Your Course of Study
Leadership Best Practices comprises a series of carefully selected modules featuring landmark research on strategic leadership that builds a competitive advantage. Topics include:
Creating a Learning Organization
Innovation and continuous improvement don't happen naturally—they emerge from learning organizations. In this session, HBS professor Amy Edmondson leads a case analysis and discussion of the Chilean mining rescue to identify essential practices of learning organizations and to explore how business leaders can create teams that learn. The first step: recognizing that, unlike the static organizational units of the past, today's teams are flexible and constantly changing, requiring a continuous process of teaming. As you explore obstacles to effective teaming—such as group-think, problematic power dynamics, and information hoarding—you will develop practical strategies for learning from failure and fostering collaboration, and in turn, creating a strong learning organization.
The Ownership Quotient: Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work for Unbeatable Competitive Advantage
W. Earl Sasser, Baker Foundation Professor and author of numerous books and Harvard Business Review articles, including "Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work," explores how world-class companies are building winning strategies on their consistent ability to delight customers, employees, and shareholders. He will discuss the advantages of building ownership into your business strategy, increasing your customer ownership quotient (OQ) by putting customers to work, and shaping an ownership culture among your employees.
Leading Large Scale Change
In his recent work, A Sense of Urgency, HBS Professor Emeritus and best-selling author John P. Kotter discusses what a true sense of urgency is in an organization, why it is becoming an exceptionally important asset, and how you can create and sustain it within your organization. In his latest book, Buy-in: Saving Your Good Ideas from Getting Shot Down, he talks about one of the most challenging aspects of leading change—getting buy-in to the change vision and overcome resistance to new ideas. During this session, Kotter will walk through his fundamental eight-step framework for successful organizational transformation. He will also provide insight into how successful companies lead change and some of the potential hazards on the path to remarkable results.
Is Shared Value Lasting Value?
Several researchers have recently suggested that organizations must pursue not just value, but "shared value"—through a business model that integrates economic and social goals. During this session, HBS Professor Rebecca Henderson will discuss whether and how a focus on shared value can foster innovation, competitive advantage, and sustained growth.
Monetary Policy and the Financial Crisis
Today's business leaders need a clear understanding of monetary policy and how it has evolved since the financial crisis. In this session, HBS professor David Moss sheds light on the critical role central banks have played and how monetary strategies have diverged in the United States and Europe. Focusing on the recent financial crisis—as well as the ongoing fiscal turmoil in Europe—this session will provide you with new insight into how the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank have responded to the crisis, how these two institutions differ, and what the implications of their strategies may be going forward.
How Will You Measure Your Life?
High achievers can fall into traps that lead to unhappiness, says HBS Professor Clayton Christensen in a groundbreaking new book that examines the metrics for a life well lived. Drawing on the core theories taught in his HBS MBA course, Professor Christensen will lay out a framework for measuring one's life and answering the critical questions facing executives at all career stages: How can I be sure that I'll find satisfaction in my work? How can I be sure that my personal relationships become enduring sources of happiness? How can I avoid compromising my integrity? You will leave this session inspired to find greater meaning and happiness in your work and your life.
Body Language and Effective Leadership
While we know that nonverbal cues such as body posture affect how others think and feel about us, surprising new research shows that our postures also affect how we think and feel about ourselves—and can even alter our body chemistry. In this illuminating session, HBS faculty member Amy J. C. Cuddy discusses the implications of her groundbreaking research for leaders who want to gain confidence and mentor others. The key message? We have more control than we think. By making strategic use of power poses—body postures that exhibit competence and power—executive men and women can not only appear more competent, but can also gain real confidence, reduce stress levels, and be more effective in every interaction.
"From the program content and cases to the lectures and networking, this program exceeded my expectations. The value of the experience extends far beyond the time spent in the classroom. I came back with many new ideas on leadership and change and other topics, which I'll be sharing with the partners in my company."
Panos Manolopoulos [Vice Chairman – Regions, Managing Partner – UAE], Stanton Chase International, United Arab Emirates