THE INFLUENCE OF THE E-MBA PROGRAM ON THE SELFDEVELOPMENT OF A MANAGER Explaining the Factors Influencing Self-Development

Abstract

The objective of the Thesis was to show how the Executive Master of Business Administration program (E-MBA) has affected the self-development of the former students, the managers. The follow-up with these participants of the EMBA was conducted through personal interviews. The study was qualitative in nature but included quantitative features. The E-MBA education program at Gothenburg University was used as a case. The purpose was to find out and describe managers’ experiences of the benefits of the education for their self-development. Answers for the following research questions were found: How does the E-MBA education influence the selfdevelopment of a manager? How do the selected themes explain the selfdevelopment? How does gender influence self-development through these themes? Were the aims and goals of the E-MBA program achieved according to the participants’ (managers’) experiences? Theoretical construction consists of the theories of management education, selfdevelopment and gender issues. The results show that there has been progress in self-development of the managers as a result of the E-MBA studies. The selected themes truly described this development. The gender issue had a considerable impact on the depth of the self-development since females reflected more on the education than males.