What once passed for success in executive courses — strong satisfaction scores, high attendance, glowing testimonials — is no longer enough. Across the industry, with the rising cost of executive education, there is rising demand for proof that these programs do indeed lead to business results. A clear return on investment (ROI), so to speak.
“We are seeing a decisive move away from outputs — for example, the number of leaders trained — to outcomes,” says Sharmla Chetty, chief executive of Duke Corporate Education. “That is why Duke CE integrates analytics, peer and manager feedback loops, innovation metrics and reflective coaching into our programs.”
At Duke CE, this shift has led to a redesign of programs around business impact. “We embed action learning projects focused on innovation, revenue generation and operational efficiencies linked to commercial outcomes,” Chetty says. “Leaders test ideas that drive new revenue streams through embedded behavioral change.”
These projects, she adds, have produced measurable results—and clear ROI. “In many cases, such projects have resulted in millions of dollars of new business, the creation of new business lines and innovations that fundamentally shift how organizations create value.”
Beyond business metrics, clients also want to see changes in leadership capability. “We complement business impact with leadership measures,” which can include assessments and coaching reports, Chetty says.
Growing demand for accountability
The pressure is industry-wide, and it is growing. Stéphane Canonne, associate dean for executive education at EDHEC Business School in France, says clients now expect a return on investment that goes far beyond individual learning.
“Executive education clients today look for three types of return on investment,” Canonne explains. “First, a personal leadership shift. Second, strategic alignment and collaboration. And third, tangible business impact.”
At EDHEC, courses are designed to reflect that demand. “In many of our programs, participants work on strategic projects that they later pitch to their executive committees,” he says. “ROI is then measured not in abstract satisfaction scores, but in the extent to which these projects are adopted and implemented within the organization.”
Canonne says this reflects a broader change in how companies see executive education. “Increasingly, organizations are approaching executive education as a strategic investment rather than a discretionary expense,” he says. “They expect it to deliver measurable outcomes on two fronts: as a talent strategy and as a business lever.”
At Aalto University Executive Education (Aalto EE) in Finland, academic director Mikko Laukkanen agrees. “Absolutely. This has been a growing trend for the last decade, and it has been amplified in the aftermath of COVID-19.”
He sees two forces driving the change. “On the one hand, companies are using executive education increasingly for a short- to medium-term impact,” Laukkanen says. “Long gone are the days when executive programs were used by companies more for reward and retention purposes.”
But learners, too, are demanding more. “The second force driving this change comes from the participants themselves,” he adds. “They are becoming less enthusiastic about travel and have been placing more value on being able to work from home.” Therefore, if an executive program involves travel to a different location, the provider needs to clearly justify why in-person attendance is essential.
Learners looking for confidence (and promotions!)
In parallel with pressure from employers, learners are becoming more focused on personal ROI — not just in career progression, but in confidence, motivation and self-awareness.
“Learners measure ROI for executive programs by a mix of objective and subjective metrics,” says Laukkanen. “The objective metrics are around quantifiable changes in their professional lives, such as compensation levels, promotions, etc…While the subjective metrics have to do with ‘softer’ issues, like how confident or motivated they feel at work.”
Providers are adapting by embedding these insights into program design. Instructors are equipped to communicate the full range of learning outcomes and value drivers throughout the experience. Laukkanen says: “Clients want to see evidence that the learning goals of any executive education initiative they are paying for are met.”
Exec ed more than just a luxury
For many business schools, this pressure to quantify outcomes is reshaping how executive courses are positioned, priced and delivered. “The pressure to quantify is positive,” says Chetty at Duke CE. “It reinforces that custom executive education is not a ‘nice-to-have,’ but a strategic driver of organizational resilience, growth and transformation.”
EDHEC’s Canonne agrees. “Organizations are asking how leadership programs translate into concrete business results,” he says. “We work closely with our clients to define clear success metrics at the outset — whether talent-related or business-related — and to track them beyond the classroom.”
As economic uncertainty sharpens the focus on costs, providers who can’t prove their worth may struggle to compete. But for those who can — with metrics that go beyond satisfaction and stories that go beyond inspiration — executive education still has a powerful role to play. It just needs to show its work.
