There is no room for solo projects in international business. Global goals can be achieved only thanks to the multidimensional cooperation of teams. Managing this cooperation is a task for outstanding leaders who understand the challenges they have to face.
Magdalena Łużniak-Piecha, Ph.D., social psychologist, Assistant Professor at the Department of Management
Management
- Level: Graduate (Master's Degree)
- Mode: week-days, afternoons and evenings, 3-4 days a week (four semesters)
- Major: Management and Leadership
New Paradigm of Management
The world is changing faster than ever before: the development of new technologies, the breakdown of the current model of free-market economy, globalization and the ubiquity of social media. All these phenomena cause rapid changes in business environment and require new management tools as well as a lot of flexibility and new skills, on the part of managers.
In many countries, a traditional and over-theorized teaching model dominates management studies. Unfortunately, it is not aligned with the current environment and the encroaching challenges of the job market. There is very little practice and project work in the traditional teaching framework, which is based on statistical economic models. Moreover, insufficient appreciation of psychology and the role it plays in the practice of management makes for a painful confrontation, when graduates are faced with real challenges of the job market and it also leaves employers disappointed with the skills of potential employees. Therefore at SWPS University, we have developed an innovative and practical program of study.
EMOTIONS ARE IMPORTANT IN MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
Recent scientific discoveries indicate that emotional and irrational factors are a crucial element in the practice of management. Whether it is decision making or market and consumer behavior, psychology has become an inherent element determining effectiveness of leaders. Leaders of the future are able to combine rational thinking and mature intuition and they also can manage their own feelings and emotions of others.
BUSINESS IS MORE THAN JUST THE BOTTOM LINE
Modern organizations, including business organizations, should be socially responsible and should hold values that go beyond the bottom line. Future belongs to credible and trusted brands that build their businesses on trust, are associated with positive emotions and include their customers and clients in decision making. We teach our students how this works and how companies based on values operate.
FROM TRANSACTIONAL TO RELATIONAL ECONOMY
Profit maximization is a very shortsighted business strategy. The biggest companies owe their success to long-lasting, honest and mutually beneficial relationships with their customers. They know that crucial elements of this relationship include a dialogue with the customers and their identification with the brand. To explain this model to our students, we use the "Firma-Idea" management concept, developed by Professor Jerzy Hausner.
PEOPLE ARE AT THE CORE OF MANAGEMENT
To effectively manage others, one must know how to manage oneself. Therefore, personal development is of high importance for every leader. Students will have an opportunity to work with psychologists from SWPS University on the process of mapping their behavior mechanisms and they will learn how to manage themselves. Psychology also helps to understand motivations of others, provides tools indispensable in conflict resolution and in building relationships with others.
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS HERE
The world is undergoing a digital transformation. Organizations implement digital innovations, which enable development, improve efficiency and broaden the scope of their activity. Digital initiatives require creativity and an ability to manage interdisciplinary and often virtual or remote teams. We teach our students how to manage these processes, how to design innovative solutions and how to identify needs and challenges of the digital world.
EVERYONE CAN BE A CHANGEMAKER
We need changemakers - i.e. engaged people, who can identify problems, propose and implement solutions, while working with teams. We believe that changemaking skills are a boost for achieving success and attaining personal and professional satisfaction. According to the motto “think – believe - act”, we develop self-confidence and agency in our students which enable them to positively impact the world around them. Our Management and Leadership program has been awarded ASHOKA's “Journey to Changemaker Certificate”.
WHY IS OUR APPROACH BETTER THAN OTHERS?
LEADERS TEACH LEADERS
During the course of study we organize a few inspirational meetings with leaders of renowned organizations, who share their knowledge and experience with students. These leaders noticed the need for improvement and thanks to their courage, determination and teamwork, they have implemented the required changes. Some leaders who cooperate with us, inlcude:
PROJECTS IN COOPERATION WITH OUR PARTNERS
Our students graduate with a portfolio of projects, developed in teams, under the guidance of business and academic supervisors. The projects are not just academic exercises, but solutions developed by students in response to requirements submitted by organizations that cooperate with SWPS University. Project teams are evaluated and receive feedback on the quality of the proposed solutions.
Semester 1
Semester 1
Social Project
Students face a significant social problem. They assess the situation and make a diagnosis. They suggest solutions and see how they are received by the community affected by the problem. They learn to establish relationships, conduct project work and work effectively in teams.
Semester 2
Semester 2
Product or Process Innovation Project
The goal of the project is to identify needs related to the external environment of an organization (product innovation) or its internal environment (process innovation) and to prepare an action plan that meets these needs. Students must formulate a value proposition for the external or internal client, assess the need for each of the proposals, develop a business model and pitch their ideas to the client.
Semester 3
Semester 3
Consulting Project
Students learn the fundamentals and the essence of consulting work. The goal of the project is to evaluate a real business situation and propose solutions aligned with different business challenges, such as market strategy, process optimization, talent management and digital transformation.
LEADER’S PATH
Development of leadership skills is enabled by high-level of self-awareness. Therefore our students begin with self-assessment of their strengths, natural predispositions and behaviors. Next, they work on broadening their relationship networks with others. They learn what factors impact effectiveness of leaders and develop optimal styles of leadership and communication.
PSYCHOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE
Organizations consist of people, including not only employees, but also clients and customers. And people come with emotions, which nowadays are often more important than cold and rational calculations. Therefore knowledge and understanding of psychological mechanisms, underlying human behavior and decision making, is indispensable in business.
PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS
Our teaching program aims to shape graduates who think like entrepreneurs, who know how to collaborate with others, are focused on development and have practical management competencies. The program includes carefully selected subjects without any unnecessary components. Students focus solely on skills that are crucial for effective managers and leaders.
INDIVIDUAL TUTORING THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF STUDY
The goal of tutoring is to support students in shaping their study paths, advising and inspiring when they face difficult decisions, discussing the results of their self-assessment, which takes places during the “Leader’s Path” phase, and analyzing the experience they gain during the subsequent phases of studying. Working with tutors helps students to better plan they activities and consciously pursue their goals. Tutoring is entirely optional. It is up to students to decide whether they wish to work with a tutor and what form of support they could use.
TWO STUDY TRACKS
People who consciously make decisions related to their development paths, are most successful. Therefore at the beginning of the second year, students choose one of two study tracks, depending on their interests and career goals.
Manager
The manger track is for people who in the future want to become managers, at medium and large organizations.
- Big data analytics
- Quality management
- Human capital management
- Mergers, aquisitions, partnerships
- Diversity management
- Process management
- Corporate social responsibility
Entrepreneur
The entrepreneur track is for people who wish to start and/or manage their own businesses.
- Design thinking
- Launching and closing an organization
- Innovativeness and innovative solutions
- Investing
- Digital transformation
- Product management
- Tax planning
EXPERIENCED LECTURERS AND BUSINESS PRACTITIONERS
Our faculty comprises people who combine academic careers with business or community activity. We invite business practitioners to our classrooms to share their professional experience with students. Thanks to this approach, we offer students a well-founded and comprehensive education. We see ourselves more as guides in the field of business management rather than lecturers. We aim to inspire the process of learning rather than just transfer knowledge. We are familiar with global education standards in the area of business management, because we either studied abroad or have been teaching there.
Active Learning
We subscribe to active learning through experience and experimentation. Students learn through workshops, interactive seminars, case studies, group projects, discussions, debates and simulations. For example, while learning strategic management, students are not limited to lectures on the subject, but they also analyze the strategy of a selected company, evaluate its strengths and weaknesses and propose a modification plan.
Application Step By Step
- Fill in the application form
- Pay the Application Fee
- Send the required documents to the Admissions Office
- Wait for the date of your interview
- Pay the Tuition Fee
- Wait for the Acceptance Letter
- Upon your arrival in Poland, submit original documents to the Admissions Office
- During the first semester, submit the Nostrificaiton of your diploma (if applicable)
| 2019/20 Academic Year Full-Time Studies | |
|---|---|
| 10 installments | 420 EUR |
| 2 installments | 2055 EUR |
| 1 installment | 3950 EUR |
Admissions Office
- admissions@swps.edu.pl
- +48 22 517 99 61
- Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8.00-16.00 Tuesday, Thursday: 8:00 - 18:00
- SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities
Chodakowska 19/31, 03-815 Warsaw, Poland
