The Operating Model Canvas for Ashridge Executive Education

Ashridge Executive Education is a part of Hult International Business School. Ashridge’s main business is providing courses for executives, both open to any company and tailored for a specific company. Ashridge also does research, uses its dramatic buildings for conferences and for weddings, and runs some qualifications programs. It does not offer MBA programs, these are provided by Hult. Ashridge is partly a single business and partly a multi-business organization. It is a highly integrated multi-business organization or a complex single business.

Processes

Each product line has some similar processes and some separate processes. ‘Client‘ covers tailored courses and consulting work. ‘Open’ covers open courses. There is considerable sharing of elements like faculty, teaching rooms, and back- office activities.

One peculiarity is an operation in Dubai covering the Middle East. This unit acts as a separate profit center.

Organization

The separate lines of business are profit or performance accountable with considerable decision rights, but they all share the same core resource – the teaching faculty – which provides the prime people model.

Course administration, sales and marketing are shared across product lines to different degrees. ‘House’ provides conference and hotel services to the other lines of business

Locations

Ashridge House is a unique building with beautiful grounds, and is one of the organization’s core assets. International offices (excluding Dubai) are provided by Hult.

Information

The website, database and applications to support teaching and take bookings are important information resources.

Suppliers

Hult is a supplier of some back-office support, such as IT, as well as some international sales support. Associate faculty is an important teaching resource.

Management System

Planning is done on an annual basis. Monthly meetings are sufficient for coordination and performance management, alongside clear business KPIs and a faculty scorecard for ensuring that each member of faculty is delivering value to Ashridge.

Relevant Reading

Title: Operating Model Canvas
Price: €34,95 excl. VAT; $36,99 excl. VAT; GBP 31,99 excl. VAT
Author: Andrew Campbell, Mikel Gutierrez , Mark Lancelott