Transforming business through learning

At Hanken & SSE Executive Education, we’re committed to crafting transformative, world-class learning journeys that help our clients address real-world challenges. Guided by nearly two decades of Nordic heritage in executive education, we aim to merge the best of research and practice to create meaningful, measurable change for our clients.

To sustain this mission as we expand, we recently launched our first Design School, where we explored the principles of adult learning, experiential design, and innovation in education. This initiative helped us articulate and refine our unique approach to learning, grounded in research, reflection, and real-world application. Here’s a closer look at how we design impactful learning solutions and our philosophy behind each step.

Our learning philosophy: research meets practice

As we are owned by two business schools Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) and Hanken School of Economics, everything we do roots to research. Yet, we recognise that executive education links to practice and actionable insights. Therefore, all our solutions blend academic foundations with real-world applications with the help of the three following steps:

1. Experiential learning: We follow Kolb's experiential learning model, valuing each participant’s unique experiences. Our solutions encourage participants to reflect on their personal and professional journeys, introducing frameworks and insights that help them gain new perspectives. This foundation allows them to apply fresh ideas and skills directly in their own work environments, creating lasting change.
2. Learner centered approach: Another pillar in our learning approach is that it is learner centred, meaning that learning is the participant’s experience, not the teacher’s expertise. Participants are responsible for their own learning journey, while our programme directors act as facilitators who encourage, nudge and challenge participants to reflect, experiment, and immediately apply what they learn in practice.
3. Transformative outcomes: Finally, we aim for more than knowledge transfer; we aim for transformation. Our solutions are designed to change how participants perceive themselves and the world around them, empowering them as leaders and people. This shift in mindset often inspires greater motivation, confidence, and a deeper commitment to growth.

Understanding customer needs and strategic aims

A successful learning journey starts with a deep understanding of our clients’ needs. Before we design any solution, we invest in understanding the strategic aims, challenges, and desired impacts of the client organisation. Over the years, we have honed our co-design process, engaging key stakeholders and potential programme participants to collaboratively identify goals and align on impactful outcomes.

To keep our focus on measurable change, we have developed an impact framework inspired by Kirkpatrick’s model. This framework prompts our clients to consider what success looks like from the start:

• Quality and satisfaction: How do participants perceive the programme or module? Did it meet their expectations and align with the set objectives?
• Learning outcomes: What new knowledge, skills, or insights have participants gained? How has their confidence, commitment, or mindset shifted as a result of the programme?
• Behavioral impact: How are participants applying what they’ve learned in their daily roles? What changes are visible in their leadership, communication, creativity, or presence?
• Impact on results: What measurable improvements can be seen in the target areas? How has the programme contributed to tangible business outcomes and organisational success?

With these questions at the core, we create programmes that are not only aligned with our clients’ objectives but are also structured for lasting impact.

Design for real impact

Achieving lasting change means engaging participants on multiple levels and supporting strategic shifts throughout the organisation. Our solutions are immersive and often call for both unlearning and relearning. To truly support behavioral changes in the participants the solution has to offer an outside-in perspective. It must challenge, surprise, support, and teach, as well as it must give space for curiosity, discovery, creativity, fun – and reflection.

Throughout the years we have developed a broad portfolio of practices and learning elements that support this kind of change to occur in people and organisations. These include a variety of learning games and simulations, role-plays, management involvement, coaching and peer-coaching, learning journals, flipped classroom-type of exercises and interactive workshops, discovery visits, customer safaris, strategic project work, team-building and networking exercises, and various types of extracurricular activities to make learning fun, challenging, and most importantly impactful.

Driving change and igniting renewal in people and organisations is what we do at Hanken & SSE every day! Please contact us if you want us to design an impactful change journey or development initiative for you.

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Pernilla has over twenty years of experience of business education and leadership development from basic to MBA and executive levels. She has extensive experience in co-designing some of the most ground-breaking and innovative leadership development programs together with Hanken & SSE’s clients. As program director and workshop facilitator with a positive and engaging approach she has been highly appreciated by clients and participants. Her focus has been on self and people leadership grounded in positive psychology and neuroscience: self-leadership and personal efficiency, leading for top performance, change leadership, and communication and presentation skills. Another area she is passionate about is organisational culture and cross-cultural communication.