This program explores a set of proven, practical, and innovative strategies for maximizing the contribution of an organization’s technical resources. It provides key insights on how to retain technical staff, integrate technical professionals into the organization, build more successful project teams, and keep teams high-performing over time.

Technical professionals' goals and incentives are often different from those of other employees, and so are the management challenges that arise. Drawing on the wealth of research and industry experience of faculty and leading practitioners, Managing Technical Professionals and Organizations explores proven, practical, and innovative strategies for maximizing the contribution of technical professionals. This intensive program focuses on the management and motivation of technical professionals in the innovative organization, and in particular:

• How creative individual contributors work together on risky projects, processing information under conditions of uncertainty;
• How to address critical problems and issues dealing with staff professionals and members of project teams, including cross-functional teams;
• How to work effectively with prima donnas and independent spirits.

The Learning Experience
Organizations that are designed and managed for doing the same things well repetitively, as in manufacturing and operations, are not particularly appropriate for doing something well once, as in R&D. Running a technical organization presents a unique set of management problems. How do you motivate and reward technical professionals to maximize their performance and creativity? How do you create an organizational structure that will contribute to success, not inhibit it? How do you deal with creative individual contributors, project teams, and innovative professionals? How do you build and sustain high motivation and vitality while preventing complacency? How do you utilize "marshaling" events for building more collaborative, innovative activities? And how do you move information and technology effectively across organizational structures?

This unique two-day program focuses on issues critical to the effective management of technical professionals and cross-functional teams. Its principles and strategies can be applied in any organization where research, development, engineering, or computer-related technology developments need to take place in a timely, effective, and successful manner.

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As organizations move away from a “command and control” model to a more “cultivate and coordinate” model, executives can no longer rely on old ways of thinking about leadership strategies. This course introduces participants to a powerful framework developed at MIT to help leaders at every level drive innovation, maximize team performance, and succeed in today’s complex world of fast-paced, dramatic change.

This program is built around MIT's unique Distributed Leadership Model―an innovative and impactful approach to executive leadership that lies at the core of leadership development at MIT, and the result of an intensive, four-year research project at the MIT Leadership Center to identify more effective strategies for leading in a networked economy. Tested in diverse, real-world settings, the model allows managers to succeed as leaders by being flexible and adaptive in new and unexpected ways through the application of the 4-Cap+ Leadership Framework. This framework makes it possible to harness, align, and leverage the leadership capabilities that exist throughout an organization.

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In Mastering Negotiation and Influence, you will learn negotiation strategies to understand, plan, and achieve your objectives in a variety of contexts. What separates this program from others is that you will engage in live negotiations and receive feedback in real time. Beyond learning the frameworks and skills associated with negotiating, you will practice putting these new skills into action.

Have you noticed that nearly everything in life requires compromise and thus requires some degree of negotiation to get more of what you want and less of what you don’t want?

Negotiation is a vital skill for professionals across every job function, whether it applies to partners, vendors, colleagues, employees, or recruits. Successful negotiation requires self-awareness, preparation, and practice.

MIT aims to produce principled, innovative leaders who improve the world. To make a difference, you must first be able to influence people. By understanding how to negotiate effectively, you can gain a competitive advantage, achieve business objectives, and effect change. In fact, having the ability to negotiate successfully is an increasingly important skill. Monthly active job postings for negotiation skills increased by 43% from 2018 to 2019, according to labor market firm, Emsi.

In Mastering Negotiation and Influence, you will learn negotiation strategies to understand, plan, and achieve your objectives in a variety of contexts. What separates this program from others is that you will engage in live negotiations and receive feedback in real time. Beyond learning the frameworks and skills associated with negotiating, you will practice putting these new skills into action.

This course is based on our popular in-person offering, Negotiation for Executives.
 

This online course uses research and practice-based methods to improve your communication skills in a variety of contexts. Specifically, it’s built around the RELATE framework, developed at the MIT Sloan School of Management to support a scalable communication strategy. This dynamic approach will guide you in connecting and communicating with different audiences to achieve effective business practices.

In a world where digital transformation is rapidly changing businesses and how you communicate in the workplace, effective communication is becoming an increasingly important skill. Moreover, it plays an essential role in maintaining interpersonal relationships in the corporate context and navigating complexities that may arise due to the adoption of new technology. This course uses research and practice-based methods to improve your communication skills in a variety of contexts. Specifically, it’s built around the RELATE framework, developed at the MIT Sloan School of Management to support a scalable communication strategy.

You’ll learn a range of communication techniques including active listening and humble inquiry, and prepare for the challenges that arise when communicating with larger and more complex audiences. Using a blend of research and practice, this course offers you the opportunity to apply your knowledge to real-world situations by means of practical applications. You’ll refine your personal leadership narrative, explore cross-cultural communication, and outline methods for managing difficult conversations.

Taking into account the increase of technologies such as AI in the workplace, the course covers how to best communicate with — and through — machines. This includes developing an understanding of the use of algorithms in a business context as well as robots as a communication channel to maximize social media reach. You’ll also gain the comfort and confidence to discuss the use of AI in your organization.

Learn more about the GetSmarter course experience.

Learn more about GetSmarter technical requirements.

Digitization is revolutionizing marketing strategy. From tablets and big data to new customer monitoring tools and the global emergence of social networking, recent technology has revolutionized the modes of communication through which businesses and brands engage with consumers. This course is designed to help executives understand the new rules of marketing in the digital age, covering a range of topics that include search marketing, social network marketing and analytics, predictive modeling, mobile advertising and commerce, CRM strategy, and digital advertising.

New digital technologies have fundamentally reshaped marketing theory and practice the last decade alone. Technology has changed the modes of communication through which firms engage with consumers. Moore's law has made the storage and analysis of consumer data scalable, creating opportunities for fine-grained behavioral analytics. New monitoring tools have fostered precise and personalized customer relationship management practices. The rise of mobile phones and tablets has enabled location based messaging and reciprocal communication. The ubiquity of video content has promulgated rich, native advertising programs. The global emergence of social networking has enabled networked based predictive modeling and new forms of targeting and referral strategies based on the preferences of consumers' peers. And finally, new social media have brought all of this onto the public stage, with word-of-mouth conversations driving brand awareness and brand loyalty, and user-generated content on review and ratings sites making or breaking demand for products or services.

This two-day course provides a detailed, applied perspective on the theory and practice of digital marketing and social media analytics in the 21st century. We will cover concepts such as the difference between earned and paid media, predictive modeling for ad targeting and customer relationship management, measuring and managing product virality, viral product design, native advertising, and engaging the multichannel experience. Throughout the course we will specifically stress the theory and practice of randomized experimentation, AB testing and the importance of causal inference for marketing strategy.

Topics covered in this course include:

• Search marketing
• Social network marketing
• Social media analytics
• User generated content management and marketing
• Mobile advertising and commerce
• CRM strategy in the age of big data and digital advertising
• Earned vs paid media
• Predictive modeling for ad targeting
• Viral product design
• The multichannel experience
• Randomized experimentation
• A/B testing

Learn more about the live online experience. 

Disruptive technologies are fueling digital transformation at unprecedented levels, demanding us to rethink our roles and tasks, adopt new responsibilities, and manage the range of emotions that result from all the above. Navigating the transitions sparked by digitally-driven change requires deep awareness—of ourselves and others. This new program leverages leadership assessments and group coaching to provide leaders with insights, tools, and frameworks for navigating the human side of these transitions.

Please note: The application deadline for this course is 7 days prior to course start.

Digitally driven change is upending the way we live and work and posing an increasing number of challenges for business leaders, who must manage a waterfall of decisions around hiring, training, resource allocation, and investments in technologies while continuing to lead their companies to success. Entire teams may be asked to transform their skills and ways of working as a result. How can we help ourselves and others to respond nimbly to change and be better prepared for the next disruption? And what is required to shift successfully from fragility to agility and thrive in this new world of work?

Led by Hal Gregersen and Roger Lehman and conducted live online, this innovative new program emphasizes the creative intelligence and soft skills required of leaders when change happens. The course provides a transition toolkit to draw on as well as a structured process for containing, metabolizing, and addressing disruptive transitions, tackling the question, how do we recognize and successfully navigate transitions when change happens?

Course faculty also include Vivienne Ming, founder and executive chair at Socos Labs, and Rana el Kaliouby, co-founder and CEO of Affectiva, who will explore in depth the human side of digital transitions.

Participants will be asked to complete leadership assessments (for use in a group coaching day) and submit a summary of the key transition challenges they are facing as a result of digital disruption and transformation prior to the start of the program.

Learn more about the live online experience. 

If you are seeking deeper self-awareness and a clearer understanding of your leadership capabilities, we invite you to consider Extended Executive Coaching at MIT Sloan Executive Education.

The face of management is changing. Organizations are becoming less hierarchical in favor of collaborative and distributed leadership cultures. The old model of “command and control” no longer fits. Today’s leaders must be agile, innovative, and able to adopt ideas from all levels of the organization. They must also know their strengths and understand their weaknesses; only leaders who accept themselves as incomplete are able to compensate for their missing skills by relying on others. Capable of cultivating and coordinating across their organization, these self-aware leaders are committed to continuous improvement—of themselves and of others.

True to MIT’s “Mind and Hand” motto, our approach to individualized development combines executive coaching sessions with a leadership assessment tool based on MIT research and frameworks. You have four to five months to take the assessment and schedule the coaching sessions. The coaching package includes:

• The x360 Leadership Development Survey, which includes observer feedback and a personal assessment of leadership capabilities to help you understand your current impact
• Three private 90-minute coaching sessions with world-class MIT Sloan executive coaches
• Supplemental digital content that explains MIT’s 4-CAPS+ Leadership Framework, which defines the key capabilities of effective leaders

In your first private coaching session, you’ll understand and process your x360 with your coach (90 minutes) and set leadership development goals. In the following session, you’ll work with your coach to explore experiments for taking action and practicing new approaches (90 minutes). In your final session, you will report back on your experiments and process what you have learned (90minutes). These coaching sessions will help you make a greater impact by deepening your understanding of your unique leadership strengths as well as equipping you with the tools to empower and coach others.

Space will be limited in this new offering.  Email us if you have any questions.

When you add to cart it will display available dates for Executive Coaching.

Note: We also offer Executive Coaching that includes a x360 Leadership Development Survey, assessment, and a single 90-minute one-on-one coaching session. This option is also offered as a complement to the short course Transforming Your Leadership Strategy, taught by MIT Sloan Professor Deborah Ancona.

If you are seeking deeper self-awareness and a clearer understanding of your leadership capabilities, we invite you to consider Executive Coaching at MIT Sloan Executive Education.

The face of management is changing. Organizations are becoming less hierarchical in favor of collaborative and distributed leadership cultures. The old model of “command and control” no longer fits. Today’s leaders must be agile, innovative, and able to adopt ideas from all levels of the organization. They must also know their strengths and understand their weaknesses; only leaders who accept themselves as incomplete are able to compensate for their missing skills by relying on others. Capable of cultivating and coordinating across their organization, these self-aware leaders are committed to continuous improvement—of themselves and of others.

True to MIT’s “Mind and Hand” motto, our approach to individualized development combines an executive coaching session with a leadership assessment tool based on MIT research and frameworks. You have up to three months to take the assessment and schedule the coaching session. This coaching package includes:

• The x360 Leadership Development Survey, which includes observer feedback and a personal assessment of leadership capabilities to help you understand your current impact
• One 90-minute private coaching session with a world-class MIT Sloan executive coach to review your x360 with your coach and set leadership development goals
• Supplemental digital content that explains MIT’s 4-CAPS+ Leadership Framework, which defines the key capabilities of effective leaders

Space will be limited in this new offering.  Email us if you have any questions.

When you add to cart it will display available dates for Executive Coaching.

Note: If you would like additional coaching sessions, you may be intersted in Extended Executive Coaching.

This online program from the MIT Sloan School of Management and the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) challenges common misconceptions surrounding AI and will equip and encourage you to embrace AI as part of a transformative toolkit. With a focus on the organizational and managerial implications of these technologies, rather than on their technical aspects, you’ll leave this course armed with the knowledge and confidence you need to pioneer its successful integration in business.

What is artificial intelligence (AI)? What does it mean for business? And how can your company take advantage of it? This online program, designed by the MIT Sloan School of Management and the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), will help you answer these questions.

Through an engaging mix of introductions to key technologies, business insights, case examples, and your own business-focused project, your learning journey will bring into sharp focus the reality of central AI technologies today and how they can be harnessed to support your business needs.

Focusing on key AI technologies, such as machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics, the course will help you understand the implications of these new technologies for business strategy, as well as the economic and societal issues they raise. MIT expert instructors examine how artificial intelligence will complement and strengthen our workforce rather than just eliminate jobs. Additionally, the program will emphasize how the collective intelligence of people and computers together can solve business problems that not long ago were considered impossible.

Learn more about the GetSmarter course experience.

Learn more about GetSmarter technical requirements.
 

The goal of business analytics is to determine which datasets are useful and how they can be leveraged to solve problems and increase efficiency, productivity, and revenue. In this non-technical online program, you will learn a practical framework that will enable you to use data to improve decision-making.

The abundance of data creates opportunities for business leaders to make better decisions. The challenge is that interpreting data from multiple sources isn’t common knowledge for most business professionals. How do we know which algorithm to use? How do we know when to apply your human judgement into the decision mix? What are some of the most practical applications of artificial intelligence?

Business analytics skills are a requirement across a variety of job functions and are in high demand from employers. In fact, job postings for this skill set has increased by 130 per-cent from September 2016 to the present. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects growth for business analytics skills to jump 10.9 percent, outpacing the national growth average of 5.2 percent for all jobs, from 2018 to 2028.

In the non-technical Applied Business Analytics program, you will learn a practical framework that will enable you to use data to improve decision-making. The only prerequisite is high-school level math and basic statistics.

Upon completion of Applied Business Analytics, you will know which analytics approach is the most appropriate for your situation, and more importantly, how to tackle big data and leverage it for better business outcomes.

In this program, you will learn to:

• Recognize the breadth of analytic applications
• Describe common algorithms, their appropriate applications across domains, and their limitations
• Discuss how to use analytics problem solving to lead teams and design deliverables
• Apply best practices for data analytics process management, including establishing workflows, identifying inter-dependencies, and recognizing when to utilize human judgement

This course presents innovative strategies and best practices for improving supply chain performance. It introduces a unique MIT framework, using the concept of technology clockspeed, for strategically managing and optimizing supply chains. Participants gain a deeper understanding of supply chain integration, technology sourcing, make-buy decisions, strategic partnering and outsourcing, and IT and decision-support systems.

Led by world experts, this practice-oriented supply chain management course investigates a robust MIT framework for better managing supply chains in today's rapidly changing markets. Participants will explore:

• The next big trend in supply chain strategy, and the key skills required to be successful
• How to better structure a company's supply-chain strategy
• Guidelines for making strategic sourcing and make-buy decisions
• How to integrate e-business thinking into supply chain strategy and management
• How to blend recent developments in information systems and communication technology with sophisticated decision support systems and create a comprehensive strategy for manufacturing and logistics
• "Clockspeed benchmarking,” a tool for deriving critical business insights and management lessons from industries with the highest obsolescence rates of products, process technologies, and organizational structures (industrial "fruit flies")
• How to assimilate sustainability into your supply chain strategy
• Why all advantages in fast clockspeed environments are temporary

Many participants attend this program along with Developing a Leading Edge Operations Strategy.

Learn more about the live online experience. 

The term "Industry 4.0" refers to the combination of several major innovations in digital technology that are poised to transform the energy and manufacturing sectors. From advanced robotics and machine learning to software-as-a-service and the Industrial Internet of Things, these changes enable a powerful new way of organizing global operations. But how should executives lead this change within their own organizations so as to not negatively impact production, customer satisfaction, and corporate culture?

Implementing Industry 4.0: Leading Change in Manufacturing & Operations is a new program designed to help executives implement large scale technological change. Topics discussed include:

• New business models and forms of operations that are currently being enabled by technological innovations such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
• The "hidden factory" that results from a counterproductive and unpredictable mix of old and new technologies. Over time, this results in an unknown "process" that delivers defect-laden products behind schedule.
• The importance of decoding cultural and workforce factors prior to making an investment in new technologies
• The overemphasis on visioning at the expense of fully understanding existing systems, the context in which those systems are operating, and the people who must use the technology
• Ways to increase a factory’s "IQ," leading to more productive and safer operations
• The role of the front-line leader in the adoption and successful execution of the new technology

* This course is not focused on the features or selection of specific Industrial Internet of Things/IIoT technology products or services. Instead, it is intended to help senior leaders in manufacturing and operations who are deploying Industrial Internet of Things technologies to obtain greater value from their businesses by diagnosing the states of their systems, measuring activities appropriately, and overcoming cultural obstacles to deployment of productive technologies.

Learn more about the live online experience.