Organizational Leadership from Harvard Business School Online

Module 1: Leading at Scale and Scope

Takeaways

•  Understand the "double helix" of leadership—the intertwined work of delivering on organizational responsibilities and developing yourself personally—to lead divisions, units, or organizations effectively

• Describe the key imperatives of transitioning to a new organizational leadership role and identify common dangers to avoid

Key Exercises

• Complete a self-assessment and solicit feedback from colleagues for the Learning Path Tool assessment

• Time allocation exercise: Evaluate current priorities and gauge how to reallocate them as roles and responsibilities change 

Module 2: Leader as Beacon

Takeaways

• Assess the external context in which your organization operates and its impact

• Develop a direction for your division, unit, or organization, informed by your analysis of the external context

• Apply techniques to communicate direction to every level of the organization and evaluate your effectiveness

Key Exercises

• Identify key contextual factors shaping your organization today and in the future

• Craft four elements of direction for your organization: vision, purpose, strategy, and identity

• Video upload: Record yourself communicating direction and evaluate the effectiveness of your and your peers' communication techniques 

Module 3: Leader as Architect

Takeaways

•  Assess your organization's capacity to deliver on key tasks that create value

• Diagnose and solve for challenges with organizational motivation, competence, and coordination to drive value creation

• Experiment with making the critical design choices to align the people, systems and structure, and culture in your division, unit, or organization to deliver value

Key Exercises

• Generate a three-year value creation plan for your division, unit, or organization

•  Align your organizational architecture to your three-year value creation plan

Module 4: Project Week

Takeaways

• Identify a performance or opportunity gap within your division, unit, or organization, drawing on lessons from Leader as Beacon and Leader as Architect

• Develop an action plan to address the root causes of a performance or opportunity gap

• Identify personal leadership development opportunities using feedback from the Learning Path Tool assessment

Key Exercises

• Perform a root cause analysis in partnership with others in your organization and generate an action plan to address your findings

• Networking activity (optional): Share your action plan with a peer in the course and receive feedback

• Reflect on your Learning Path Tool assessment results and identify opportunities for growth

Module 5: Leader as Catalyst   

Takeaways

• Diagnose the need for organizational change in response to external shifts or internal challenges

• Utilize the CHANGE model to implement organizational change successfully

• Appreciate how to overcome resistance to change and innovation, and describe the steps for driving innovation within established organizations

Key Exercises

• Reflect on key change initiatives within your organization and analyze their effectiveness using the CHANGE model

• Explore the value of learning from mistakes or failures to develop a culture of innovation

Module 6: Leading Self at Scale and Scope

     Takeaways

• Examine the personal and organizational challenges of leading through inflection points and adversity

• Assess your capacity to rise to new leadership responsibilities while attending to self-care and personal development

Key Exercises

• Reflect on your experiences facing uncertainty and adversity as a leader

• Reflect on what you have learned about leading organizations—and yourself—throughout the course