. It created a genuine sense of community.
Do you think there was an added benefit to attending as part of a team?
Yes, I do. I attended as part of a group of four from my organization. We came together from different parts of the world and different types of jobs. The group included our managing director from Italy, our COO for all international operations, an executive who represents new market initiatives, and me, from our headquarters in Detroit. My focus is on processes and compliance, and I'm engaged with some of our cultural initiatives. It makes sense that we all participated because we were able to learn and share insights from both organizational and individual perspectives. And it allowed each of us to go back to our divisions, promote what we learned together, and generate catalytic change.
Did you find the case study method to be an effective way to learn?
Definitely. Although this wasn't my first experience with case studies, I found the cases in this program to be particularly interesting because they all focused on different things. I connected more with the cases that related to my type of business, but it was also helpful to look at other industries that I'm not as familiar with. With the cases that related to what I do, my familiarity probably made me more judgmental or dismissive of ideas that I thought would not work. But with other cases that were unfamiliar to me, my lack of experience made it easier to be innovative and experiment with solutions. And in the end, I found that each case was relevant to my company in some way that I hadn't anticipated.
What would you say to someone who is considering this program?
I definitely recommend it. It's an eye-opening experience. You will learn not only from the faculty and program content, but also from the diverse and insightful participants around you.