As digital disruption accelerates, the demand for innovation leaders is escalating across all industries. Focused on driving organizational performance and growth, this lab-style leadership innovation program immerses you in every stage of the process—from rethinking your strategic vision and business model to building a collaborative culture that encourages idea sharing and creativity. You will return to your company ready to turn breakthrough innovation into a competitive advantage.

This corporate innovation program is offered in cooperation with the HBS Leadership Initiative.

Summary

This corporate innovation program is offered in cooperation with the HBS Leadership Initiative.

Key Benefits

Viewing innovation as an essential leadership capability, this program goes beyond product and strategy development to examine the social processes that enable and inspire routine, company-wide innovation. You will leave with a richer understanding of what it takes to lead creative and productive teams—and empower others to collaborate and innovate each day.

DetailsExpand All Collapse All

Inspire continuous and productive innovation Inspire continuous and productive innovation

Foster a new level of peer-to-peer collaboration
Unleash the collective genius of your colleagues
Create a culture that promotes both incremental and breakthrough change
Enable all areas of your organization to innovate more boldly and consistently

Adjust your leadership approach to spark creativity Adjust your leadership approach to spark creativity

Create a supportive environment that enables people to take risks, experiment, and even learn from their failures
Empower others by modeling and encouraging behaviors that drive creative thinking and collaboration
Work effectively with peers and upper management to facilitate necessary cultural change and realize the potential of pioneering ideas

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

Inspire continuous and productive innovation

Foster a new level of peer-to-peer collaboration
Unleash the collective genius of your colleagues
Create a culture that promotes both incremental and breakthrough change
Enable all areas of your organization to innovate more boldly and consistently

Adjust your leadership approach to spark creativity

Create a supportive environment that enables people to take risks, experiment, and even learn from their failures
Empower others by modeling and encouraging behaviors that drive creative thinking and collaboration
Work effectively with peers and upper management to facilitate necessary cultural change and realize the potential of pioneering ideas

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

General managers who lead companies, business units, divisions, or other large-scale organizations, as well as executives with cross-functional responsibilities
R&D leaders as well as leaders from corporate strategy, finance, legal, human resources, marketing, manufacturing, customer service, and sales
Not appropriate for: Individual contributors or consultants

Individuals and teams are welcome to attend. Participation by multiple company representatives will foster teamwork and amplify the program's impact on your organization.

Participating Companies Have Included:

Adobe

Austrian Post

Cognex

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

L.H. Thompson Company

Marine Harvest ASA

Reebok

Unifi Inc.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Vitro Automotive

Watermark Estate Management Services

Dive Deeper into the Experience

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

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

Experience the Case Method in the Classroom

Watch participants debate the issues and present their viewpoints.

Discover more about business. And yourself.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Who Should Attend: General managers who lead companies, business units, divisions, or other large-scale organizations, as well as executives with cross-functional responsibilities

R&D leaders as well as leaders from corporate strategy, finance, legal, human resources, marketing, manufacturing, customer service, and sales

Not appropriate for: Individual contributors or consultants

Individuals and teams are welcome to attend. Participation by multiple company representatives will foster teamwork and amplify the program's impact on your organization.

Participating Companies Have Included:

Adobe

Austrian Post

Cognex

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

L.H. Thompson Company

Marine Harvest ASA

Reebok

Unifi Inc.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Vitro Automotive

Watermark Estate Management Services

Dive Deeper into the Experience

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

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

Learn More

Learn More

Experience the Case Method in the Classroom

Watch participants debate the issues and present their viewpoints.

Learn More

Learn More

Discover more about business. And yourself.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Learn More

Learn More

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, small group exercises, simulations, and case studies, you will learn how to drive innovation across every business function. This lab-style innovation program immerses you in the real-world process of exploration, experimentation, failure, and examination. You will discover new ways to surface and develop ideas—and unleash the collective genius that enables successful organizations to innovate over time.

Balancing Collaboration and Personal Reflection

While the corporate innovation program emphasizes team collaboration, you also will engage in guided self-reflection and a unique approach to peer coaching that is designed to boost your creativity and expand your innovation mindset as you continue your leadership journey.

Your Innovation Challenge

During the program, you will have the opportunity to define an innovation challenge facing your organization, present it to a small group of peers, and obtain valuable feedback that can help you develop an action plan for achieving your goals.

What You Will Learn

Balancing Collaboration and Personal Reflection

Your Innovation Challenge

Key AreasExpand All Collapse All

Understanding the realities of innovation Understanding the realities of innovation

Exploring the differences that distinguish vision, innovation, and change
Considering innovation broadly as any new idea that can help your organization succeed
Recognizing that innovation is a mandate for everyone in every function
Identifying the common practices that can stifle collaboration and innovation

Developing a leadership approach that fosters innovation Developing a leadership approach that fosters innovation

Accepting the responsibility for driving innovation
Understanding the leader's role as social architect
Becoming a change agent and advocating for change at all levels of your organization
Balancing the inherent tensions and paradoxes of leading innovation
Fulfilling three key leadership imperatives—managing yourself, your team, and your network—in ways that facilitate innovation

Building the capabilities for collective genius Building the capabilities for collective genius

Creating more opportunities for productive collaboration
Recognizing how diversity expands the range of possibilities and elicits more ideas
Growing contextual intelligence to compete and thrive in different environments
Fostering trust and a shared sense of purpose and values
Developing an effective marketplace of new ideas
Understanding and managing creative abrasion, creative agility, and creative resolution
Institutionalizing experimentation, risk-taking, and the tolerance for failure

Creating a culture of innovation in your organization Creating a culture of innovation in your organization

Designing spaces that support collaborative problem-solving
Introducing new rules of engagement
Identifying and overcoming obstacles to collaboration and innovation
Evolving decision-making processes to align with the nature of innovation
Allowing multiple ideas to be combined rather than choosing one over the other
Embracing the often messy process of collaborative innovation

Key Areas

Understanding the realities of innovation

Exploring the differences that distinguish vision, innovation, and change
Considering innovation broadly as any new idea that can help your organization succeed
Recognizing that innovation is a mandate for everyone in every function
Identifying the common practices that can stifle collaboration and innovation

Developing a leadership approach that fosters innovation

Accepting the responsibility for driving innovation
Understanding the leader's role as social architect
Becoming a change agent and advocating for change at all levels of your organization
Balancing the inherent tensions and paradoxes of leading innovation
Fulfilling three key leadership imperatives—managing yourself, your team, and your network—in ways that facilitate innovation

Building the capabilities for collective genius

Creating more opportunities for productive collaboration
Recognizing how diversity expands the range of possibilities and elicits more ideas
Growing contextual intelligence to compete and thrive in different environments
Fostering trust and a shared sense of purpose and values
Developing an effective marketplace of new ideas
Understanding and managing creative abrasion, creative agility, and creative resolution
Institutionalizing experimentation, risk-taking, and the tolerance for failure

Creating a culture of innovation in your organization

Designing spaces that support collaborative problem-solving
Introducing new rules of engagement
Identifying and overcoming obstacles to collaboration and innovation
Evolving decision-making processes to align with the nature of innovation
Allowing multiple ideas to be combined rather than choosing one over the other
Embracing the often messy process of collaborative innovation

Faculty

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 Chair

Linda A. Hill

Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration. Faculty chair of the HBS Leadership Initiative. Member of the Organizational Behavior Unit; and faculty chair of "High Potentials Leadership Program," and "Leading and Building a Culture of Innovation."

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Faculty

Ryan L. Raffaelli

Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Richard Hodgson Fellow. Member of the Organizational Behavior Unit.

Read Full Bio

Maurizio Travaglini

Founder and Managing Partner of Architects of Group Genius and Research Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Adjunct Professor of Leadership and Innovation at Ècole des Ponts ParisTech.

Read Full Bio

Faculty: 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 Chair

Linda A. Hill

Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration. Faculty chair of the HBS Leadership Initiative. Member of the Organizational Behavior Unit; and faculty chair of "High Potentials Leadership Program," and "Leading and Building a Culture of Innovation."

Read Full Bio

Faculty

Ryan L. Raffaelli

Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Richard Hodgson Fellow. Member of the Organizational Behavior Unit.

Read Full Bio

Maurizio Travaglini

Founder and Managing Partner of Architects of Group Genius and Research Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Adjunct Professor of Leadership and Innovation at Ècole des Ponts ParisTech.

Read Full Bio