The path to sustainable, profitable growth is complex, demanding, and risky. This program delves into the three key questions leaders must answer to drive growth: What is your strategic imperative for growth? How will you achieve growth? How can you maintain organizational health throughout the process? Whether your company is looking to overcome scaling challenges, evolve its corporate culture, or discover new avenues for growth, you will emerge well equipped to drive business expansion.

Summary: The path to sustainable, profitable growth is complex, demanding, and risky. This program delves into the three key questions leaders must answer to drive growth: What is your strategic imperative for growth? How will you achieve growth? How can you maintain organizational health throughout the process? Whether your company is looking to overcome scaling challenges, evolve its corporate culture, or discover new avenues for growth, you will emerge well equipped to drive business expansion.

Key Benefits

As the leader of a dynamic enterprise, you need a 360-degree view of the opportunities and challenges that your enterprise will face across each stage of business growth. This program unpacks the nature of growth as a process—including its key variables, risks, and decision points—and prepares you to manage the growth curve for your organization with greater confidence, expertise, and success.

DetailsExpand All Collapse All

Choose your organization's best approach to growth Choose your organization's best approach to growth

Identify market opportunities and the best pace of growth
Develop the right strategy for your company—scaling up or scoping out
Leverage growth to strengthen your competitive position
Avoid the common pitfalls along various paths to growth

Establish the operational and structural foundation for growth Establish the operational and structural foundation for growth

Manage and monitor the financial aspects of growth
Retain—and evolve—your corporate culture as you grow
Build the pool of talent you need to achieve your growth objectives
Ensure the right leadership and processes are in place for each stage of growth

Expand your personal and professional network Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Key Benefits

Details

Choose your organization's best approach to growth

Identify market opportunities and the best pace of growth
Develop the right strategy for your company—scaling up or scoping out
Leverage growth to strengthen your competitive position
Avoid the common pitfalls along various paths to growth

Establish the operational and structural foundation for growth

Manage and monitor the financial aspects of growth
Retain—and evolve—your corporate culture as you grow
Build the pool of talent you need to achieve your growth objectives
Ensure the right leadership and processes are in place for each stage of growth

Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Who Should Attend

Senior executives and experienced leaders tasked with driving growth in young or established midsize to large organizations, from a range of functional backgrounds such as operations, human resources, research and development, finance, and marketing
Senior executives managing a post-merger integration or heading up a new business unit
CEOs, general managers, and division heads whose responsibilities include strategy, new business acquisition, and operations management

Participating Companies Have Included:

Express-Scripts

JP Morgan

MKS Instruments

National Bank of Kuwait

NTPC Limited

Rakuten

Salesforce

Dive Deeper into the Experience

Inside the Classroom

See how exchange with faculty and peers yields new insights into critical business trends.

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Discover more about business. And yourself.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Who Should Attend: Senior executives and experienced leaders tasked with driving growth in young or established midsize to large organizations, from a range of functional backgrounds such as operations, human resources, research and development, finance, and marketing

Senior executives managing a post-merger integration or heading up a new business unit

CEOs, general managers, and division heads whose responsibilities include strategy, new business acquisition, and operations management

Participating Companies Have Included:

Express-Scripts

JP Morgan

MKS Instruments

National Bank of Kuwait

NTPC Limited

Rakuten

Salesforce

Dive Deeper into the Experience

Inside the Classroom

See how exchange with faculty and peers yields new insights into critical business trends.

Watch the Video Watch the Video

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Watch the Video Watch the Video

Discover more about business. And yourself.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Watch the Video Watch the Video

Learning and Living at HBS

When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Learning and Living at HBS: When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Admissions Criteria and Process

We admit candidates to specific sessions on a rolling, space-available basis, and encourage you to apply as early as possible. Although most programs have no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on your professional achievement and organizational responsibilities.

Admissions Criteria and Process

Answering Your Questions

Our Program Advising team can help you at any stage of the admissions process—starting with identifying the program that best addresses your learning and development goals. Contact a program advisor via email or call 1.800.427.5577 (outside the U.S., call +1.617.495.6555).

Application Submission

We recommend that you apply at least four weeks before the program start date. You may use our online form or download an application. HBS maintains all application information in strict confidentiality. We acknowledge receipt of applications via email. In the unlikely event that you do not receive an acknowledgment, please email us at exed_admissions@hbs.edu or call us at +1.617.495.6226.

Application Review

To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, our Admissions Committee makes selections that balance each participant's experience, scope of current responsibilities, and type of organization. HBS seeks candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds. We review applications monthly and will contact you via email with the Admissions Committee's decision.

Fee, Payment, and Cancellations

The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals. No payment is necessary until you have been accepted. Payment is required prior to the program start date. If you need to cancel or defer participation, you must submit your request in writing more than 30 days before the start of the program to receive a full refund. Cancellations or deferrals received 14 to 30 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of one-half of the program fee. Requests received within 14 days are subject to full payment.

What You Will Learn

Through a rich learning experience that includes faculty presentations, case studies, current research, interactive sessions, and group discussions, you will dive into the strategies critical to successful business expansion. As you examine the leadership challenges presented by growth, you will gain insight into the broad impact expansion can have on innovation, operations, corporate and business strategy, financing, culture, talent management—and your brand.

This program helps you apply the learning by giving you the opportunity to present on a specific challenge faced by your company and exchange ideas with peers similarly challenged by growth

What You Will Learn

This program helps you apply the learning by giving you the opportunity to present on a specific challenge faced by your company and exchange ideas with peers similarly challenged by growth

Key TopicsExpand All Collapse All

Crafting a successful growth strategy Crafting a successful growth strategy

Assessing the potential opportunities and risks in your current markets
Recognizing the possible impediments to growth within your organization
Evaluating opportunities in adjacent markets
Understanding and addressing the financial requirements of growth initiatives

Understanding the levers of growth Understanding the levers of growth

Scaling your business
Expanding geographically
Assessing the value of growth by acquisition
Maintaining the delicate revenue-profit balance

Managing the cultural impact of growth Managing the cultural impact of growth

Preparing your corporate culture for growth
Managing the impact of growth on your brand
Identifying which parts of the enterprise will undergo the greatest change
Recruiting and maintaining the talent needed as your company grows

Growing your leadership as the enterprise grows Growing your leadership as the enterprise grows

Ensuring your technology infrastructure stays ahead of the curve
Identifying and managing potential bottlenecks
Continuously monitoring cultural impact
Maintaining robust internal communications

Key Topics

Crafting a successful growth strategy

Assessing the potential opportunities and risks in your current markets
Recognizing the possible impediments to growth within your organization
Evaluating opportunities in adjacent markets
Understanding and addressing the financial requirements of growth initiatives

Understanding the levers of growth

Scaling your business
Expanding geographically
Assessing the value of growth by acquisition
Maintaining the delicate revenue-profit balance

Managing the cultural impact of growth

Preparing your corporate culture for growth
Managing the impact of growth on your brand
Identifying which parts of the enterprise will undergo the greatest change
Recruiting and maintaining the talent needed as your company grows

Growing your leadership as the enterprise grows

Ensuring your technology infrastructure stays ahead of the curve
Identifying and managing potential bottlenecks
Continuously monitoring cultural impact
Maintaining robust internal communications

The HBS Advantage

Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe

Faculty Cochair

Francesca Gino

Tandon Family Professor of Business Administration. Head of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Units; and faculty cochair of "Behavioral Economics: Understanding and Shaping Customer and Employee Behavior" and "Driving Profitable Growth."

Read Full Bio

Design processes that lead to sustainable and profitable growth.

Gary P. Pisano

Harry E. Figgie, Jr. Professor of Business Administration. Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development. Member of the Technology and Operations Management Unit; and faculty cochair of "Driving Profitable Growth."

Read Full Bio

Design processes that lead to sustainable and profitable growth.

Faculty

Stuart C. Gilson

Steven R. Fenster Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Finance Unit.

Read Full Bio

The HBS Advantage: Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe

Faculty Cochair

Francesca Gino

Tandon Family Professor of Business Administration. Head of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Units; and faculty cochair of "Behavioral Economics: Understanding and Shaping Customer and Employee Behavior" and "Driving Profitable Growth."

Read Full Bio
Design processes that lead to sustainable and profitable growth.
Read More

Gary P. Pisano

Harry E. Figgie, Jr. Professor of Business Administration. Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development. Member of the Technology and Operations Management Unit; and faculty cochair of "Driving Profitable Growth."

Read Full Bio
Design processes that lead to sustainable and profitable growth.
Read More

Faculty

Stuart C. Gilson

Steven R. Fenster Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Finance Unit.

Read Full Bio

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More Admissions Information

Program content, dates, fees, and faculty are subject to change. In accordance with Harvard University policy, Harvard Business School does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities.

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