Leading High-Performance Teams

This programme provides team leaders with the mindset, tools and knowledge to create and lead high-performance physical and virtual teams.

The programme is a cooperation between the Research Institute for International Management (FIM-HSG) and the Executive School at the University of St. Gallen.

Throughout the programme different facets of leading high-potential teams will be explored. The lectures cover both academic and practical insights and includes peer-to-peer exchanges where participants can share their experiences in applying the course knowledge and tools to their current work teams. These highly applicated tools enable them to grow alongside their team.

Kickoff & Networking event with alumni reunion – Prof. Dr. Winfried Ruigrok, Dr. Stephanie Schoss, Claudio Feser, Dr. Patricia Widmer

Executive Campus HSG, St.Gallen
19 October 2022
09:00-17:00 CET Kickoff
17:00-21:00 CET Networking event with alumni reunion

Among others the kickoff will provide a detailed overview of the course structure, module content and participation expectations. Lecturers and participants will also introduce themselves in order to establish rapport.

An Introduction to Teams – Prof. Dr. Winfried Ruigrok

Team-based structures are on the rise. In this session, you will learn the critical success factors of high-performance teams (HPTs) and how you can translate these into relevant metrics. You will explore the differences between physical and virtual teams and how to set objectives most effectively in both settings

Introduction to Course Surveys – Prof. Dr. Winfried Ruigrok

Motivating Your Team

Motivation your team – the power of why. A strong why is the number one driver for motivation, true commitment, and fulfilment in the workplace. By reflecting about different “why’s” behind one’s work, you will learn about different sources for meaningfulness and identify key measures for organizations and leaders to realizing them in the work context.

Networking Event with alumni reunion – Keynote

This event offers participants the opportunity to get to know each other and alumni from previous courses.

Self-Paced Learning I​
20-30 October ​2022

During this first self-paced learning phase participants will receive access to preparatory readings, surveys and video materials.

Live online Check-in I
3 November 2022
08:00-12:00 CET

Understanding your Survey Results – Prof. Dr. Winfried Ruigrok, Dr. Stephanie Schoss

Creating the « We » in Your Team – Dr. Stephanie Schoss

By examining the concept of «We Consciousness», you will discover how to foster trust, alignment and a sense of community within your teams. Increasing the «We» in teams often leads to better performing teams.

Peer Coaching Themes/Topics – Claudio Feser ​

Group peer coaching is a confidential process through which four to five professional colleagues work together to reflect on current practices and issues each of them faces in the workplace, and to jointly explore new ideas in order to solve these issues. The process creates a safe space (transitional space) in which colleagues can constructively and effectively work though confidential and complex workplace issues. Besides being helpful in generating new insights to resolve issues, the process builds empathy and relationships among the participants.

Self-Paced Learning I​I
5 November – 20 November​ 2022

During the second self-paced learning phase participants will receive access to deep dive materials which address deep level diversity, psychological safety, unconscious bias and conflict management.

Live online Check-in II
22 November 2022
08:00-12:00 CET

Theme Based Group Peer Coaching – Claudio Feser

Participants will discuss current challenges in their teams and learn to manage them.

Follow-Up on Sustainable Impact​
Ongoing after November​

Participants will have access to best practice videos and, if they wish, to elective group coaching sessions with Prof. Dr. Winfried Ruigrok, Dr. Stephanie Schoss or Claudio Feser.

Prof. Dr. Winfried Ruigrok
Winfried Ruigrok is the Dean of the Executive School of Management, Technology & Law (ES-HSG) at the University of St.Gallen. He is also a Professor of International Management and the Director of the Research Institute for International Management (FIM-HSG) at the same university. He conducts research in international strategy, corporate governance, the role of the CEO, top management teams and boards of directors, CEO careers, CEO compensation, and research methods. His papers have been published in leading scholarly and popular outlets. He has won numerous awards and has worked as a consultant and leadership trainer with dozens of multinational corporations. 

Dr. Stephanie Schoss
Stephanie Schoss is a Director at the HSG Executive School of the University of St. Gallen and a Director of the Competence Center for Top Team Research at the HSG Institute of International Management. Stephanie studied Business Administration at the Universities of St.Gallen, Harvard and the Singapore Management University. Her research focuses on team personality, leadership and the effects of conflicts, empathy, and “we-consciousness” in (virtual) teams. Before joining the university, Stephanie made her career as an active entrepreneur in various industries and as a passionate pilot (private and commercial). She still serves as Chairwoman of her own business psychology company and as a founding partner of C Talks, a Peer-Community for the most senior European Top Managers. Stephanie was recognised as manager of the year in 2013 by Generation CEO.

Claudio Feser
Claudio Feser is a Senior Partner Emeritus and a Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company. He joined the Firm in 1992, was elected Partner in 1998 and Senior Partner in 2004. At McKinsey, he held various leadership roles, including leading McKinsey Greece, McKinsey Switzerland and the global leadership development practice. He was also a member of the Shareholder Council, McKinsey’s Board of Directors. As Senior Advisor, Claudio continues to advise selected clients and to serve as faculty on various McKinsey training programs for CEOs and senior partners.

Dr. Maximilian Strecker
Dr. Maximilian Strecker is a keynote speaker and executive coach on the topics of leadership, purpose, and high-performance. He has trained over 10,000 top managers from multinational corporations and high-performance teams in sports. He lectures at the Executive School of the University of St. Gallen and publishes in renowned manager magazines such as the Harvard Business Manager. He is managing director of a wholesale company with 70 employees at four locations. In his doctoral thesis at the University of St. Gallen, he developed levers for cultivating meaningful work as the key to lasting motivation and performance. To implement purpose and meaning in corporate practice, he founded a consortium, which included selected board members and managing directors. Before that, he studied business administration and economics at renowned universities in Germany and China and worked at the World Trade Center in the US. He is a certified trainer on the subject of self-management and a Six Sigma Black Belt for process optimization.

Dr. Anna-Christina Leisin
Dr. Anna-Christina Leisin is managing director of the syspilot Consulting GmbH. She coaches top managers and teams on the topics of leadership, psychological safety, and high-performance. She has led large-scale leadership development programs in over 30 multinational corporations. She publishes in renowned manager magazines such as Harvard Business Manager. Her book on the subject of “Recognition and Motivation” received the BestMasters Award from the Springer Verlag. She did her PhD in a cooperation between the University of St. Gallen and a large automobile manufacturer. As a member of a high-performance team in the field of future mobility, she worked in Germany and the US. There she developed levers for cultivating psychological safety as a fundamental necessity for innovation and performance. Previously, she studied business administration and economics at renowned universities in Germany and China and worked at the World Trade Center in the US. She is a certified trainer for self-management and a Six Sigma Black Belt for process optimization.

Dr. Patricia Widmer
Patricia Widmer studied business administration at the University of Zurich with an emphasis on banking and finance and worked for several years in private banking for a large Swiss bank. Patricia has been with the University of St.Gallen since 2014, where she established the English-speaking certificate programme «Women Back to Business» (WBB) as well as the «Women’s Leadership Programme» and is now Programme Director for Diversity and Management Programmes. In addition, she is facilitating and moderating workshops as well as presentations about Diversity & Inclusion and unconscious bias. She wrote her dissertation about “Gender Disparity on Top of Companies”. 

Faculty and dates may be subject to change.