Strategy Execution

Strategy Execution is part of the Leadership and Management and Strategy Learning Tracks. If you’re interested in developing deeper insights and expertise, you can choose to complete three leadership and management or three strategy courses within 18 months to earn a Certificate of Specialization.

Syllabus

Strategy Execution features adaptations of award-winning, best-selling Harvard Business School case studies, as well as opportunities to engage with peers in team discussions. Participants will explore common challenges that prevent or derail execution and learn how to design systems and structures that meet their organization’s strategic objectives.

You'll also benefit from the insights of industry leaders and expert faculty at Harvard Business School, including Susanna Gallani, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, and Eugene Soltes, Professor of Business Administration. Their research findings and perspectives will complement Professor Simons’ teachings on incentive design and risk management, respectively.

Leaders interviewed:

• Meghna Modi, Managing Director at Go Mobile
• Denise Montgomery, Mary Kay Independent Sales Director
• Tom Polen, CEO and President of Becton Dickinson
• David Rodriguez, EVP and Global Chief Human Resources Officer at Marriott
• Kasper Rorsted, CEO of adidas
• Tom Siebel, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of C3.ai
• Bruce Welty, CEO of Quiet Logistics

Learning requirements: In order to earn a Certificate of Completion, participants must thoughtfully complete all six modules and exercises therein (including a capstone activity which integrates and applies the concepts covered in the course) by stated deadlines.

Download Strategy Execution Syllabus

Modules	Case Studies	Takeaways	Key Exercises
Module 1: Managing the Tensions of Strategy Execution	ATH Technologies: Making the Numbers C3.ai: Driven to Succeed	Understand the various tensions managers face as they implement strategy Implement a framework for managing those tensions effectively	Analyze your organization’s approach to managing common organizational tensions Identify strengths and deltas in your organization’s approach to executing strategy
Module 2: Aligning Job Design to Strategy	Go Mobile: Aligning District Managers and Store Teams	Optimize the design of key jobs and align them to strategy	Analyze a job using the Job Design Optimization Tool (JDOT) Recommend a set of job design improvements
Module 3: Empowering Employees to Execute Strategy	Henkel: Building a Winning Culture	Apply techniques to spur high performance and creativity among employees Create core values that inspire and guide employees through difficult decisions	Identify ways to dial up performance and increase innovation within your team Evaluate the effectiveness of your organization’s core values
Module 4: Measuring and Monitoring Performance	Citibank: Performance Measurement	Create performance measurement systems that account for all dimensions of strategy execution while conserving scarce time and attention	Analyze and improve your organization’s approach to profit planning Identify critical performance variables and develop goals, measures, and targets corresponding to them Analyze a range of incentive types and identify the most useful ones for different contexts
Module 5: Identifying and Managing Risks	Westchester Distributing, Inc. Quiet Logistics	Describe and identify common risks businesses face Create systems for managing and mitigating them	Identify internal risk pressures using the Risk Exposure Calculator Propose solutions for a new conduct boundary at your organization
Module 6: Balancing Innovation and Control	Continental Media Group: Business Highlights Automation Consulting Services	Apply techniques to help your business innovate and adapt to change while maintaining clear focus and retaining necessary controls	Identify which opportunities your organization should and should not pursue Propose a system you can use to focus organizational attention on emerging threats and uncertainties Apply course-wide knowledge by proposing a set of solutions to strategy execution challenges at a growing consulting firm Capstone activity: develop an action plan for implementing the levers of control at your or another organization

The HBS Online Advantage

• World-class faculty
• Edge-of-your-seat online learning
• Global peer collaboration and networking
• Real-world, case-based learning

Harvard Business School Online offers a unique and highly engaging way to learn vital business concepts. Solve issues facing your organization by immersing yourself in the systems, structures, and insights other organizations across industries have leveraged to tackle strategy execution. You’ll learn from leaders at Quiet Logistics, Marriott, adidas, C3.ai, Go Mobile, Becton Dickinson, Henkel, and Citibank.