Business strategy is the bridge between your business’s goals and success. Yet, a strategy is only as strong as the skills of those who formulate and execute it.
Whether launching your own venture, leading teams, or preparing to enter the business world, developing a strategic mindset is crucial for success.
Harvard Business School Online offers seven certificate and credential programs to help you gain critical strategic skills: Economics for Managers, Global Business, Business Strategy, Disruptive Strategy, Sustainable Business Strategy, Strategy Execution, and the Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB). Here’s an introduction to each so you can decide which best fits your goals.
Free E-Book: How to Formulate a Successful Business Strategy
Access your free e-book today.
DOWNLOAD NOWWhich Strategy Course Is Right for You?
If You Want to Learn Foundational Concepts and Develop a Strategic Mindset
Economics for Managers is an eight-week course that will enable you to drive strategic business decisions. HBS Professor Bharat Anand will teach you about pricing strategy, relative cost analysis, demand creation, and how to identify a competitive advantage in the market so you can build an effective strategy for your organization.
This course is right for you if you aim to gain a foundational understanding of economics and apply it to strategy formulation.
If you’re interested in the dynamics that shape international business strategies, explore Global Business. This four-week course, taught by HBS Professor Forest Reinhardt, will equip you with a fundamental knowledge of macroeconomics to compare business decisions’ impact across geographic locations.
You’ll also learn how to assess the potential impact of social and political indicators, interest rates, inflation, and trade, and how to use frameworks to craft strategies in a global business environment.
Business Strategy is the right fit if you’re searching for a simplified, framework-based approach to strategy. Over seven weeks, HBS Professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee will teach you how to use the value stick framework to assess business opportunities and craft effective strategies through the lens of value creation. This course will also delve into how to compete in a saturated market by creating value for customers, employees, and suppliers and how to implement strategies for sustained success.
Related: 4 Ways to Develop Your Strategic Thinking Skills
If You Want to Anticipate What’s on the Horizon to Shape Strategy
One aspect of creating and implementing strong strategies is anticipating what’s to come and communicating its importance to your organization. HBS Online offers two courses that cater directly to these skills.
Disruptive Strategy is a six-week course taught by HBS professors Rory McDonald and Clayton Christensen that outlines Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation, jobs to be done, and techniques for executive-level strategy formulation.
After taking this course, you’ll feel comfortable assessing your industry for disruptive threats and opportunities and crafting strategies while maintaining a disruptive scope.
Sustainable Business Strategy also enables you to assess what’s on the horizon, specifically regarding your organization's impact on society. This three-week course, taught by HBS Professor Rebecca Henderson, will equip you with the tools and skills to develop a business strategy guided by purpose.
You’ll learn to articulate the financial value of corporate social responsibility to key stakeholders, determine how your organization can be a catalyst for system-level change, and craft a personal plan for how to become a purpose-driven leader.
Related: Making the Business Case for Sustainability
If You Want to Lead Strategic Decision-Making and Implementation
In addition to suiting those who want to build foundational skills and anticipate disruption, Business Strategy and Disruptive Strategy offer insights for implementing strategies and making decisions.
Business Strategy will equip you with the tools to transition from strategy formulation to execution and prioritize initiatives, while Disruptive Strategy will explain the difference between deliberate and emergent strategies and how to lead your team to innovate.
Finally, if you’re searching for a course that dives deep into the final step of the strategy process, Strategy Execution is right for you. This eight-week course, taught by HBS Professor Robert Simons, is a fit for mid-level and aspiring managers who want to gain the skills to measure, track, and evaluate strategic initiatives’ effectiveness and create environments conducive to success.
If You Want to Grow as a Strategic, Forward-Thinking Business Leader
If you’re a new or experienced leader who’s ready to ignite your career with vital business skills, self reflection, and a diverse global network, consider enrolling in HBS Online’s Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB).
Combining strategy, leadership, finance, and skills for the cutting-edge professional, CLIMB can help you:
- Practice effective teamwork and implement strategies of high-performing teams in your workplace
- Explore digital tools and data-informed leadership to work smarter
- Identify what makes a successful personal brand
Unlike a certificate course, CLIMB is divided into two learning paths—New and Experienced Leaders—so the curriculum is tailored to where you are in your career. You’ll take seven courses over one year and apply your knowledge and skills in a capstone project.
Selecting the Best Strategy Course
With an understanding of each program’s content and learning objectives, reflect on your goals. Which program will provide the skill set needed to reach them?
Also consider your schedule, budget, and which features you value most. All HBS Online courses feature:
- World-class faculty
- Self-paced online coursework with deadlines
- Engaging, interactive content
- Social interaction with fellow learners
- Real examples of business challenges faced by experts
- The HBS Online Community, a global network of business professionals
- Career growth and a positive return on investment
No matter which strategy program aligns with your goals, you can gain the knowledge and skills to craft and execute impactful strategies for your organization.
If you still aren't sure which HBS Online strategy course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals. If multiple programs interest you, consider pursuing a Learning Track, which enables you to take three courses within the strategy subject area.
This post was updated on December 22, 2023. It was originally published on September 1, 2022.
