Executives at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) are being sent into developing
countries to work on projects supporting local communities as a way of
developing their leadership skills.
The leadership development programme, called the ‘Ulysses Project’, involves
executives spending two months on field projects in communities struggling with
the effects of poverty, war and disease.
"Business and business leaders are playing an increasingly influential
role on the global stage. There are opportunities but also social expectations
and accountability," said learning and development director Paul Bennett.
Funded by PwC’s Washington, US-based Global Leadership thinktank, the
project focuses on sustainability, diversity and leadership. Delegates to the
programme prepare for five weeks before an eight-week stint in the field, and
review week.
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Learning is backed by a reference facility at St Gallen University,
Switzerland, which holds research on experiential learning.
In 2003, projects took place in Zambia, where delegates participated in a UN
development programme; in Moldova where execdutives helped rebuild local
government after the civil war; in Namibia where a project management system
was set up to help tackle HIV/Aids; and in Belize where an eco-tourism study was
conducted.
