Leading Organisations in Disruptive Times
INSEAD
INSEAD — Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires — was founded in 1957 in Fontainebleau, France, by Georges Doriot and a group of European business leaders who believed the continent needed a genuinely international school of management, not a replica of American models. It operates as an independent, private, non-profit institution with no university affiliation, which gives it an unusual degree of curricular agility. Today INSEAD has campuses in Fontainebleau, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi, plus a hub in San Francisco, and its academic philosophy remains rooted in cross-cultural management, diversity of thought, and the tension between local context and global strategy. The school's MBA program consistently ranks among the world's fastest to complete — one year — which reflects a broader institutional bias toward intensity and focus over convention. Accreditations and Rankings Accreditations AACSB (accredited since 1997) EQUIS (accredited since 1997) AMBA Triple Crown accredited Rankings Financial Times Global MBA Ranking: #1 (2024) Financial Times Executive Education Open Programmes: Top 5 globally (2024) Financial Times Executive Education Custom Programmes: Top 5 globally (2024) QS World University Rankings — Business & Management: Top 5 globally (2024) Bloomberg Businessweek MBA Ranking: Top 10 globally (2023) Executive Education at a Glance INSEAD Executive Education is one of the largest and most internationally active operations of its kind, delivering programs to over 10,000 executives per year across its campus network. The portfolio spans more than 80 open-enrollment programs and a substantial custom program division that designs bespoke interventions for global corporations — clients have included multinationals across financial services, energy, pharmaceuticals, and technology. Signature open programs include the Advanced Management Programme (AMP), one of the most selective senior leadership programs in the world, typically drawing participants with 15 or more years of experience; the Transition to Business Leadership program; and a growing suite of programmes in family business, healthcare management, and negotiation. Formats range from intensive residential modules of three to five days to multi-module programs spanning several months, with select online and blended formats added in recent years. Fees for open programs typically range from approximately €3,500 for shorter focused programs to over €30,000 for flagship multi-week residential offerings, and the school offers a limited number of scholarships and financial assistance options for qualifying participants. Campus and Facilities The Fontainebleau campus sits at the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau, 60 kilometres south of Paris, in a setting that manages to feel both removed from distraction and effortlessly connected — Paris is 35 minutes by train, and the TGV links mean participants arrive from across Europe the morning a program begins. The campus itself is purpose-built for residential executive learning, with tiered amphitheatre-style classrooms, syndicate rooms, a dedicated Executive Education centre, and accommodation that keeps cohorts together in the evenings as much as in the sessions. The Singapore campus, opened in 2000, mirrors much of this infrastructure and adds direct immersion in Asia's business environment — something that matters considerably when a program's content concerns emerging markets, supply chain, or Asia-Pacific strategy. Abu Dhabi, the newest campus, provides access to the Gulf's increasingly significant business ecosystem and is particularly relevant to programs touching on family enterprise, sovereign wealth, or energy transition. Faculty and Research INSEAD's faculty numbers around 165 full-time professors drawn from more than 40 countries, and the school makes a point of requiring faculty to be capable of teaching across cultural contexts rather than from within a single national tradition. Research strengths that bear directly on executive education include organisational behaviour, negotiation and conflict resolution, entrepreneurship and family enterprise, strategy, and leadership — the latter anchored in part by the Coaching and Consulting Centre and the Global Leadership Centre, which has produced widely used psychodynamic approaches to leadership development. The INSEAD Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society reflects a growing institutional commitment to research on sustainability, stakeholder governance, and the social responsibilities of business — areas increasingly central to what senior executives are asking about. Several faculty members are among the most cited in their fields globally, and the school's case-writing output rivals Harvard Business School in volume and geographic diversity. Student Body, Alumni, and Career Outcomes INSEAD's executive education cohorts are among the most internationally diverse of any business school, with participants drawn from over 130 nationalities across its programs in a typical year — a figure that is not accidental but the product of deliberate admissions design. The broader INSEAD alumni network encompasses more than 67,000 graduates across 175 countries, concentrated in senior roles across financial services, consulting, technology, consumer goods, and private equity, with particular density in Europe and Southeast Asia. Alumni include the former CEOs of L'Oréal, Schneider Electric, and Nestlé, as well as founders of significant venture-backed companies and senior figures in international institutions. For executive education participants specifically, the network effect is often cited as one of the primary reasons for choosing INSEAD over geographically closer alternatives — the peer cohort itself is, in many cases, as valuable as the curriculum.
Next Available Cohort
Choose your preferred start date
All-inclusive program fee
Duration
9 weeks
Format
online
Topic
Leadership
Language
English
About This Program
Why INSEAD?
Your Profile
- Leading Organisations in Disruptive Times is designed for senior executives and general managers, facing a transformation or a change challenge in their organisation, and who are in a position to set and implement the strategic direction. The programme is also relevant for executives preparing to transition into such roles in the near future.
Benefits
- in leading highly complex organisations
- by helping teams make critical decisions
- management processes
- Including effective network development
- and how to shape that culture
- that firms inevitably face in fast-paced environments.
- Data-driven Decision Making
- Resilience and Agility
- Leading Teams
- Persuasion
- Change Management
What You'll Learn
- The Decision Challenge: - Fair-Process in Team Decision-Making, Acknowledge the importance and impact of decision-making as the core work of leadership, Recognise how decision-making in today’s “empowered” workforce is less about “telling” than it is about guiding and facilitating an effective decision-making path, Explore a practical model for implementing Fair-Process Leadership norms in your setting
- The Change Challenge: Leading Formal Change - Deepen your understanding of the complexities of change amidst digitisation, Explore ten pillars to guide organisational change in your organisation, Acknowledge the ‘X factor’ to change management while considering essential shared elements to lead to success
- The Political Challenge: - Explore why people often have ambivalent reactions to power and influence, even in “rational” organisations, Differentiate between hard and soft power, emphasizing the significance of developing the latter, especially in increasingly horizontal and network-driven work environments, Examine the human proclivity for ‘familiar’ and ‘clan-like’ relationships, instead of exploring new and diverse relations, and understand the importance of cultivating social curiosity and openness
- The Culture Challenge: - Organisations in a Digital Age, Develop a deeper understanding of how to pinpoint and define something seemingly abstract as organisational culture, Gain insights into analysing organisational culture and navigating the array of diverse mental models and competing organisational narratives, Explore ideas for shaping organisational culture so that it supports your change management strategy
- The Ambidexterity Challenge: - Managing Contradictions in The xCHANGE Simulation: Boost your learning The INSEAD xCHANGE Simulation is a one-of-a-kind, game-changing simulation tool that puts you in the driver’s seat and empowers you with the understanding, the confidence, the leadership frameworks and the hands-on tools to lead transformation within your organisation. Developed in partnership with innovation pioneers, Prendo and xLEAD, the xCHANGE Simulation dynamically captures the challenges of change that define today’s business context, integrating the very latest thinking on agile organisations with real-world, practical insights for immediate impact. You are required to respond cognitively, emotionally and strategically – confronting an authentic, simulated leadership challenge that highlights the importance of getting beyond the team to engage the larger ecosystem and build the collaboration frameworks to drive innovation. The challenges are real but the learning happens in a safe, risk-free environment; one that is enriched by immediate and clear feedback and actionable takeaways for you and your organisation. The xCHANGE Simulation is a profound, experiential and transformative learning process where the focus shifts from performing to experimenting, from the risk of failure to the opportunity to learn, to understand and to identify your own strengths and weaknesses in successfully executing rapid and innovative change., Develop an understanding of the key contradictory forces faced by growing business organisations, Learn a framework to help you manage those contradictions: Paradox Mindset, Skill Versatility, Team Cohesion, Structural Moves, Contextual Work.
- How you benefit: - Please note that participants who purchase the xCHANGE Simulation add-on have the opportunity to complete the simulation twice. Your Online Learning Journey Throughout the programme, an INSEAD Learning Coach will be guiding you and helping you maximise the impact of your learning journey. Please note the programme may include a pause week(s). Action Learning Project A cornerstone of INSEAD’s cohort-based online programmes, Action Learning Projects (ALPs) are guided, real-world assignments that enable you to apply new skills directly to your role and organisation—delivering immediate and lasting business impact. Closely aligned with each programme’s learning objectives, ALPs are supported by learning coaches and enriched through peer feedback. They offer a safe environment to test ideas and develop practical strategies ready for implementation. With guidance from your learning coach, you will design an ALP relevant to your context and personal learning goals. For select programmes, if participating with colleagues, the learning coach can help structure a more ambitious team ALP for collaborative work. Define the scope with your learning coach to ensure alignment with programme goals and a clear, actionable outcome. Applying Concepts Weekly Throughout the Weeks, apply the tools and frameworks introduced each week to progressively build your ALP. Synthesis and Peer Review At the end of the Weeks, consolidate your insights into strategic recommendations and submit them for peer review. In the final week, each will review four peer submissions and provide feedback. Typical Week on an INSEAD Online Programme Each week of follows a very clear path to facilitate learning for busy executives. The platform allows participants to learn at their own pace during each week, by viewing the content, completing assignments and engaging in discussions, taking on average 4-6 hours per week to complete. This is the recommended number of hours per week however please note that working on the Action Learning Project (ALP) may require up to two additional hours/week. If you have any questions related to our or procedures, we are here to help you., Develop the competencies to build and align an effective change team, Learn to deploy formal and informal networks, Discover and leverage compelling influencing strategies, Successfully navigate the complexities of organisational culture and politics, Maximise stakeholder support for a specific innovation, Build networks across the organisational ecosystem to secure buy-in for change, Make organisational change happen.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Apply
- 1
Check your eligibility
Review the entry requirements listed on this page. Most executive programs require 8–15 years of professional experience.
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Prepare your application
Gather your CV, reference letters, and any required test scores. Many EMBA programs waive standardised tests for senior candidates.
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