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    Introduction to Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy

    This Credential Includes

    Leading in the Digital World, Design Thinking and Innovation, Digital Marketing Strategy, and Winning with Digital Platforms + team activities and a capstone project. And for a limited time, enroll now and unlock a GenAI Bonus Bundle featuring complimentary lessons on AI fundamentals.
    Have questions about the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy? Email our program advising team at digitalcredential@hbs.edu.
     
    New

    Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy

    $6,500
    Next session starts June 11th
    Apply
    Build the skill set and strategic acumen to compete in the digital world through a combination of forward-looking coursework, unique team activities with a diverse global network, and a capstone project that applies the program’s learnings.
    6
    months
    5-6
    hours per week
    4 Courses
    plus a capstone project
    Self-Paced

     This course earns you a Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy from HBS Online. What you earn.

    Overview
    Syllabus
    Enrollment
    Stories
    FAQs
    Apply Now

    Key Concepts

    Adopt an innovative mindset with a broad understanding of digital transformation and how to develop and execute a future-ready business strategy
    Explore digital tools and data-informed leadership to execute, innovate, and work smarter
    Apply design thinking and creative problem-solving principles to generate new ideas, enhance team performance, and innovate collaboratively
    Gain frameworks, tools, and customer engagement techniques to enhance your organization’s digital marketing strategy and measure its success
    Understand how digital platforms create and capture value, and discover how to launch, scale, maintain, and compete against platform businesses
    Engage with a global cohort of like-minded peers and build a network that lasts far beyond the program

    Who Will Benefit

    Develop the digital mindset and toolkit to guide your team or organization’s strategy in a rapidly changing business environment.
    I loved being able to learn the material through real examples and have found that this sort of learning makes the content stick much better in my memory.
    Dustin Brown
    Working in family's real estate business
    Understand the digital landscape to work more effectively, innovate collaboratively, and respond to new business opportunities.
    "This course is excellent for executives and managers who constantly grapple with finding new ways to make their work impactful and useful for their target audience.”
    Cebisa Ncube
    Design Thinking and Innovation Participant
    Ideate, develop, launch, and scale digital products that give your venture a competitive advantage.
    “The course masterfully interwove design thinking theory as a process with helpful tools and outstanding examples from practitioners and companies.”
    Sandra Pérez Botero
    Design Thinking and Innovation Participant

    What You Earn

    Certificate of Completion

    Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy

    Show you’re an innovator and trailblazer who can compete in the digital world.

    Earn by: completing four courses and a capstone project

    Learn More about what you earn

    Syllabus

    4 Courses (with Capstone), 6 months
    Download full syllabus
    10-14
    hrs
    Course – 2 Modules

    Leading in the Digital World

    Explore what’s required to build and lead a team able to leverage digital tools and data to address customer needs and fulfill your organization’s purpose.

    Highlights

    Linda Hill, Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
    Introduction to Leading in the Digital World
    ShowHide Details

    Modules

    1. Leading Innovation
    2. Scaling Innovation

    40-50
    hrs
    Course – 7 Modules

    Design Thinking and Innovation

    Master design thinking principles and creative problem-solving tools to develop innovative solutions to your most challenging business problems.

    Highlights

    Structuring Observations Using Journey Maps
    Opportunities in 2 by 2 Frameworks
    ShowHide Details

    Modules

    1. Content Week – Clarify: Empathy and Understanding
    2. Project Week – Clarify
    3. Content Week – Ideate, Part 1: Tools for Generating Ideas
    4. Content Week – Ideate, Part 2: User Values and Behaviors
    5. Project Week – Ideate
    6. Content Week – Develop: An Experimentation Mindset
    7. Content Week – Implement: Communication and Structure

    Featured Exercises

    • During project weeks, apply course frameworks to an innovation problem of your choosing or provided scenario
    • Reframe problems to identify new pain points and solutions
    • Divide an existing product, service, model, or strategy into components and manipulate them to break cognitive fixedness and generate ideas
    • Identify prompts to improve users’ ability and motivation to engage in a desired behavior
    • Organize information about an innovation concept to identify critical prototyping questions
    • Compare key stakeholders’ resistance and status-quo bias and develop a communication plan
    35-40
    hrs
    Course – 6 Modules

    Digital Marketing Strategy

    Craft data-driven digital marketing strategies that effectively reach, convert, and retain customers in a dynamic business environment.

    Highlights

    Asmita Dubey, L'Oreal CMO
    Complexities of the Funnel and Paid Media
    Shantanu Narayen, Adobe CEO and President
    ShowHide Details

    Modules

    1. Marketing in the Digital Era
    2. Crafting a Digital Marketing Plan
    3. Acquiring Customers, Part 1: Paid Media
    4. Acquiring Customers, Part 2: Owned and Earned Media
    5. Engaging Customers
    6. Allocating Budget and Measuring Success

    Featured Exercises

    • Advise a company on its marketing plan
    • Determine which metrics to use to measure a campaign’s success and practice calculating its effectiveness
    • Balance brand-building and performance marketing
    • Unpack strategies for increasing engagement, including personalization, storytelling, and brand communities
    • Calculate and identify how to maximize different customer types’ lifetime value
    • Practice budget allocation across the customer journey
    30-35
    hrs
    Course – 5 Modules

    Winning with Digital Platforms

    Explore digital platforms' unique properties, opportunities, and risks, and develop scalable strategies that drive growth and deliver a competitive advantage.

    Highlights

    How Picabuu Started
    New Ways of Creating Value
    Open and Closed Platforms
    ShowHide Details

    Modules

    1. Platform Fundamentals
    2. Scaling and Sustaining a Platform (Part 1)
    3. Scaling and Sustaining a Platform (Part 2)
    4. Transforming into a Platform Firm
    5. Working with Platforms

    Featured Exercises

    • Advise a startup platform, Picabuu, on how it can capture value, anticipate challenges, acquire new customers, and scale
    • Define the most important characteristics of economies of scale
    • Determine how companies can strengthen direct network effects
    • Consider how to adapt business models as new marketplace challenges arise
    • Sketch an idea for a platform that a company you’re familiar with might launch and determine the transition’s feasibility and obstacles
    • Explore defensive strategies companies can use to ward off platform encroachment
    5
    hrs

    Capstone Project

    The Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy includes peer learning activities throughout the program as well as a capstone project where you’ll apply your learning to address a goal that’s applicable to your career or organization.
    Free E-Book

    Your Guide to Online Learning Success

    If you’re interested in exploring online education but aren’t sure where to start, this guide is for you.
    Access Your Free E-Book

    Upskill Your Team, Transform Your Organization

    Whether you represent a large multinational corporation or a small local business, we have a solution for your learning and development needs.
    Learn More

    Our Difference

    Develop a digital-first mindset and learn critical skills you can use to elevate your career and advance your organization’s strategic goals.
    Stay active by engaging in a new activity every three to five minutes, participating in peer learning activities, and applying your learning through a capstone project.
    Stay active by engaging in a new activity every three to five minutes, participating in peer learning activities, and applying your learning through a capstone project.
    Description of silent animated video above: People walking on the street transitions into data points on a map
    Get social by collaborating and networking with a global community of peers before, during, and after the course. Learners who successfully complete an HBS Online program are added to the HBS Online Community's Official Networking Group and gain exclusive access to events and other networking opportunities.
    Get social by collaborating and networking with a global community of peers before, during, and after the course. Learners who successfully complete an HBS Online program are added to the HBS Online Community's Official Networking Group and gain exclusive access to events and other networking opportunities.
    Description of silent animated video above: Learner types an answer in the discussion board in response to a peer's question
    Immerse yourself in real-world, case-based examples brought to life by industry-leading experts at organizations that have undergone digital transformation, such as avatarin, Mastercard, Moderna, Pfizer, and Bloomberg, L.P.
    Immerse yourself in real-world, case-based examples brought to life by industry-leading experts at organizations that have undergone digital transformation, such as avatarin, Mastercard, Moderna, Pfizer, and Bloomberg, L.P.
    Description of silent animated video above: Learner scrolls through video interviews from prominent business leaders

    About the Professors

    Linda Hill
    Leading in the Digital World

    Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration

    Srikant Datar
    Design Thinking and Innovation

    George F. Baker Professor of Administration and Dean of Harvard Business School

    Sunil Gupta
    Digital Marketing Strategy

    Edward W. Carter Professor of Business Administration

    Feng Zhu
    Winning with Digital Platforms

    MBA Class of 1958 Professor of Business Administration

    Dates & Eligibility

    No current course offerings for this selection.

    Starting
    Jun
    11
    26 Weeks  $6,500 + applicable international taxes
    Application deadline June 2
    View weekly calendar
    Apply Now
    • No documentation required

    All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the course.

    Have questions about the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy? Email our program advising team at digitalcredential@hbs.edu.

    Learner Stories

    94%
    increased knowledge of business terminology
    I’ve taken many courses from HBS Online because they’re either directly applicable to my career (like this course) or can help me get to where I want to be. This particular course has been the best among them all.
    Yashvardhan Gusani
    Design Thinking and Innovation Participant
    The course’s content and teaching method through case studies and practical examples was remarkable.
    Vishal Vyas
    Assistant Vice President at TTK Healthcare Limited
    Read more learner stories
    * Source: 2022 surveys and course data
     
    All FAQs

    Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy FAQs

    What do I receive by completing the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy?

    +–

    Upon successful completion of the program, you’ll receive a Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy. In addition, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion for Digital Marketing Strategy, Design Thinking and Innovation, and Winning with Digital Platforms.

    The credential and certificates are available as digital and printed documents.

    You can also add a credential verification link to your digital resumes or LinkedIn profiles.

    What will the cohort experience be like?

    +–

    An essential part of the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy is the peer learning experience. Not only will your cohort be filled with other professionals looking to enhance their digital innovation skills, but you’ll be put into peer learning teams and engage in activities and discussions. The capstone project will also include peer feedback.

    What kind of access will I have to faculty?

    +–

    Our courses have been developed by some of the most renowned Harvard faculty and guest experts. Although professors and guest experts will not have direct, real-time interactions with learners, you will hear from them via short videos that explain key concepts and guide you through cases, exercises, and other interactive learning elements to create a highly engaging educational experience. In addition, we encourage you to collaborate with your peers to find answers to any questions you may have.

    We appreciate your understanding that HBS Online faculty and guest experts featured in our courses are not available to communicate with learners directly or participate in learner-organized events. However, you may visit the HBS Online Business Insights Blog and HBS Online Facebook page for information about upcoming conferences and webinars featuring faculty, or join the HBS Online Community to build your network and connect with other business professionals in your area.

    What does the application include, and what are the admissions criteria?

    +–

    The application includes personal information, your educational and professional background, and one optional short answer question.

    This program does not require a GRE or GMAT score to apply. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

    What kind of time commitment is required to complete the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy?

    +–

    The Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy consists of four courses. How you allocate your time throughout the program is up to you. You’re encouraged to start with Leading in the Digital World and then complete the remaining three courses at any pace on your schedule by the final six-month deadline. You’ll also complete asynchronous team activities and a capstone project.

    The four courses in the program typically require the following time commitments:

    • Leading in the Digital World: 2 weeks, 6 hours per week
    • Digital Marketing Strategy: 7 weeks, 6-7 hours per week
    • Design Thinking and Innovation: 7 weeks, 6-8 hours per week
    • Winning with Digital Platforms: 5 weeks, 6-7 hours per week

    What is the format of the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy?

    +–

    All participants are required to complete four courses:

    • Leading in the Digital World
    • Digital Marketing Strategy
    • Design Thinking and Innovation
    • Winning with Digital Platforms

    There will also be team activities and a capstone project.

    You may take the courses in any order and at any pace. The only requirement is that all coursework must be completed by the six-month program deadline.

    How do I pay for the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy?

    +–

    Learners pay the fee of $6500 for the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy in full before the enrollment deadline for the offering they wish to participate in. There's no discount for past participants. While we're actively working on expanding our financial aid offerings and programs' reach, we're currently unable to offer grants for the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy. For payment options and loan information, please visit our Payment and Financial Aid page.

    What are the learning requirements to earn a Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy?

    +–

    To earn a Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy, learners must successfully complete all four courses, a capstone project, and peer learning activities.

    Participants are expected to fully complete all coursework for each program in a thoughtful and timely manner. They must meet each week’s course module deadlines and fully answer the questions posed therein. In addition to module and assignment completion, learners should offer feedback on others’ reflections and contribute to conversations on the course platform. Participants who fail to complete each course’s requirements will not receive a Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy and will be ineligible to retake the program.

    I’ve already completed a required course in the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy curriculum. Do I have to retake it?

    +–

    Participants who’ve already taken one of the courses in the program don’t have to retake it. However, you will have access to the content if you’d like to review or redo any modules. All participants, regardless of whether they’ve previously taken the course, will be expected to participate in team activities and the capstone project.

    Will the certificate courses I take as part of the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy curriculum count toward Learning Track requirements?

    +–

    Yes, successfully completed long courses will count toward achieving a Certificate of Specialization from a Learning Track.

    How should I list my Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy on my resume?

    +–

    Once you've earned your Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business, list it on your resume like this:

    Harvard Business School Online
    Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy
    Successfully completed Leading in the Digital World, Design Thinking and Innovation, Digital Marketing Strategy, and Winning with Digital Platforms
    [Completion Year]

    List your credential on your LinkedIn profile under "Education" as follows:

    School: Harvard Business School Online
    Dates Attended: [The year you completed the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy]
    Degree: Other; Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business
    Field of Study: Leave blank
    Grade: “Complete”
    Activities and Societies: Leave blank

     

    Related Program

    7 Courses

    Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB)

    CLIMB enables new and experienced leaders to ignite their careers with a combination of vital and forward-looking business skills, self-reflection, and an immersive cohort-based learning experience with a diverse global network.

    1 year, 5-9 hrs/week
    Apply by September 10th, Enroll by September 13
    $15,000 (four installments of $3,750)Credential 
     
    All FAQs

    Top FAQs

    How are HBS Online courses delivered?

    +–

    We offer self-paced programs (with weekly deadlines) on the HBS Online course platform.

    Our platform features short, highly produced videos of HBS faculty and guest business experts, interactive graphs and exercises, cold calls to keep you engaged, and opportunities to contribute to a vibrant online community.

    Are HBS Online programs available in languages other than English?

    +–

    We expect to offer our courses in additional languages in the future but, at this time, HBS Online can only be provided in English.

    All course content is delivered in written English. Closed captioning in English is available for all videos. There are no live interactions during the course that requires the learner to speak English. Coursework must be completed in English.

    Do I need to come to campus to participate in HBS Online programs?

    +–

    No, all of our programs are 100 percent online, and available to participants regardless of their location.

    How do I enroll in a course?

    +–

    Certificate Programs

    HBS Online welcomes committed learners wherever they are—in the world and their careers—irrespective of their professional experience or academic background. To extend the reach of HBS Online, we no longer require an application for our certificate programs. (Applications are still required for our credential programs: CORe and CLIMB.) You can now immediately enroll and start taking the next step in your career.

    All programs require the completion of a brief online enrollment form before payment. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before enrolling in the program of your choice.

    Our easy online enrollment form is free, and no special documentation is required. All participants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

    Updates to your enrollment status will be shown on your account page. HBS Online does not use race, gender, ethnicity, or any protected class as criteria for enrollment for any HBS Online program.

    Credential Programs

    HBS Online's CORe and CLIMB programs require the completion of a brief application. The applications vary slightly, but all ask for some personal background information. You can apply for and enroll in programs here. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before starting an application for the program of your choice.

    Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All participants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

    Updates to your application and enrollment status will be shown on your account page. We confirm enrollment eligibility within one week of your application for CORe and three weeks for CLIMB. HBS Online does not use race, gender, ethnicity, or any protected class as criteria for admissions for any HBS Online program.

    Does Harvard Business School Online offer an online MBA?

    +–

    No, Harvard Business School Online offers business certificate programs.

    What are my payment options?

    +–

    We accept payments via credit card, wire transfer, Western Union, and (when available) bank loan. Some candidates may qualify for scholarships or financial aid, which will be credited against the Program Fee once eligibility is determined. Please refer to the Payment & Financial Aid page for further information.

    We also allow you to split your payment across 2 separate credit card transactions or send a payment link email to another person on your behalf. If splitting your payment into 2 transactions, a minimum payment of $350 is required for the first transaction.

    In all cases, net Program Fees must be paid in full (in US Dollars) to complete registration.

    What are the policies for refunds and deferrals?

    +–

    After enrolling in a program, you may request a withdrawal with refund (minus a $100 nonrefundable enrollment fee) up until 24 hours after the start of your program. Please review the Program Policies page for more details on refunds and deferrals. If your employer has contracted with HBS Online for participation in a program, or if you elect to enroll in the undergraduate credit option of the Credential of Readiness (CORe) program, note that policies for these options may differ.

     

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