Value Proposition
The Executive Development Roundtable (EDRT) offers senior executives and organizational development professionals the opportunity to enhance their impact on their organizations and strengthen their professional growth. By taking advantage of dynamic networking, thought leadership, and applied research in an open, peer-to-peer environment, EDRT members have access to, and benefit from, real-life situational experiences of peer executives and professionals from around the country, as well as the invaluable research and expertise of academic experts in their fields. The uniqueness of the EDRT Value Proposition – supported by special partnerships between Boston University Questrom School of Business and profit and non-profit organizations – is demonstrated in these ways:
Networking
The EDRT environment is unique in its openness. The senior development professionals of EDRT are on the cutting edge of leadership effectiveness and development and openly share with peer members those experiences that have improved their business performance. Members discuss challenges and results and impact of their work in a confidential and supportive environment to facilitate candid conversations and joint problem-solving. Information is gathered and shared to improve on current and proposed initiatives. Benchmarking is extremely valuable because it is application-based, real-time and industry-specific. Members frequently connect individually with each other or in subgroups to address issues or topics of interest that they have in common.
Thought Leadership
Like no other forum, EDRT offers the opportunity to learn from world-class academics and thought leaders. As EDRT’s academic host, Boston University provides recognized experts in the field, including:
- Douglas T. (Tim) Hall, Morton and Charlotte Friedman Professorship in Management, Professor of Organizational Behavior, Founding Director of EDRT
- Kathy Kram, Everett V. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Professor of Organizational Behavior
- Lloyd Baird, Professor of Organizational Behavior, Chair of the Organizational Behavior Department, Research Director EDRT
- John F. (Jack) McCarthy, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program Lecturer, Director EDRT
Through their professional networks, members have access to resources such as:
| Chris Argyris | Warren Bennis |
| Bob Eichinger | Dan Goleman |
| Frances Hesselbein | Robert Kegan |
| Lisa Lahey | Edward Lawler |
| Michael Lombardo | Morgan McCall |
| Henry Mintzberg | Ed Schein |
| Mike Useem | Marshall Goldsmith |
| Bob Johansen |
At meetings, held every spring and fall, members spend extended time with selected experts in deep dialogue on relevant subjects, and candidly discuss current work and new concepts or problems with peers. Between meetings, conference calls are held periodically to address additional areas of interest to EDRT members.
Research/Best Practices
EDRT’s special partnership between Boston University and profit and nonprofit organizations provides a powerful blend of theory and practice, academia and business. BU’s world-class faculty and staff provide leadership and administration support, while membership fees support both targeted and exploratory research to maintain leading-edge thinking. EDRT members have the opportunity to direct research and have full access to EDRT research findings and reports. Faculty and researchers are available for exploration and discussion of concepts and best practice applications. EDRT’s alliance and relationship with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), one of the world’s most respected providers of leadership research and education, bring considerable value and powerful access to cutting edge research, capabilities and expertise.
Professional Development
EDRT seeks to offer members a world-class professional development opportunity. Our bi-annual meetings provide members an opportunity to learn in a small-group, interactive format from some of the leading practitioners in our field, including Ingar Skaug, Chris Argyris, Daniel Goleman, Ed Schein, and Clay Christensen. We also offer topical conference calls, targeted research reports, and an active peer network to help members develop themselves and deliver business results in their organizations.
