SSE Executive Education and Virtual Distance International expands partnership to provide unique solutions to digital-age distance leadership challenges in the Nordic countries

Virtual Distance International (VDI) is a New York-based Predictive Workplace Analytics company providing solutions that increase organizational performance in the digital workplace.

Based on the award-winning research of Virtual Distance by Founder and CEO, Dr. Karen Lojeski along with leading Fortune 2000 companies, VDI has the world’s only predictive workplace algorithms that are scientifically validated and precisely reveal the impact of workplace transformation on a company’s critical success factors. Virtual Distance® is the measure of the unintended consequences of collaborative technologies adversely impacting employee performance, customer relationships and supply chain partners – no matter where people are located.

While most organizations believe that geographic separation and demographic cultural differences are the cause of many workplace challenges, the VDI data, collected from companies that employ millions of people, show otherwise. In essence, companies around the world are solving for symptoms, and not the root cause. For example, low employee engagement on its own, is a symptom of Virtual Distance. Virtual Distance® Analytics allows companies to identify and solve the real causes of low employee engagement and other symptoms. When Virtual Distance is properly identified, measured and analyzed, companies readily see enhanced workplace productivity, job satisfaction, employee retention, and ultimately, boosts to the bottom line.

SSE Executive Education has expanded its partnership with Virtual Distance International to further tackle Virtual Distance and the impact on business outcomes. For example, at one global organization employing 18,000 people, Virtual Distance® Analytics revealed that key performance indicators such as on-time, on-budget project delivery were negatively impacted. VDI worked with this organization to target the specific issues causing these problems and consulted with senior leadership to correct for the problem and enhance results.

SSE Executive Education has successfully utilized the Virtual Distance® Leadership Program in custom management programs for nearly five years. Dozens of worldwide organizations have sent managers through the Virtual Distance Leadership Program and have found that by reducing Virtual Distance, productivity, project success, job satisfaction and more have increased. Therefore, given these predictive and positive results coupled with an increased demand due to rising digital transformation challenges, the SSE/VDI collaboration will make SSE Executive Education the exclusive provider of VDI assessments and predictive workplace analytics solutions, in the Nordic countries.

Global companies are increasingly requesting help in training their workforces to cope with challenges derived from Virtual Distance. Anders Richtnér, CEO of SSE Executive Education champions the expansion by stating: “We’ve been getting so many positive reactions from participants in the VDI Leadership program modules during the past five years. Managers are aware of the fact that virtual distance and digital communication limits their capability to lead and manage a team, but now they are getting the understanding and the tools to overcome these challenges.”

SSE Executive Education now has three Program Directors being certified in Virtual Distance Leadership Program. The ultimate goal of the partnership is to enable the educational institution to train and involve more people from SSE Executive Education staff in Virtual Distance Predictive Workplace Analytics and Leadership. The VDI solution will be integrated into open enrollment and customized programs, scalable to meet the needs of any company or organization.

VDI Founder and CEO Dr. Karen Lojeski concludes: “At Stockholm School of Economic Executive Education, we have put hundreds of managers through Virtual Distance Leadership Programs which has increased their company’s success. By expanding our partnership, more organizations will be able to leverage the combined strength of SSE Executive Education expertise and VDI’s proven solutions to address new challenges posed by Digital and Workplace Transformation”.

For more information, please contact:

Carl Klingborg
Strategic Partnership Manager
Tel:+46 70 368 66 22
Email: carl.klingborg@exedsse.se

Anders Richtnér
CEO
Tel:+46 73 659 77 27
Email: anders.richtner@exedsse.se

About SSE Executive Education

SSE Executive Education at the Stockholm School of Economics is Northern Europe’s leading partner for executive education and is ranked number one in the Nordic region within leadership and business development according to the Financial Times. At SSE Executive Education, academic research is integrated with business. SSE Executive Education develops leaders focused on cutting-edge areas, including innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainable growth, and financial economics, as well as boosting the competitiveness of companies, organizations and the public sector through powerful transformation.

About Virtual Distance International (VDI)

Virtual Distance International (VDI) is based on the award-winning discovery of Virtual Distance by Founder and CEO, Dr. Karen Lojeski and owns the world’s only algorithms that are scientifically validated and precisely reveal where and how Virtual Distance is impacting performance and innovation. VDI pairs these integrated data, assessments, predictive analytics and reporting solutions with prescriptive action plans that once implemented, yield immediate and measurable improvements to performance and innovation. Virtual Distance is a registered trademark of Virtual Distance International. Read more about Virtual Distance International here >>