manufacturing megatrends create the need for a different kind of management

To support the development of manufacturing and technology companies and also to bring management to a new level, EBS University of Business created the Production Innovation and Management Development Program. In order to bring production to a new level, the quality of management must be improved, emphasizes Jari Kukkonen, head of MBA and continuing education at EBS, on Äripää radio.

“We don’t have as big a problem with engineering knowledge and skills as we do with management. We have to work on correcting management mistakes and improving management skills at every level,” he emphasizes. According to him, changes in production have led to the need for a different management culture, process management and also a new strategy.

Changed competitive environment

If previously the advantage of production in Estonia was low production costs, now our strength could be an environment that supports new solutions and flexibility, said Kukkonen.

“Estonians are very agile and ready to experiment, including by trial and error. But behind this is a very important positive attitude, that one is ready for changes. Estonia does not have the resources to organize large-scale production, but we have the speed and intelligence to try to produce something new,” said Kukkonen. The implementation of all this also requires skilled change management, the tools and good practices of which are also shared in the development program.

Kaarel Suuk, with long-term experience as a manager of a manufacturing company, considers EBS’s new development program to be a good whole. “We are trying to create such an excellent opportunity that we do not just develop management, but combine management, innovation and production – such a combo that is completely unfulfilled in Estonia today,” he said.

Of course, the program also takes into account the sustainability component, without which no production can be managed anymore. “The environment in which we operate has changed, and without taking new risks and seeing new opportunities, we can no longer produce in Estonia.”

The content marketing show will also talk about why to develop yourself at all, how to keep up with global trends, how to successfully implement changes and how to create a supportive organizational culture. The guests of the show are Jari Kukkonen and Kaarel Suuk from EBS University of Business. The presenter is Esme Kassak.