Vietstar partners with Indiana University on AI era leadership

Vietnam's Vietstar has entered into a collaboration with Indiana University in the United States to create leadership education programs centered around the AI era. The joint effort aims to bolster Vietnamese business leaders' ability to incorporate technology into management, drive organizational transformation, and boost competitiveness.

This aligns with Vietstar's broader strategy of expanding international academic partnerships and developing executive education programs that merge global management knowledge with Vietnamese businesses' practical needs.

Pham Thi Thu Hang, CEO of the Vietstar Institute of Management and Consulting, highlighted that AI is offering significant opportunities for innovation in management, production, and business operations. However, merely having access to technology is insufficient for generating business value. Leaders must be capable of identifying the right challenges, making informed investment decisions, and guiding their organizations through change.

Hang emphasized that the focus should be on developing strategic thinking, integrating AI into governance, transforming operating models, and enhancing decision-making. These skills will bolster businesses' transformation capacity and competitiveness in the AI-driven era.

The partnership's programs are tailored for CEOs, board members, business executives, and professionals managing innovation, digital transformation, and human resource development. By blending academic knowledge and international management expertise with Vietnam's specific business challenges, the programs aim to equip leaders to respond more effectively to AI-driven changes.

Hang noted that over the past two decades, Vietstar has consistently sought to provide Vietnamese leaders with learning opportunities from advanced economies, including Singapore, the United States, South Korea, and France. This international exposure should not merely involve learning about successful models in other markets; its true value lies in translating global knowledge into actionable leadership capabilities.

Engaging international experts with Vietnam's actual business challenges can inspire leaders to question established practices, enhance management skills, and develop more sustainable approaches to creating value.

Moreover, as AI assumes a more prominent role in analysis and decision-making, the human elements that bolster effective leadership are becoming increasingly crucial. Prof. David Silbersweig of Harvard Medical School, who will lead discussions for Vietnamese business leaders in the US about how the human brain and nervous system can continue to evolve and enhance their capabilities in the age of AI, focuses on cognitive neuroscience.

He emphasizes that understanding how the brain processes pressure, supports strategic decision-making, and maintains mental well-being can help business leaders adopt a more human-centered approach to management. Silbersweig stresses that the goal is not to pit human intelligence against AI but to recognize how they can complement each other.

While technology can expand analytical capacity and improve efficiency, human judgement, empathy, and resilience remain vital in navigating complex situations and making decisions that account for broader organizational and social considerations. For Vietnamese businesses, the challenge moving forward is twofold: building the technological capabilities necessary to remain competitive while developing leaders who can steer people and organizations through rapid change.

Hang from Vietstar believes that national competitiveness in the AI era will hinge on technological development alongside leaders with a global perspective, technical proficiency, and the ability to drive transformation. International education and academic partnerships can contribute to this process, provided that the acquired knowledge is applied in ways that reflect Vietnam's unique business realities, helping leaders amplify their management capabilities and adapt to AI-induced changes.