In a first for India, Columbia B-School to offer global program on digital leadership

In a first for the Indian region, Columbia Business School is launching a blended executive education program on digital business leadership in partnership with Mumbai-based Eruditus Executive Education. The B-school has tied up with and looking at a mix of on-campus and online modules.

The Digital Business Leadership Program (DBLP) is an intensive 6 month, multi-modular digital business and leadership program which includes three in-person on-campus immersion modules and two online modules.

To be offered for the first time in India on such a scale from July 2017 onwards, Chaitanya Kalipatnapu, co-founder, and director, Eruditus Executive Education said that the program will be offered on a global level for executives. 

"It is for the first time that any B-school is offering such an extensive program on digital disruption in India. With this, we are talking about the six-month journey with immersions in Columbia's New York and Silicon Valley and also work on projects focused on digital disruption. The program starts at Columbia campus in July followed by online courses. It is open for executives globally," said Kalipatnapu.

According to Kalipatnapu, generally executive educations look to equip mid and senior level managers in general management.  However, with the playing field changing rapidly, there is a need for specific skill development among corporates.

"There is one school of thought that looks to equip mid-level managers in general management, but there is another school of thought which believes the whole playing field has changed where more than general management, each of sectors suddenly now need to understand digital disruption, in terms of how technology is disrupting each of the sectors. In that context, this program has been launched. It is a six months program for two sorts of people. Firstly, it is for those who are already in e-commerce or digital space and need to understand how to apply digital disruption to their businesses. Secondly, for someone who is a traditional brick and mortar but now facing competition from players they haven't even dreamt of," he said. 

With a typical capacity of 60 or less, Columbia Business School is expecting about a quarter to 30 per cent applications from India, which would be more driven by the quality of applicants than a country specific quota. For a fee of $36,000, the DBLP participants will graduate with Columbia Business School alumni benefits, with global networking opportunities. The program is directed by David Rogers, a professor of Columbia Business School. 

The key themes of this program include- understanding how to develop leadership abilities to lead digital transformation, engaging with customers’ changing needs in the digital age, learning to innovate and understanding disruptive business models and strategies for mastering them. 

The program will enable the participants to examine disruptive business models in a highly immersive module in Silicon Valley and learn from leading industry practitioners in New York City.

Meanwhile, Eruditus is in talks for similar other top Ivy League B-schools for similar programs. "We are looking at partnerships with some of the top notch B-schools apart from our existing partners in terms of coming up with contextual programs relevant to India. Some of these B-schools would be new to India," he said.