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GROW (Global Reach, Organisation, and Wellbeing) Program
for Mid-Career Executives
Transformative Journey at Duke Kunshan University
Start Date:
September 2025
Venue:
Duke Kunshan University
Fee：
RMB 118,000(plus VAT)
(Include tuition, accommodation, meals, and a welcome package; exclude personal transportation expenses)
Teaching Language：
Chinese and English (Consecutive interpretation services are provided for English courses.)
Duke Kunshan University, is excited to introduce the GROW Program, a comprehensive development journey meticulously designed for mid-career executives. Over 18 months, encompassing 17.5 incisive training days across seven sessions, the program distills the core of an MBA’s strategic teachings, enriching this rigorous academic foundation with layers of wellness and social intelligence.
Redefining the Role of Mid-Level Executives:
Mid-level executives are often deemed the linchpin of their organizations. They are tasked with interpreting the strategic visions of their board and translating them into actionable plans within increasingly complex global frameworks. Amidst such pressures, the GROW Program emerges as a beacon, equipping participants with the proficiency needed to steer through these challenges.
The Imperatives of Wellbeing:
The modern executive journey is rife with potential for burnout and stress-related impediments. Recognizing this, the GROW Program embeds well-being into the very core of its curriculum. Participants will glean insights into managing stress, fostering robust mental health, and cultivating a team atmosphere that thrives on positivity and productivity.
Organisational Mastery: Skills for effective top-strategy implementation are cultivated, including the translation of complex plans into team actions.
Wellbeing Core: Physical and mental health strategies are integrated, ensuring participants can support both their own well-being and their team’s.
The GROW Program offers a pioneering blend of interactive business learning and AI-integrated themes, ensuring relevance in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. Participants engage in mind-expanding discussions that transcend traditional business education speakers, from esteemed veterans of industry to thought leaders pushing the frontiers of their fields. Our program is infused with unique experiences designed to create a holistic understanding of both the rigors and the subtleties of contemporary leadership.
Designed to be outcome-centric, the GROW Program equips executives to embrace the multifaceted nature of their roles confidently. By the end of the program, attendees will have mastered:
Core Business Themes: An analytical and strategic command over essential business domains like strategy, human resources, and operations.
As the world of business evolves with dynamic intensity, the GROW Program stands as a strategic inflection point, magnifying the impact mid-level executives can have on their careers and the broader landscape of global business. Join us and experience a transformation that redefines what it means to lead, innovate, and thrive in today’s complex corporate ecosystem.
The core curriculum combines leading-edge academic frameworks with real-world application. Each module follows an ‘easing-in’ routine, networking, followed by two days of core programming with a hands-on wellness, team development or leadership module incorporated. This is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Campus Routine (Weekends one through six)
Begin with a Harvard Business School case study, then move into team-based strategic lever analysis, action plans, and peer feedback. Day two hones critical leadership traits and self-assessment, completing with a reinforced commitment to strategy and change. Progress further with the Human Resources Management Elective.
Discover effective business strategy in this two-day intensive training, focusing on environmental scanning, strategic decision-making, and competitive advantage. Engage with expert-led lectures, group discussions, strategic outline workshops, and execution challenges using case studies. Leave equipped to drive change by formulating and adapting strategies in various business contexts. Extend your learning with the Governance Elective.
For non-financial professionals, this module elucidates corporate finance, accounting, and financial statements. Develop financial analysis skills for strategic decision-making, understand profitability, and the impact of decisions on financial health. Transition to strategic roles and improve your organization’s financial success. Continue learning with the Working with Outside Capital Elective.
Navigate the evolving marketing and sales landscape to understand customer journeys, segmentation, and create data-driven marketing strategies. Learn digital marketing, customer relationship management, and drive brand loyalty. Conceive marketing plans and leverage digital analytics tools. This module is complemented by case studies and simulations.
Rethink HR’s role in the organization. Learn how to modernize HR practices to better support today’s employees (including Gen Z) and adapt to trends like AI, remote/hybrid work, and critical talent shortages. Practical steps to make HR less bureaucratic, more innovative and strategic, and tightly aligned with business goals will be discussed. Through real examples and group discussions, participants will gain insights to improve employee engagement, people management intelligence, and create a culture where people thrive—turning HR into a key player for growth.
Master the innovation process, change management, and cultivate a creative organizational culture. Manage new product development and lead transformative initiatives. Equip yourself to lead through change, overcome resistance, and enact industry disruption. Expand your capabilities with the Creating Ecosystems/Incubators Elective.
In the final module, a selection of electives allow for customization based on industry demands and individual career trajectories.
Elected courses involve case studies, workshops, and project work relevant to real-life applications.
Inside each of the seven modules, a wellness element is included. Led by specialized DKU and/or outside faculty, wellness modules are designed to enhance both business skills and personal well-being for a balanced approach to leadership and career development.
Executive Vice Chancellor, American President, and Distinguished Professor of Social Science, Duke Kunshan University
John deButts Professor of Practice, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business
Visiting Professor of Leadership and Innovation, Duke Kunshan University
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior courses, University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine
Course Offerings: Module 1: Leadership Development
Duke Kunshan University Network Faculty
Visiting Professor of EMBA/CEO Programs, Peking University and Zhejiang University
Vice president of China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises
Course Offerings: Module 2: Strategy
Duke Kunshan University Network Faculty
Vice president of China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises
Course Offerings: Module 3: Financial Acumen
Duke Kunshan University Network Faculty
Adjunct Professor of Marketing, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)
Course Offerings: Module 4: Marketing and Sales
Former Vice President of Global HR Strategy and Transformation at Boehringer Ingelheim Germany
Long-term consultant for Fortune Global 500 clients including Walmart, China Resources, Boeing, and Roche
Course Offerings: Module 5: HR transformation and People
Duke Kunshan University Network Faculty
Made foundational contributions at Apple
Course Offerings: Module 6: Innovation and Change Management
You will benefit from a campus that blends state-of-the-art facilities with comfort and style, fostering a reflective environment conducive to learning and professional growth. Our facilities and services include:
Cutting-edge learning spaces, versatile rooms equipped with the latest technology.
Comfortable conference center and hotel-quality accommodation with convenient parking.
World class athletic facilities and tranquil outdoor spaces designed to rejuvenate the body and the mind.
Dining options adjustable to your budget and culinary preferences.
Mission Statement
The Library supports Duke Kunshan University’s mission to become a highly selective research-oriented, liberal arts and science university to enable students to lead purposeful and productive lives. As a collaborative partner in every aspect of the university’s academic endeavors, the Library is an interactive and innovative teaching and learning hub and a scholarly gateway to enhance intellectual discovery, cultivate creativity, and promote scholarship and exchange of knowledge. It provides high-quality collections, offers user-centered services, and develops various programs to support university’s teaching, learning, and research activities.
About the Library
With its highly qualified staff, the Library
The Duke Kunshan University Conference Center is uniquely equipped to serve your leadership development needs in four-star comfort on a beautiful, contemporary university campus. With over 200 guest rooms, excellent gym facilities and on-campus parking.
Duke Kunshan University Conference Center provides a calm and smooth environment thoughtfully and elegantly designed guestrooms with features and amenities to bring you back to your best self.
In our 27-sqm (290 square feet) Deluxe Room and 53-sqm (570 square feet) Deluxe Suite Room, you will enjoy full room amenities with a lake view or garden view, high-speed Internet access, a large-screen LCD television, purified water system, coffee machine, a generous work area with ergonomic desk and chair and a well-appointed bathroom.
With views across the peaceful lake, our Conference Center Restaurant, Executive Dining Restaurant and Water Pavilion offer an array of popular local and international specialties. Our campus restaurant and Family Mart in Community Center are also available for your convenience.
DKU Sports Complex is a state-of-the-art facility that serves as a central hub for athletics, recreation, and wellness on campus. Spanning 13,000 square meters over four floors, it stands as the largest building on campus and a cornerstone of DKU’s Phase II campus expansion.
Key Features
Indoor Facilities: The complex includes a 180-seat basketball arena, six badminton courts, ten table tennis tables, two squash/racquetball courts, a martial arts dojo, two yoga and dance studios, a 260-meter indoor running track, and a four-lane indoor climbing wall.
Aquatics Center: An eight-lane, 25-meter swimming pool is complemented by hydrotherapy facilities and saunas, offering a comprehensive aquatics program for the DKU community.
Fitness Areas: Dedicated spaces for cardio training, weight and strength training, CrossFit, functional training, spinning, and rowing are equipped with the latest fitness technology.
Outdoor Facilities: The complex boasts a full-size football field with seating for 1,865 spectators, an eight-lane outdoor athletics track, 12 tennis courts, and seven outdoor pickleball courts.
The DKU Sports Complex is more than just a facility; it’s a vibrant community space that promotes physical health, mental well-being, and social interaction among students, faculty, and staff.
Address: No.8 Duke Ave. Kunshan, Jiangsu, China.
Address in Chinese: 中国江苏省昆山市杜克大道8号。
There are two airports in Shanghai. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG). You can take a taxi or rent a car coming to Duke Kunshan University from either airport. It takes about 46mins or 1 hour and 28 mins respectively.
Contact Information
Should you have any inquiries or require further assistance, our dedicated representatives are available to support you.
For program-specific questions, contact: Rolan Zhang at DKU
Email: rolan.zhang@dukekunshan.edu.cn Phone: 18896540870
Certification and Network Benefits
On program completion, executives receive a certificate acknowledging their refined acumen in addressing complex business challenges. Alongside this formal recognition, after an additional two days of executive training at DKU, participants gain entry into an exclusive DKU alumni network affording continuous professional development and opportunities.
