3 Benefits of Attending a Business School that Crosses Borders

Most would agree that travel is beneficial to business professionals. It challenges cultural assumptions, opens people up to new experiences and creates stories and anecdotes that can be shared to build rapport. It allows for more common ground between people with different backgrounds and pushes individuals outside of their comfort zones. When you look for further education to nurture your career, it’s imperative that you find ways to pull ahead of the pack. An Executive MBA (EMBA) that takes you to multiple countries and lets you study in varying settings and cultures can amplify your skills and accelerate your professional path. Read for some of the ways this is possible.

1. An EMBA Gives You the World View You Need in the Age of Globalization

It’s not difficult to see how interconnected and globalized our current world is. When you study in a variety of countries, there are obvious differences between how businesses are run, what impact regulations have and how culture affects commerce. You have the opportunity to immerse yourself and experience the atmosphere and attitudes that exist. Though many professionals understand the importance of this, it can be difficult to take time away from a busy career to travel. When traveling for business, you are often quite occupied. Combining travel with your studies intentionally places you in a position where you can analyze and compare the business environments in different regions. An EMBA that includes this will help you allocate enough time to focus and create change in the way you think, giving you a broad world perspective that helps you have an impact in a connected world.

2. Your Creativity Is Ignited With a Global Executive MBA

It has been shown that living and adapting to foreign cultures facilitates creativity. In addition, individuals with stereotyped beliefs tend to perform more poorly on measures of creativity. Allowing yourself to be immersed in new cultures that are different from your own will challenge both your personal and professional beliefs. When you travel, your ideas about cultures and business economies may be fractured, leading to a more open-minded approach. This change fosters creativity, as you become more willing to look at topics and problems from multiple angles. Your ability to think critically, even about your own ideas, is enhanced and you may find that your career takes a turn for the better based on how you find creative solutions.

3. Language Barriers Teach You to Read People

In business, knowing how to read people is a coveted strength. The ability to pick up on body language, cues, tone and energy can all work in your favor. When you need to navigate without your mother tongue in the environment around your business school, you will rely more on these non-verbal factors to understand what others are trying to convey. You may also become skilled at noticing common gestures and patterns specific to the local culture. Communication is the foundation of a business relationship, and this skill makes you stronger and more connected to colleagues, clients and partners.

When your language is limited, your own non-verbal communication skills will also strengthen, as you’ll need to make elements like intention very clear to others. This also complements a business career and sets you up to be more persuasive, foster better working relationships and create a stronger network. You may become more controlled when you communicate, efficiently conveying meaning and showing confidence, which can help during presentations, meetings, and negotiations.

Are you interested in a Global Executive MBA program?

Contact WU Executive Academy for more information.