Why choose this course?

The EDP is a comprehensive 6-month programme that focuses on three key themes: (1) Responsible Leadership, (2) Understanding the World, and (3) Responsible Strategic Enablement. It zooms in on (1) Strategic Management, (2) Financial Strategy, (3) Responsible Leadership, (4) Global Economic Trends, (5) Futures Studies, (6) Managing Reputational Risk, (7) Strategic System Foresight, (8) Technology and Innovation, (9) Board Dynamics, (10) Risk Management, (11) Strategic Marketing, (12) Sustainability as a Strategic Imperative, (13) Sustainability as a Strategic Imperative, (14) Cyber Risk and Security, and (15) Ethics and Governance.

Participants are guided on their learning journey by an Executive Leadership Integrator (ELI). The ELI will support participants in developing their leadership practice throughout the programme. This will take place through the integration of critical reflective practice, systems thinking, and responsible leadership. The ELI supports the custom design and implementation of a participant’s own learning journey through regular coaching circles. This support structure will enable them to stretch themselves and get the most from the programme.

The EDP has a stretching group project that focuses on the shift from a linear to a circular economy in a targeted sector of the economy. The ELI will coach and support participants and groups to push their boundaries and deliver a project that they can be proud of. The EDP provides a fantastic opportunity, with the ongoing support of the ELI, to hone their leadership capability and develop future-fit leadership practice. In addition: Our faculty are subject matter experts, complemented by guest speakers, with multinational experience. Pre-reading, case studies, and examples are drawn from the international landscape, and the resultant dialogue and strategic challenges researched are of a boundary-spanning nature with sustainability at the forefront.

On successful completion of the EDP, participants can apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL) for the Responsible Leadership module and Understanding the World module on Stellenbosch Business School's Postgraduate Diplomas in (1) Business Management and Administration, (2) Development Finance, and (3) Project Management, on the condition that they submit all the documentation and take/pass the tests as required, as well as meet the application process and admittance criteria requirements.

Over the course of 7 months, participants will be equipped to:

• Motivate the value of responsible leadership.
• Justify frameworks to embed sustainability in your organisation.
• Motivate ethical reasoning in determining the role of business in society.
• Employ adaptive thinking to support strategic leadership decisions.
• Evaluate cognitive strategies to appraise systems and consider emergent futures.
• Review and integrate their own organisational systems, processes, and competencies to achieve strategic intent.
• Appraise their local and global perspectives of the ecosystem in which one operates.
• Assess the nature and importance of technological disruptions and their impact on businesses.
• Determine the effectiveness of the organisation's marketing strategy in relation to shifts in market conditions and consumer behaviour.
• Analyse complex financial statements to identify opportunities for growth, cost optimisation, and risk management within their organisation.