New version of ROMP in Executive MBA programme – ”I feel very privileged”

16 June 2021

As of autumn 2020, the Reflecting on Management Practice (ROMP) component of the Executive MBA programme at the University of Gothenburg’s School of Business, Economics and Law, has been updated with new content. On three occasions, the participants get to meet senior executives for half a day, with the executives sharing their perspectives on current management issues related to topics covered during the past term.

“ROMP takes the programme to an even deeper level and is very stimulating. We get unique insights into companies’ ongoing work,” says Nia Kihlström, Senior Communication Business Partner at SKF, who is in her second term of four on the Executive MBA programme.

At the end of May, the new version of ROMP was delivered for the second time. The theme was “Strategic business renewal”. Victoria van Camp, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at SKF, spoke about the work of changing SKF’s business from being product-oriented to becoming service-based. Steve Churchhouse, a consultant at NormannPartners, provided a long-term perspective on strategic change work, based on his 36 years of experience at RollsRoyce. Last but not least, Ulf Mannervik, Chairman of the Board of NormannPartners and Associate Fellow at Oxford Saïd Business School, gave a presentation entitled “Strategy in a transforming world”. An hour-long panel discussion followed when participants could ask questions to the visiting presenters.

“I feel very privileged to get these insights into how different companies think about current strategic issues and to hear about the experiences of these people. I know how busy they are,” says Nia Kihlström and continues:

“ROMP triggers a lot of thoughts and makes me reflect. This time, among other things, I took with me the importance of having the whole company, all the people, involved in the change work. It connects closely to what we learned during the programme module Change Management earlier this year. One of the speakers also referred a lot to scenario planning, something we touched on recently in the module on Digital Leadership. ”

The Executive MBA programme has contributed to increased knowledge about the participants’ own organisations, says Nia Kihlström. “I have learned a lot about our business and gained a completely new understanding of the big picture. The programme also opens doors internally. In connection with my project assignments, I’m interviewing our executives and learning more about the different parts of the company. Most recently, the assignment was about supply chains, which turned out to be very interesting.”

Nia Kihlström

What Nia appreciates above all, however, is how much fun the programme is.

“It’s great fun. Much more fun than I expected. It’s a lot about the people you meet and learning from the other participants and their experiences from many different organisations. The programme is also intensive and challenging, not least in combination with work and family life. Some subjects are bigger challenges than others – I had to wrestle a little extra with the modules Accounting and Corporate Finance. ”

To conclude, Nia Kihlström wants to share an unexpected insight:

“Thanks to the Executive MBA programme, I have realized what a wealth of knowledge I possess after working for so many years. You know and can do so much more than you think!”

 

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