In the fight for market leadership, your company must be able to build a winning strategy—and execute it seamlessly across multiple business lines. This program prepares you to identify and exploit sources of competitive advantage and implement game-changing action plans. You will develop the analytical skills and leadership vision to forecast industry trends, outmaneuver the competition, and sustain corporate success as the global economy evolves.

This program is eligible for the Certificate of Management Excellence. Learn More

Summary

This program is eligible for the Certificate of Management Excellence. Learn More

Key Benefits

This program takes a deep dive into the strategy development and execution process—from competitive positioning, competitor analyses, and strategic agility to corporate strategy, sustainability, and innovation and implementation. You will emerge with a framework for capturing market opportunities, determining the moves of industry competitors, and harnessing your firm's resources to build and secure a strategic competitive advantage.

DetailsExpand All Collapse All

Design and evolve more effective strategies Design and evolve more effective strategies

Understand sources of advantage in your industry and geography
Distinguish between short-run gains and lasting competitive advantage
Adapt your strategy to global market shifts

Transform ideas into successful action plans Transform ideas into successful action plans

Analyze strategic trade-offs as you identify the resources and organizational changes needed to execute your strategy
Transform a single, focused business into a multibusiness company
Execute and coordinate strategy across multiple lines of business and global markets

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

Design and evolve more effective strategies

Understand sources of advantage in your industry and geography
Distinguish between short-run gains and lasting competitive advantage
Adapt your strategy to global market shifts

Transform ideas into successful action plans

Analyze strategic trade-offs as you identify the resources and organizational changes needed to execute your strategy
Transform a single, focused business into a multibusiness company
Execute and coordinate strategy across multiple lines of business and global markets

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

This program is appropriate for senior executives who are responsible for developing and implementing competitive strategy for a company or business unit, such as:

Chief executive officer, chief operating officer, divisional president, and vice president
Chief financial officer, chief innovation officer, and chief strategy officer
Managing director, general manager, and director

Attendance by multiple company representatives will foster teamwork and amplify the program's impact.

Participating Companies Have Included:

Airbus

GlaxoSmithKline

Heineken

Jimmy Choo

Johnson & Johnson

Maersk Drilling A/S

Manchester Airports Group

Mitsubishi

Powdr Corporation

SAP SE

Sappi

Sun Hung Kai Properties

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: This program is appropriate for senior executives who are responsible for developing and implementing competitive strategy for a company or business unit, such as:

Chief executive officer, chief operating officer, divisional president, and vice president

Chief financial officer, chief innovation officer, and chief strategy officer

Managing director, general manager, and director

Attendance by multiple company representatives will foster teamwork and amplify the program's impact.

Participating Companies Have Included:

Airbus

GlaxoSmithKline

Heineken

Jimmy Choo

Johnson & Johnson

Maersk Drilling A/S

Manchester Airports Group

Mitsubishi

Powdr Corporation

SAP SE

Sappi

Sun Hung Kai Properties

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

Focused on the economics of gaining and holding competitive advantage, this program features faculty presentations, small group discussions, and global case studies that analyze why some strategic decisions fail and others succeed. You will delve into the best practices of senior leaders who enabled their firms to spot and exploit new opportunities, gather and organize the right resources, and expand in volatile global markets.

What You Will Learn: Focused on the economics of gaining and holding competitive advantage, this program features faculty presentations, small group discussions, and global case studies that analyze why some strategic decisions fail and others succeed. You will delve into the best practices of senior leaders who enabled their firms to spot and exploit new opportunities, gather and organize the right resources, and expand in volatile global markets.

Key AreasExpand All Collapse All

Competitive positioning Competitive positioning

Identifying sources of competitive advantage
Choosing between potential sources of advantage
Aligning resources, activities, and organizational goals

Competitor analyses Competitor analyses

Analyzing competitor goals, assumptions, capabilities, and strategies
Predicting the likely behavior of competitors

Strategic agility Strategic agility

Developing agility in the face of strategic uncertainty
Exploring the flexible commitment of competitively superior resources

Corporate strategy Corporate strategy

Creating value in the multibusiness enterprise
Formulating and analyzing merger-and-acquisition policy
Managing talent as a source of competitive advantage

Sustainability Sustainability

Recognizing the sustainability of competitive advantage
Understanding the private and social value of sustainability

Innovation and implementation Innovation and implementation

Implementing strategies effectively
Evaluating strategic sources of innovation

Key Areas

Competitive positioning

Identifying sources of competitive advantage
Choosing between potential sources of advantage
Aligning resources, activities, and organizational goals

Competitor analyses

Analyzing competitor goals, assumptions, capabilities, and strategies
Predicting the likely behavior of competitors

Strategic agility

Developing agility in the face of strategic uncertainty
Exploring the flexible commitment of competitively superior resources

Corporate strategy

Creating value in the multibusiness enterprise
Formulating and analyzing merger-and-acquisition policy
Managing talent as a source of competitive advantage

Sustainability

Recognizing the sustainability of competitive advantage
Understanding the private and social value of sustainability

Innovation and implementation

Implementing strategies effectively
Evaluating strategic sources of innovation

Implementation Exercises

To help you move from strategy to implementation, the program includes a session on how different strategic choices can impact your use of time. Another session will provide a blueprint for strategic implementation to help you apply the lessons learned to your own company. You will gain insight into how your organization can best allocate resources to promote sustainable growth and profitability.

Please note: The entire program is conducted with strict confidentiality. Any information on your company shared during program discussions is treated as completely private, and all feedback is considered proprietary to the companies involved.

Implementation Exercises

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 Chair

Raffaella Sadun

Thomas S. Murphy Associate Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit; and faculty chair of "Strategy: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage."

Read Full Bio

Strengthen your organizational strategy with a novel framework.

Faculty

Juan Alcacer

James J. Hill Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit; and faculty cochair of "Global Strategic Management."

Read Full Bio

Bharat N. Anand

Henry R. Byers Professor of Business Administration. Senior Associate Dean, Harvard Business School Online; and member of the Strategy Unit.

Read Full Bio

David J. Collis

Thomas Henry Carroll Ford Foundation Adjunct Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit; faculty chair of "Corporate Level Strategy" and faculty cochair of "Global Strategic Management."

Read Full Bio

Ashish Nanda

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit.

Read Full Bio

Jan W. Rivkin

Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA Program. C. Roland Christensen Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit.

Read Full Bio

Andy Wu

Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit.

Read Full Bio

David B. Yoffie

Max and Doris Starr Professor of International Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit and faculty chair of "Competing in the Age of Digital Platforms."

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 Chair

Raffaella Sadun

Thomas S. Murphy Associate Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit; and faculty chair of "Strategy: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage."

Read Full Bio
Strengthen your organizational strategy with a novel framework.
Read More

Faculty

Juan Alcacer

James J. Hill Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit; and faculty cochair of "Global Strategic Management."

Read Full Bio

Bharat N. Anand

Henry R. Byers Professor of Business Administration. Senior Associate Dean, Harvard Business School Online; and member of the Strategy Unit.

Read Full Bio

David J. Collis

Thomas Henry Carroll Ford Foundation Adjunct Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit; faculty chair of "Corporate Level Strategy" and faculty cochair of "Global Strategic Management."

Read Full Bio

Ashish Nanda

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit.

Read Full Bio

Jan W. Rivkin

Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA Program. C. Roland Christensen Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit.

Read Full Bio

Andy Wu

Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit.

Read Full Bio

David B. Yoffie

Max and Doris Starr Professor of International Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit and faculty chair of "Competing in the Age of Digital Platforms."

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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Email: executive_education@hbs.edu

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Program Advising team

Email: executive_education@hbs.edu

Identify the Right Program for You

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Strategy: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage

"I learned that it's important to stop and refocus on what's going to drive the core business."

"I learned that it's important to stop and refocus on what's going to drive the core business."

Summary

Summary

DetailsExpand AllCollapse All

Design and evolve more effective strategiesDesign and evolve more effective strategies Dropdown down

Transform ideas into successful action plansTransform ideas into successful action plans Dropdown down

Expand your personal and professional networkExpand your personal and professional network Dropdown down

Design and evolve more effective strategies

Transform ideas into successful action plans

Expand your personal and professional network

Who Should Attend

Who Should Attend

Learning and Living at HBS

Learning and Living at HBS