Cristine Cole, a managing director at global professional services firm Accenture for the last 20 years, has always made continuing education a key part of her impressive career. From the time she started working in technology at Verizon and as a consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers to her current position at Accenture (where she serves as a client account lead focusing on technology strategy and implementation), she has consistently sought out learning opportunities that are sure to keep her apprised of the latest industry developments. However, after taking an array of in-house training courses and securing a number of industry certifications over the years, she was looking for something that would introduce her to new ways of thinking about business and technology transformations.
“I noticed that Accenture has a strong partnership with MIT,” Cole says. In fact, MIT and Accenture have partnered for more than 15 years to establish educational programming and training in technology advancement and data analysis. The two organizations have joined forces often to create a variety of programs and collaborate on significant research initiatives. What’s more, a number of Accenture employees have participated in MIT Sloan Executive Education. This led Cole to consider her options with the highly reputable institution, which, she says, “offered something that was outside of the typical trainings that I have done in the past. It had a really interesting model, and I thought it would allow me to amplify my own experience in areas that were newer to me.”
Entering New Territory
Initially, Cole looked at the course offerings that are part of the Executive Certificate in Technology and Operations. However, she stopped herself and decided to turn her attention in a different direction.
“I have worked in technology and program management for the last several years. I wanted to focus on other aspects of technology,” she explains. “I wanted to focus more on the strategic elements of the work that I do. Strategy and innovation is not something for which I have a lot of training, yet it has become a critical part of my role. I wanted to expand my experience around strategy and strategic thinking.”
Therefore, in June of 2020, she took the first course that would lead to her Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation. The in-person version of Developing and Managing a Successful Technology Strategy was supposed to take place on the Cambridge campus in March of last year, and Cole was excited to travel to Massachusetts from Virginia for the face-to-face experience. However, the COVID pandemic put a halt to everyone’s plans. Fortunately, MIT Sloan adjusted and offered a live online version of the course only two months later in June. “It was really well orchestrated,” she notes. “A broad range of executives were part of the session, and we were still able to have breakout sessions that were just really seamless. We had executives from the private sector, the commercial arena, nonprofit organizations, and federal agencies. I was able to really engage with these leaders across multiple industries and see how some of the methods and technologies we were discussing are applicable. It was the diversity of experience that I was really seeking.”
"I felt like I could bring to my organization a broader and more strategic perspective. That’s really powerful."
Additionally, the knowledge afforded to the course participants made a significant impact on Cole. “I felt equipped with a broader understanding of strategic concepts and leadership approaches, as well as the technical perspectives that were directly relevant to some of the current business and technology challenges that I was encountering,” she observes.
Getting It Done
Cole managed to complete all four courses required to earn her Executive Certificate in June and July of 2020. She carved out a solid week during each month to take two courses, allowing her to immerse herself fully in the learning experience with a small break in between her chosen course selections. The strategy was helpful, as it allowed her to feel productive during the lockdowns by giving her a chance to build upon her newfound knowledge as she rather quickly checked classes off her list. By the end of July, she added Implementing Enterprise-Wide Transformation, Platform Strategy: Building and Thriving in a Vibrant Ecosystem, and Marketing Innovation to her repertoire and completed her certificate.
“I was really interested in these topics, and to get through them with such a positive experience was a great benefit to me personally,” Cole says. “I felt like I could bring to my organization a broader and more strategic perspective. That’s really powerful.”
Over the last year, Cole has seen substantial results from the insights she collected during her four live online courses. “A lot of what I do is around business and technology transformation, and the courses I chose were highly focused on that. They provided very foundational concepts that are relevant and applicable across different challenges and programs,” she says. “I was able to look at what the important facets of a technology strategy are and be thoughtful about implementing them. As I’ve worked on different programs and enterprise-wide transformations for my clients, I’ve been able to take a step back, think about the concepts I learned, and use the frameworks that are most relevant to each situation. I’ve been able to expand my tool set in terms of having a more strategic mindset in this space.”
Learn more about MIT Sloan Executive Certificates.