UNC Charlotte Executive Education program to focus on innovation and change for leaders

UNC Charlotte Executive Education will present “Designing the Future: Driving Innovation and Change” Thursday and Friday, March 26-27; it is one of several spring programs now available for registration.

Designed for executives and senior managers, the program focuses on preparing companies to constantly create new wealth, with constant innovation and continuous change and with a resulting blueprint for action for participants to use in their companies and organizations.

“How do you transform your company into an unstoppable engine of constant innovation and continuous change? How do you design, create and position your company to be on the leading edge of market disruption versus the bleeding edge of reacting to competitive disruption?” asks Sunil Erevelles, chair of the Department of Marketing in the Belk College of Business; he will answer these questions during a provocative and practical two-day session that moves participants beyond “best practices” to “next practices.”

“The pace of change in the world is astounding and companies are facing a hypercompetitive landscape,” Erevelles said. “Companies fail because they overinvest in the present at the expense of the future.”

Erevelles’ research has been used by a number of companies through his work a global consultant and executive education expert for Boeing, Bank of America, Wachovia, Lowe’s, Prudential, Carolinas HealthCare System, St. Jude Medical, the World Presidents’ Organization (WPO) and other organizations. His research has been published in the Journal of Consumer Research; Journal of Business Research; Journal of Advertising; Journal of Marketing Management; Journal of Business Ethics; and the Journal of International Consumer Marketing Areas of Expertise: Analytics, Innovation, Marketing Strategy, Consumer Behavior, Brand Management and Internet Marketing.

In this climate of “innovation or death,” Erevelles will transform his research on innovation into actionable steps, will lead engaging discussions and hands-on learning activities and will guide participants in creating an action plan for immediate use in organizations.

“Leadership today means being a hunter for the best talent and then creating an environment to allow that talent to flourish and grow,” said Erevelles. “This program gives leaders the tools to achieve business goals.”

Business leaders and teams responsible for creating and implementing strategy for their organizations, no matter the size or industry, should attend this session.

Kurtis Thompkins, the new director of Executive Education, stated the program is among several offered this spring by UNC Charlotte Executive Education; custom programs for companies are available, too.

“The innovation program in March is an example of the high-quality learning experience we are making available to executives and leaders in the Charlotte region and beyond. Taught by research-active and experienced faculty members and leaders, our programs are designed to deliver business solutions,” Thompkins said.

The registration deadline is March 20 for the program on innovation. Group and alumni discounts are available. In addition to innovation, UNC Charlotte offers executive education programs in business analytics and leadership. More information is on the Executive Education website.