Corporate Functions

Overview

Corporate functional roles within an organization represent processes or operations that are performed routinely to carry out a part of the organization’s mission. They are not specific to a particular industry, but rather are an essential component of organizations across all industries. Professionals working in corporate functions have a wide range of roles, including human resources, operations, sales and business development, supply chain and logistics, product development, and general management.

Oftentimes, individuals interested in corporate functions will take part in Leadership Development Programs (LDPs) which are structured, on-the-job, professional development programs that provide specialized training and executive mentorship to rising executives, nurturing new leaders within and across corporate functions. These can be excellent experiences for those interested in exploring several areas of interest before deciding on a functional specialization.

Key Competencies

Critical Thinking

• Understand dynamic personal situations

• Understand the implication of one’s actions

• Analysis and resolution of conflict

• Ability to understand integrative and distributive negotiation situations

• Conflict resolution

Communication & Leadership

• Effective, yet considerate communication of complex ideas

• Show effective leadership through defense of own ideas as well as empathy for others

• Accept different ideas and points of view and integrate them into a larger message

• Able to build consensus and buy-in among others

Technical

• Spreadsheet analysis

• Internet research resources (e.g., Lexis-Nexus)

• Database management

• Utilization of human resources software

• Integrating information systems into existing business practices