CRANFIELD LAUNCHES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH WILLIAMS F1

The partnership brings together Cranfield’s expertise in management development with Williams F1’s experience of delivering sustained performance in the most competitive of environments, Formula One motorsport. Organizations seeking innovative development for their executives can access a range of customized workshops that harness the combined expertise of both partners.

Mark Jenkins is Professor of Business Strategy at Cranfield School of Management, co-author of Performance at the Limit – Business Lessons from Formula 1 Motor Racing and has been instrumental in developing the partnership with Williams. Mark, who has researched performance in Formula One for several years, said, “Formula One provides a powerful example where performance is achieved by unique combinations of people, finance and technologies. It encapsulates many of the challenges faced by today’s organizations and their executives: challenges such as delivering high performance through team-work, accelerating speed to market, sustaining competitive advantage and enhancing innovation and creativity.”

Bill Shedden, Director of Cranfield’s Centre for Customised Executive Development, said, “This partnership between a School of Management and a business that operates under intense, and very public, competitive pressure generates new perspectives for developing executives in the key areas of leadership, innovation and high-performance. It is a collaboration that adds an exciting new dimension to the range of learning experiences we can offer our clients.”

”We’ve long known that the ways in which we manufacture and market our primary product, Formula One racing cars, incorporates processes that have applicability to other businesses”, says Frank Williams, Managing Director of Williams F1. “Through this partnership with Cranfield School of Management we hope to formalize and commercialize our knowledge and add genuine value to the companies and organizations that participate in the Cranfield programme.”

Cranfield School of Management is a world-class university management school, renowned for its strong links with industry and business. It is committed to providing practical management solutions through a range of activities, including: postgraduate degree programmes, management development, research and consultancy. The Cranfield Centre for Customised Executive Development partners with over 60 corporate and public sector clients each year to improve individual and organizational performance. It is one of the largest providers of customized executive development in Europe. The School’s website address is: www.cranfield.ac.uk/som.