Cynthia Montgomery is the Timken Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and teaches in the Strategy Unit. As Faculty Chair of the Advanced Management Program, Montgomery shares how the program continues to evolve, as well as how participants are able to relate the learnings of the program to their own businesses and careers.
How would you summarize the purpose and value of the Advanced Management Program (AMP)?
We designed AMP to give senior leaders the time and space to explore the latest tools, frameworks, and research on relevant topics that are critical to business success, from leading organizational change and digital transformation to addressing complex environmental, social, and governance challenges.
Over the course of several weeks, senior executives in AMP continue to expand their leadership skills and their ability to make decisions that will have a direct impact not only on their organizations and teams, but also on society more broadly.
AMP is also structured to boost personal confidence and professional growth. Senior executives have the rare opportunity to step back and assess their strengths and weaknesses, see how their leadership styles and strategies are perceived by the AMP cohort, and expand their network of global leaders.
As the new faculty chair of AMP, what excites you most about the program?
AMPers, faculty, executive coaches, and the full AMP team have fearlessly leaned into the program and the spirit of innovation is high. Collectively, we've created capabilities that enable us to do things that previously weren’t possible, and the motivation—and opportunities—to do so have never been more abundant. While remaining true to the essence of AMP, and the program's historic strengths, we will be opening new vistas and adding value in ways we never before imagined.
To that end, we also want to expand the enrollment of women and other underrepresented minorities in the program. Diversity on so many dimensions—business sector, functional role, geography, religion, life experiences—has had such a positive impact on the program, and evolving formats have made it easier to reach people around the globe. Now is the time!
Looking ahead, how do you plan to evolve the program?
Building on my experience with design thinking, I will be looking for opportunities to push out the frontier on world-class business education for senior leaders. This will likely involve adding additional faculty working on important emerging topics and exploring new ways to create meaningful experiences for the AMP community, both on and off campus.
In addition to classwork, AMPers work on “bespoke” personal cases related to their own businesses and careers. The personal case is designed to facilitate the process of "taking AMP home".
During the personal case, participants work with their learning groups, various faculty members, and executive coaches who all act as sounding boards and offer critical feedback. The personal case is a catalyst for deepening relationships and building community in the process. Going forward, we will continue to embrace this part of the program, shaping it to the time frames and structure of each AMP cohort.
How do you help participants apply their learnings to their current business challenges?
AMP provides a unique opportunity to address an important issue head-on. All participants choose one significant challenge as the topic of their personal case. Consulting with their executive coach, their living group, and AMP faculty, they settle on the problem they most want to investigate. This could be a strategic or financial issue facing their company or a challenge related to their personal leadership.
Throughout the program, they apply the frameworks, content, and learnings to their challenge. The personal case process allows participants to not only think deeply, but also get feedback from faculty and cohort peers—senior executives from around the world and across multiple industries.
What advice do you have for alumni of the program?
Orthopedists warn about the risks of spinal cords that become rigid. The same applies to organizations and leaders. Nurture flexibility in yourself, in your team, and in your strategy. It's vital to reinvent at every level—and to keep learning and adapting as the business climate shifts.