The Future Group is launching a design management course, first-of-its kind conceptualised by group CEO Kishore Biyani in association with MISB Bocconi for its staff and other professionals. The move reflects a growing trend among organisations, including startups, to boost learning and development of the employees.
The 18-month programme, called ‘International Executive Masters in Business Design Management’ will commence in September. It will include components like retail channels, design thinking, scenario planning and trend analysis and candidates will spend two weeks at MISB Bocconi’s parent business school SDA Bocconi’s Milan campus.
Till date, the group has only sponsored its high-potential candidates for executive education courses at ISB and Harvard. This time, however, it wants to take its design thinking philosophy forward. The programme will have about 15 Future Group employees and 10 to15 external candidates, who will be selected through interviews by the Future Group team and MISB Bocconi.
MISB Bocconi said the programme offers skills and competencies to be a design manager and is targeted at executives who want to develop design methodologies to implement breakthrough ideas. Faculty members will also fly down from Milan for the programme.
“There’s been a paradigm shift when we look at the way organisations will function. People will need skills to better understand consumer insights, data and financial modeling, and design is something that’s specific to our thought process,” Kaustubh Sonalkar, chief HR officer at Future Group said. The group was looking for an internationally recognised business school as people would not be excited if the programme was not globally accepted, he added.