Cambridge General Management Programme

Organisations need people who are very comfortable across cultures.

The participants come in with a wealth of knowledge and experience.

When you are here, you can’t help but think you’re around people who are at the top of their field. And that’s going to rub off on you.

The programme is designed to be outward-looking from the organisation, to cover the more standard areas like evaluation, marketing, strategy, but is also internally focused. We have a fairly heavy emphasis on the operational side of a business. The course itself, it involves a lot of experiential learning. But, at the same time, the material that we teach is very heavily informed by a firm theoretical foundation.

I present a more realistic, comprehensive, and holistic description of how consumer make decisions, which is largely driven by their emotion. So this is based on the most current research finding in the field of psychology.

The participants in this programme are typically of the order of around 30 years old. And they come from all over the world. They’re usually high performers already, high flyers. This gives them an opportunity to reach into parts of management which they would not yet have touched on.

I think they also benefit very greatly from the international character of the programme. It’s quite an important networking opportunity for them.

We evaluate the different business schools. And we thought that Cambridge programme was the best option, in terms of time, courses, and of course as a reputation.

Participants on the programme can expect to be able to build on their specialist knowledge to become effective general managers. The two weeks are energising, challenging, and a lot of fun.

I come from a management consultant background. So the students have a foundation of operations theory as well as the examples I had from my consulting experience. And they get the practical elements as well as the theoretical side.

Cambridge is a city that has been a centre for learning and reflection for centuries and is a wonderful place for people to take some time out.

It is a place that really inspire you. So I enjoy sharing my knowledge with the student. At the same time, students stimulate me tremendously. I also borrow a lot of insights which develop through my own research. And then I share my research finding with participant in the programme and help them to understand how to gain competitive advantage.

What strikes me most about the programme is the increase in confidence which the participants develop over the two weeks and the readiness to take on challenges which they might not have been so keen to take on before.

I love teaching on this programme because of the calibre of the participants, because of their enthusiasm for their learning, the fun and the banter that they have with each other. But, at the same time, they’re sharing their knowledge of their areas.

They will go back and look at their organisations or the processes that they work with and be able to more critically assess them and say, does this operation align with what we’re trying to achieve with our business strategy?

Overview

Become a better decision-maker and manager. Stretch your thinking and increase your confidence.

Designed to broaden your business perspective and skills, the Cambridge General Management Programme (GMP) is an intense two-week learning experience. You will be immersed in an environment that will inspire and challenge you, leaving you ready to take the next step in your career. We offer a practical and skills-based approach which recognises that time is short and expectations are high.

You will fast-track your grasp of the core disciplines in management alongside more topical subjects. Knowing how these fundamentals interact builds a more strategic mindset, better problem-solving and decision-making. This all-round management education is crucial to improving as a manager and emerging as a leader.

The programme features a leadership and coaching module, designed to provide you with an understanding of what leadership means, and what ‘effective leadership’ looks like. This module will help you understand different leadership styles and with the support of a coach, hone the leadership traits that are most important to you as a leader.

“

This programme is ideal for people with at least five years’ executive experience who want to understand key management disciplines and how to use them to improve decision-making. It is also one of the best ways I can think of to gain international experience through exposure to an impressive peer group drawn from all over the world and from a wide range of sectors. ”

Professor Jochen Runde, Academic Programme Director of the GMP

Why Cambridge?

Cambridge Judge Business School offers a distinctive approach born out of the University of Cambridge way.

Your experience here will be one of unrivalled quality, relevance, intensity and challenge.

Leading-edge research

With cutting-edge academic research from a business school with 16 research centres, participants draw upon the latest thinking; as one would expect from one of the foremost universities in the world.

Smaller class sizes

The University of Cambridge has always emphasised smaller class sizes for maximum interaction and focused effort between world-class faculty and world-class participants. Cambridge Judge is no exception.

Intensity and focus

Smaller class sizes and leading-edge faculty mean focus and intensity. Your programme will may be shorter than elsewhere, but you will likely be stretched as you have never known.

Isn’t that the point?

Reserve your place & find out more

Demand for this programme is high and we encourage prospective candidates to reserve a place; this ensures we hold a provisional place whilst allowing time to complete the application documents.

Reserve a place on the GMP

Topics

The first week of the programme covers the more technical aspects of business that would typically be covered in a good MBA curriculum – strategy, operations, finance, accounting, marketing and economics. The second half of the programme explores the more topical and skill-based aspects of management, which may include the power of persuasion, decision making using data, leadership, data analytics, business sustainability macroeconomics and globalisation.

Over the course of the programme, you will discuss, debate and gain insight from Cambridge academic faculty and an international and diverse peer group. We take a multidisciplinary approach to learning; creating an engaging two weeks where you will acquire new skills to take your career to the next level.

Key management disciplines	Skills acquisition	Topical insights
Strategy	Persuasion and influence	Globalisation
Marketing	Leadership	Digital marketing
Finance	Decision-making	Data analytics
Accounting	Thinking about the unknown	Business sustainability
Economics	Behavioural economics	Digital innovation
Operations

“

The programme is extremely well-designed and offers a great balance between theoretical and practical management principles. ”

Sergio A. Febles, Corporate Commercial & Marketing Director, Lopesan Hotel Group

“

I don’t think there was a single session when I didn’t leave thinking “we could do things differently and for the better”. ”

Simon Bradbeer, Director of Research, Development & Innovation, Gatic

The Cambridge General Management Programme will help you:

Move into the next level of management, where you will face greater levels of expectation and decision-making responsibilities. If you have recently made this transition, then the programme will consolidate your skills and fill in the knowledge gaps.
Acquire the skills and the qualification to enable a career shift; whether industry, sector, company, or your own business.
Increase your team’s performance, identify new trends and market demands and strategic issues in the global marketplace.

On completing the Cambridge General Management Programme you will be eligible to become an associate member of Cambridge Judge Business School’s global network of graduates and business-focused University of Cambridge alumni, faculty and staff.

“

I want to sincerely thank the Cambridge General Management Programme team for a wonderful time; I must confess it was worth every penny and more. I am back to work and eager to transfer what I have learnt from the programme to the overall success of my company. I will be holding a session later this week with my team and other interested parties to give a brief lecture on the outcomes of the training and best practices to drive the company forward based on new insights from the programme. ”

Ugochukwu Weli, Commercial Manager, PFL Engineering Services

“

This programme is ideal for people with at least five years’ executive experience who are especially interested in the practical application of fundamental principles in key management disciplines, and how to apply them to improve decision-making within their organisations. ”

Professor Jochen Runde, Academic Programme Director of the GMP

Who should attend

The programme is designed for highly motivated and ambitious managers. You are develop your management skills and knowledge to increase your impact on your organization and advance your personal goals. You will have a minimum of five years’ experience and be looking to move in to a more senior or general management role. You will not have a recent MBA, but you are looking for the skills, knowledge, experience and appreciation of the strategic issues that will give you the boost to take the next step.

“

This was one of the best experiences I’ve had so far in my career development. I not only appreciated that I could learn the mind and skillset needed for business, but also the fact that each session had clear messages to understand the idea and principal, which can be applied to our daily/future business. Now I am back in my office feeling fresh, and with confidence, ready to tackle the issues I need to overcome to develop our business further. ”

Tomoko Orimoto, Section Chief, Otsuka Holdings

“

The programme offered a great range of different subjects and views on a high academic level, thus providing to me a fascinating insight into matters which I do not deal with daily but which are important for my work. For me the programme has been a stimulus to increase my knowledge of the subjects of the sessions by doing further reading. ”

Hannes Wagner, Senior Legal Counsel, Boehringer Ingelheim RCV

161 participants from 42 countries across the globe have attended the GMP between 2017 and 2019.

“

*Others include: Media, Construction, Gaming, Consumer Goods and Services, Defence, Hospitality & Healthcare, Mining, Publishing, Research, Technology, Telecommunication & Utilities.

These figures were taken from the seven GMP classes held in 2017-2019.

What do you need to survive and thrive at a startup?

For Chara Georgiadou, Country Manager at trivago, it was flexibility, commitment… and two weeks on the Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education General Management Programme.

Jochen Runde

Professor of Economics

PhD (University of Cambridge)

View Jochen's profile

Shasha Lu

University Lecturer in Marketing

PhD (School of Management, Fudan University)

View Shasha's profile

Other faculty & speakers

Allègre Hadida

University Senior Lecturer in Strategy

PhD (Doctorat HEC, France)

View Allègre's profile

Jennifer Howard-Grenville

Diageo Professor in Organisation Studies

PhD (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

View Jennifer's profile

Michael Kitson

University Senior Lecturer in International Macroeconomics

BA (University of Cambridge)

View Michael's profile

Benn Lawson

University Senior Lecturer in Operations Management

PhD (University of Melbourne)

View Benn's profile

Vincent Mak

Professor of Marketing & Decision Sciences

PhD (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

View Vincent's profile

Geoff Meeks

Emeritus Professor of Financial Accounting

PhD (University of Edinburgh)

View Geoff's profile

Nektarios (Aris) Oraiopoulos

University Lecturer in Operations Management

PhD (Georgia Institute of Technology)

View Nektarios's profile

Jaideep Prabhu

Professor of Marketing

PhD (University of Southern California)

View Jaideep's profile

Andreas Richter

Reader in Organisational Behaviour

PhD (Aston University)

View Andreas's profile

Thomas Roulet

University Senior Lecturer in Organisation Theory

PhD (HEC Paris)

View Thomas's profile

Pedro Saffi

Reader in Financial Economics

PhD (London Business School)

View Pedro's profile

David Stillwell

Reader in Computational Social Science

PhD (University of Nottingham)

View David's profile

Eden Yin

University Senior Lecturer in Marketing

PhD (University of Southern California)

View Eden's profile

Dates & fees

Dates	Duration	Fees *
30 January-11 February 2022	2 weeks**	£15,000 + VAT
26 June-8 July 2022	2 weeks**	£15,000 + VAT

VAT is charged at the prevailing rate – where applicable – which is currently 20%; e.g. £14,000 + 20% = £16,800.

* Fees include all programme materials, daytime refreshments and some evening meals, accommodation in the centre of Cambridge, some Cambridge-based activities and a gala dinner in a historic Cambridge College. Participants are expected to attend the full programme. Please note prices pre-registration are subject to change.

** 12 nights’ accommodation.

Preferential rates may be available for groups, University of Cambridge alumni and members of the School’s Alumni Association.

For information regarding payment terms, cancellation rights, transfer policies and fees, please see our terms & conditions documents:

Terms & Conditions for Self-funded Applicants (pdf, 277KB) (updated 25 August 2021)
Terms & Conditions for Organisation-funded Applicants (pdf, 295KB) (updated 25 August 2021)

Registration closes at midday two working days before the programme start date.

Participants are expected to attend the full programme.

Please ensure that you have read our Frequently Asked Questions, which provide important additional information about our face-to-face and Live Online programmes, in particular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“

I was able to see the bigger picture for my organisation and the possible changes that can be made. ”

Faisal Al Sugeiri, Saudi Industrial Development Fund

Reserve a place

Our programmes are very popular and tend to fill quickly. We cap the group size at 25. It is therefore advisable to reserve a place on specific sessions. This will simply keep your place until you are able to send in the application form, and we will remain in touch with you to inform you when the programme is almost full.

Reserve a place

If you have any questions or would like to have a chat about this programme and how it could benefit you or your organisation, please get in touch with the programme advisor: