You be the judge of the value of executive education

Massey University researchers are hoping companies will get better bang for their buck from executive education in the findings of a new survey.

Professor Jane Parker says the project will fill a gap in local knowledge while also comparing it with similar surveys in the UK and Australia.

“It’s perception based but we’re hoping to ascertain what executives and others think this type of education can do for their firms,” she says.

“Specific questions include whether employers see staff development as an ‘optional extra’ and whether there is a link between executive education and productivity.”

Other priorities are to discover what this sort of education does for firms, the cost and character across different sectors and sizes of organisations, and the impact on people in organisational management.  

Professor Parker expects the New Zealand survey results to be influenced by the large number of small businesses here.

“We will have to wait for the results to come in but there is a marked difference to the scale of the businesses in the UK,” she says.

“New Zealand may show more outsourcing of the HR [human resources] role by small businesses and a lower level of engagement with executive education due to the perceived cost.”

The survey is being carried out in conjunction with the Massey-owned IMNZ (Institute of Management New Zealand).

IMNZ chief executive Steven Naudé says the results will have implications for attracting and retaining talent.

“We live and work in a global environment where talent is more mobile, so it’s important for New Zealand employers to know how they compare to those overseas if they are to retain the best people,” he says.

“If executives are moving to New Zealand with an expectation of continuing development, there could be frustration if those expectations are not met.”

The National Business Review will have exclusive access to the results of the survey.

• The New Zealand Executive Education Survey 2017 is a partnership between Massey Business School researchers and the IMNZ (Institute of Management New Zealand). It is modelled on the well-known Corporate Learning Survey conducted by the Henley Business School in the United Kingdom.

It’s key research objectives are to analyse:

• the scale and nature of executive education activity in New Zealand;
• which organisations are offering executive education programmes, and to whom; 
• what continuing development means for high flyers;
• whether New Zealand has capability gaps;
• whether training models are changing;
• whether executive education has positive benefits for productivity; and
• how New Zealand compares to the key labour markets of the UK and Australia.

The survey will be open until March 17 and can be accessed here.