Climbing the Mountain for a Clearer View
Ursula Soritsch-Renier, chief information officer at Sulzer in Switzerland, enrolled in the Driving Corporate Performance program to develop a broader view of corporate strategy beyond the IT function. She came away with a more robust network of professional connections and a more global outlook on her goals.
Why did you choose to attend this program?
Coming from IT, I needed to understand how a company works, how to speak the non-IT language of the other members of the executive committee and the management team. Every decision I make has an impact on the company, and I needed to develop a better understanding of this impact, so I wanted to focus also on the strategic level.
How would you describe the program and its value to your colleagues?
This program's unique value has to do with The Balanced Scorecard. I had a scorecard for my IT function, but the program helped me determine if it was the right one. In the program I was able to take the time to reflect on our analysis process. This is something I probably would not find the time for, because my schedule is always too busy. However, it's very important in order to drive the right outcome in a large global multinational organization. Another benefit of coming to Harvard is, of course, the very high quality of participants and professors, which leads to a much more educated and higher level of discussion than other institutions can offer.
Were you able to network with other participants?
Yes. We were set up in a small group, so it's easy to create a bond and exchange views. The quality of the course actually depends a lot on the connection among participants, because we spend a lot of time together away from the classroom. These discussions were unguided and included whoever was around the table.
What were some of your key takeaways from the program?
In one case, we focused on having the patience to make changes at the grassroots level—taking the time to find just the right employees, using word of mouth, and growing the business without any marketing or sales money. The company needed to attract different kinds of employees and different kinds of customers. As a result of discussing this case, I realized that I needed to think more about the different components of society. Business schools typically address high performers and focus on far-reaching goals. It was enriching to think through very different approaches.
Another case study had to do with the system of values, boundaries, and strategy in emerging markets in Asia. It's something of a free-for-all attitude, and it will be interesting to see how it will affect the established and complex multinationals in the west. Emerging markets are creating agility in their business models through localization, which is something that large western companies are extremely far from. And this agility is something that's probably going to spread. But how do you balance this agility with the need to maintain control—without completely fragmenting and diversifying, which leads to higher costs and inefficiency? These emerging-market examples were highly interesting. How do you improve your environment without sacrificing some of the efficiency or leanness that you're striving for?