About this Course

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Meet Jim Barton, the new CEO of Santa Monica Aerospace. Jim's job won't be easy: the company's hemorrhaging cash, struggling to regain investors' trust after an accounting scandal, and striving to transform its culture to become a more global competitor. In this course, you’ll travel with Jim as he takes on leadership challenges ranging from strategy execution, to inspiring people, to maintaining an ethical approach. Experts agree that twentieth-century leadership practices are inadequate for the stormy twenty-first-century present. This provocative course equips you with the insights you'll need to rise with the occasion of a rapidly shifting business landscape.

The course is based on a book, Harder Than I Thought: Adventures of a 21st Century Leader, by Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon O'Donnell, published by Harvard Business Review Press. Purchase of the book is optional. If you want more information about the book or wish to buy it, see https://hbr.org/product/harder-than-i-thought-adventures-of-a-twenty-first/an/10332-HBK-ENG or http://www.amazon.com/Harder-Than-Thought-Adventures-Twenty-First/dp/1422162591 

After taking the course, you'll be able to:
o   Enact your own personal leadership approach, derived from your ongoing evaluation of how Jim Barton has handled his leadership situation, as well as from established leadership concepts and frameworks;
o   Avoid leadership actions that might have worked in the past, but are not suited to a newly challenging 21st century world;
o   Navigate treacherous new 21st century leadership challenges, such as greater reliance on specialized workers or the need to respond to external scrutiny in an increasingly transparent world (and many more);
o   Avoid "slippery slope" ethical failures, and think more clearly about the separation between public and private life for a 21st century leader.

Learner Career Outcomes

60%

started a new career after completing these courses

30%

got a tangible career benefit from this course

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Approx. 26 hours to complete

Suggested: 2 to 4 hours/week...

English

Subtitles: English

Skills you will gain

Strategic ManagementLeadershipCollaborationCommunications Management

Learner Career Outcomes

60%

started a new career after completing these courses

30%

got a tangible career benefit from this course

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Approx. 26 hours to complete

Suggested: 2 to 4 hours/week...

English

Subtitles: English

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week

1

1 hour to complete

Course Preview and Intro

Join Jim Barton on a leadership journey...that quickly becomes tougher than expected!

3 videos (Total 12 min), 4 readings

3 videos

Adventures of a 21st Century Leader1m

Introduction to the Course6m

Introduction to the Dramatized Episodes3m

4 readings

Background Info about SMA and Jim Barton10m

Jeffrey Pfeffer: What Most People Don't Know About Leadership10m

Invitation to a brief questionnaire10m

Link to the "Meet and Greet" Forum10m

1 hour to complete

Taking on a New Leadership Role

So you've been presented with a new leadership "opportunity"...should you accept it? Should Jim Barton have taken this job? How would YOU decide?

2 videos (Total 10 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz

2 videos

Introduction to Module 253s

Episode 1: Jim Barton's First Day as CEO (Day 1)9m

4 readings

Hiring a new CEO10m

Reading: Making it to the top10m

Questions for reflection and forum discussion10m

Learner suggestions: Questions to ask (or try to find answers to) before accepting a leadership "opportunity"10m

1 practice exercise

Choosing or Becoming a New Leader12m

Week

2

2 hours to complete

Getting Oriented and Assessing Your Team

As a new leader, the first order of business is to survey the landscape, get your bearings, and figure out what's really going on. Perhaps the most crucial part of that is assessing the team you've inherited. Who will be an ally in what you need to accomplish? Who will be an obstacle? Who should stay, and who should go? How will YOU decide?

4 videos (Total 36 min), 6 readings, 2 quizzes

4 videos

Introduction to Module 326s

Episode 2: Meeting the CFO (Day 3)12m

Episode 3: Touring the SMA Plant (Day 4)9m

Episode 4: Meeting the Head of Engineering (Day 4)13m

6 readings

A New Leader's First 100 Days10m

SMA's Income Statement10m

Reports from a Boeing Factory10m

To-Do list for Today's CEO10m

Reflection and discussion: Assessing Barton's team10m

A Vital Task: Getting Your Team Right10m

2 practice exercises

Assessing the Head of Engineering2m

Getting Started as a New Leader8m

2 hours to complete

Communication in an Age of Super Transparency

In an age of social media and super hackers, leaders have to worry more than ever about secrets getting out, making hard decisions under scrutiny, and people misinterpreting what the company and its leaders are doing. Thanks primarily to the advance of technology, the organizational activities have never been more transparent. How should a leader take this new 21st century reality into account? Do past communications and PR approaches need to change? How would YOU do it?

6 videos (Total 52 min), 5 readings, 2 quizzes

6 videos

Introduction to Module 446s

Episode 5: Kohler's Philosophy of Disclosure (Day 8)5m

Episode 6: The Gala (Day 8)9m

Part 1 of Living and Leading in an Era of Super Transparency8m

Part 2 of Living and Leading in an Era of Super Transparency10m

Part 3 of Living and Leading in an Era of Super Transparency16m

5 readings

How Capitalism Can Thrive in a Transparent World10m

Dan Geer: "We are all intelligence officers now"10m

Links to check out for Super Transparency Lecture10m

Reflection and discussion: Advising Barton on transparency10m

Learner recommendations: How to address social media challenges10m

2 practice exercises

Approaches to Communication2m

The Era of Super Transparency8m

Week

3

2 hours to complete

Leading Collaboration

When you're building something as complicated as an airplane, people have to work together. As a leader, it's a part of your job to populate teams, develop relationships, orchestrate process, and set up conducive environments to maximize the effectiveness of collaborative work. How is this done? How would YOU accomplish it?

6 videos (Total 37 min), 7 readings, 3 quizzes

6 videos

Introduction to Module 535s

Introduction to the topic of leading collaboration3m

Leading Collaboration at IDEO8m

Leading Collaboration at Mass Animation9m

Collaborative Leadership5m

Episode 7: Old Friends (Day 13)9m

7 readings

Video of IDEO's collaboration, "The Deep Dive"10m

Reflection10m

Mass Animation10m

Reflection and discussion: Collaboration at IDEO and Mass Animation10m

What is "Collaborative Leadership"?10m

Introduction to Dramatized Episode #710m

Reflection and discussion: Advising Barton on collaboration10m

3 practice exercises

Determining the right context for collaboration2m

Diagnosis2m

Collaborative Leadership8m

2 hours to complete

Motivating and Inspiring

A leader must be able to move other people -- potentially in directions those others do not wish to go. A very important part of a leader's role, then, is to motivate people -- to somehow provide the impulse to move others in a particular direction. Indeed, a leader often needs to get people moving together, in a similar direction. But there are different ways of doing this. Incentives, for example, operate differently than inspiration, and the two might not work equally well in a particular circumstance. How should the 21st century leader motivate people? What would YOU do?

5 videos (Total 52 min), 5 readings, 2 quizzes

5 videos

Introduction to Module 630s

Episode 8: The Merit Pay System (Day 24)17m

Motivating, Inspiring, and Other Ways Leaders Get People Moving in a Particular Direction: Introduction7m

Motivating and Inspiring etc.: Economic models and their problems14m

Motivating and Inspiring etc.: What are the alternatives to incentives?11m

5 readings

Introduction to Episode #810m

Motivation in Literature 110m

Motivation in Literature 210m

Readings and Video10m

Reflection and discussion: Motivating people10m

2 practice exercises

What do you think?2m

Motivating, Inspiring, and Leadership10m

Week

4

2 hours to complete

Effective Governance

A leader operates within a framework that outlines her or his responsibilities, range of authority, and access to resources -- we call such frameworks "governance." Governance empowers a leader but also looks over her or his shoulder. A precondition for effectiveness as a leader is having a foundation of sound governance. And although it can be rather tricky, leaders sometimes have to try to make changes to the governance framework within which they work. If you're a CEO and you decide you have an ineffective board of directors -- to whom you report -- what would YOU do?

7 videos (Total 36 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

7 videos

Introduction to Module 748s

Episode 9: Barton's First Board Meeting Day 31)11m

Episode 10: Sleeping with the Press (Day 31)5m

Episode 11: "A Sensitive Matter" (Day 45)1m

Episode 12: "Reconfiguring the Board of Directors" (Day 45)11m

Episode 13: The Reconfiguration Process (Day 93)2m

Episode 14: Reconfiguration Accomplished (Day 135)2m

5 readings

What does a board of directors do?10m

Introduction to Episodes 9 and 1010m

Reflection10m

What makes for an effective board of directors?10m

Reflection and discussion: Creating a better Board of Directors10m

1 practice exercise

Effective Governance8m

1 hour to complete

Leading Change

Convincing people to change their ways might be THE hardest job a leader has to do. And if getting people to change is hard, getting groups -- who work together in the old ways and reinforce each other's sense of "the way it's always been" -- is even harder. But if you're going to transform a company, you're going to have to change things, in a big way. How would YOU go about it?

3 videos (Total 7 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

3 videos

Introduction to Module 828s

Episode 15: Talking Shop (Day 48 and Day 118)3m

Episode 16: Design Delay (Day 68)2m

2 readings

Leading change in organizations10m

Reflection and discussion: Assessing Barton's performance10m

2 practice exercises

Assessing Barton as a Change Leader2m

Leading Change4m

Week

5

2 hours to complete

Managing Talent

In the 21st century, the biggest assets an organization has are its people what they can do. The evidence of this? Apple, Google, and Microsoft all have market values higher than Exxon (a company with vastly more physical assets). A very important job of a 21st century leader, then, is to attract, retain, and continue to develop the talents and skills of the people within the organization. Talent is a success multiplier, and an organization's leader is its talent-developer-in-chief. How should this be done? How would you do it?

8 videos (Total 64 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

8 videos

Introduction to Module 938s

Episode 17: Unexpected Insight from a Neighbor (Day 36)10m

Specialisterne: From Hope to Action To Impact3m

Managing People with "Inspired Peculiarities": The Dandelion Principle13m

Anka Wittenberg, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, SAP SE11m

Anka Wittenberg Interview, Part 25m

Understanding what matters to excellent performers9m

Episode 18: The Engineers Revolt (Sometime during Barton's 2nd year as CEO)9m

5 readings

How the dramatic episodes play into this module10m

Reflection and discussion: The Dandelion Principle10m

A Sampling of 21st Century Perspectives on Talent Management20m

Reflection10m

Reflections and discussion: Managing talent10m

1 practice exercise

Managing Talent6m

1 hour to complete

Leading in Crisis

No matter how effective you are as a leader, sometimes things go wrong. In a crisis, a leader must make tough decision under the pressure of a ticking clock. That's really hard, partly because crises are (thankfully) rare and few people have a lot of experience with them. And yet, you need to get it right. The stakes, in a crisis, are often very, very high, for the organization and for a leader's career. As a leader, sooner or later you will have to deal with a crisis. How will YOU measure up?

6 videos (Total 19 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

6 videos

Introduction to Module 1028s

Episode 19: Barton in Crisis (Day 173)5m

Episode 20: Contemplating Resignation (Day 174)7m

Episode 21: An Ultimatum (Day 174)3m

Episode 22: Negotiating with the Unions (Day 175)1m

Episode 23: A united front (Day 175)49s

5 readings

Difficulty and development10m

Reflection and discussion: Avoiding and recovering from crisis10m

The harms done by bonuses and parachutes...10m

Reflection and Discussion: Drop the parachute?10m

Reflection and discussion: Assessing Barton's performance10m

1 practice exercise

Leading in Crisis4m

Week

6

2 hours to complete

Leading Innovation

Thanks to mature communications and transportation networks, it has never been easier for low cost producers to market low priced products and services all over the world. Because of this, companies -- especially those not located in low cost regions -- need to innovate, in order to keep offering products and services that are better, even if they aren't cheaper. In the 21st century, the capacity to innovate has become extremely important to business success. And it's the leader's job to create the conditions in which her or his people can innovate effectively. A leader must espouse principles, processes, and practices that allow the organization to innovation better than its rivals. How to do this? How would YOU do it?

4 videos (Total 29 min), 6 readings, 2 quizzes

4 videos

Introduction to Module 1125s

Fostering innovation8m

Episode 24: Innovation Dilemma (At about Barton's 1 year mark)10m

Collaborating with clients for innovation8m

6 readings

What to expect in this module's lectures and episodes10m

Lean manufacturing mindset means continuous innovation10m

Emily Pilloton on participatory design10m

Reflection: Innovation strategy10m

VIDEO: Rethinking intelligence, education and our capacity for creativity10m

Reflection and discussion: How to encourage innovation10m

2 practice exercises

What should Akita decide?2m

Fostering Innovation12m

1 hour to complete

Leading Execution

It's "where the rubber hits the road." Execution. If you can't execute, it doesn't matter how well you strategize or how visionary you are. Execution is the art and science of getting it done. But how should a leader do that? How would YOU?

3 videos (Total 12 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

3 videos

Introduction to Module 1230s

Episode 25: A Major Setback (Early in Barton's 3rd year as CEO)8m

Episode 26: A Percentage Game (About 2 years into Barton's time as CEO)3m

2 readings

Understanding execution10m

Reflection and discussion: Advising Barton on execution10m

1 practice exercise

Execution6m

Week

7

1 hour to complete

Public Life, Private Life

You've seen it all too often in the newspaper headlines: a prominent leader called on to resign, not because of failure to perform on the job, but because of something troubling (at least to some) that has transpired in their so-called "private life" that has become public. Where is the boundary between public life and private life for a leader? Indeed, is there a boundary? Why do so many leaders have problems with this? How does it bear on notions of leadership character and integrity? What is YOUR personal philosophy in this important area?

6 videos (Total 21 min), 3 readings, 3 quizzes

6 videos

Introduction to Module 1346s

Episode 27: Firing Kohler (Day 144)3m

Episode 28: Played for a Fool? (Day 174)3m

Episode 29: Public life, Private life (A little more than 1 year into Barton's time as CEO)6m

Episode 30: Disclosure Issue (Sometime during Barton's 2nd year as CEO)4m

Episode 31: Liability (Sometime during Barton's 2nd year as CEO)1m

3 readings

Reflection10m

Questions about Disclosure: The case of Steve Jobs and his illness10m

Reflection and discussion: Final thoughts10m

3 practice exercises

Predictions2m

Verdict2m

The Rights and Obligations of Leaders6m

2 hours to complete

Vision and the Role of Culture

The eminent management thinker Peter Drucker once said that "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." Lou Gerstner, after he turned around IBM, often said that the importance of culture was the one thing he seriously underestimated. What is culture? According to the simplest definition, widely used, culture is "the way we do things around here." But how should the leader influence that? What would YOU do?

7 videos (Total 51 min), 8 readings, 1 quiz

7 videos

Introduction to Module 1448s

Episode 32a: Consulting with a Peer, Part 1 (Flashback: Day 52)7m

Episode 32b: Consulting with a Peer, Part 2 (Flashback: Day 52)10m

Episode 32c: Consulting with a Peer, Part 3 (Flashback: Day 52)8m

Part 1: What Culture Is6m

Part 2: The Importance of Culture6m

Part 3: The Difficulty of Changing Culture10m

8 readings

Introduction to Episode 3210m

Reflection and discussion10m

"On Corporate Culture" by Richard Nolan10m

On communication10m

On culture and leadership10m

Reflection and discussion: Culture at SMA10m

1 practice exercise

The Importance of Corporate Culture6m

Week

8

1 hour to complete

Modern Theories of Leadership

Leadership is an active, if fragmented, field of management research. In this module, you'll encounter some of the ideas researchers have come up with to describe and improve the practice of leadership. Some of these theories have had more influence than others. Some have had less influence on the practice of leadership than many of the ideas we've already seen in the course (e.g., economic agency theory). We offer these here to raise the possibility that some of these ideas might help YOU as you synthesize a personal approach to leadership in the 21st century.

1 video (Total 1 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

1 video

Introduction to Module 151m

3 readings

Modern theories of leadership10m

Reflection and discussion: Theories for 21st Century leadership10m

Reflection and discussion: The role of theory in leadership practice10m

1 practice exercise

Testing Your Knowledge of Leadership Theories8m

3 hours to complete

A Study in Leadership Failure: The Financial Crisis (Part 1)

The early 21st century has seen some spectacular failures of leadership. From the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, to the 2008 financial crisis, we've seen a lot of major things go wrong with leadership. You could argue that these are examples of 20th century leadership applied to 21st century challenges...and that resulting failures demonstrate the need for a new leadership approach. In this module, we'll begin trying to understand some of the things that went wrong in the extremely complicated 2008 financial crisis.

1 video (Total 1 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz

1 video

Introduction to Module 1634s

4 readings

FILM: Global Financial Meltdown2h 50m

Case analysis and discussion: Failures of leadership10m

Some explanations of the financial crisis, ranging from fun to really thorough10m

Reflection and discussion: Lessons learned10m

1 practice exercise

How the Financial Crisis Unfolded6m

Week

9

1 hour to complete

A Study in Leadership Failure: The Financial Crisis (Part 2)

We continue our examination of the inner complexities of the 2008 financial crisis.

1 video (Total 1 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

1 video

Introduction to Module 1750s

3 readings

FILM: The Warning10m

Case analysis and discussion: The Warning10m

Reflection and discussion: What must improve?10m

1 practice exercise

Avoiding the financial crisis...6m

1 hour to complete

Real Leadership Case Study: Lord John Browne, British Petroleum

We've met Jim Barton and followed him on his journey. In this module, we turn the ideas we've discussed and developed in the course so far to the case of a real leader. What is YOUR assessment of the leadership of Lord John Browne, former CEO of BP

1 video (Total 1 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

1 video

Introduction to Module 1849s

3 readings

Case readings and video10m

Case analysis and discussion: Assessment of a leader10m

Reflections on the case of Lord John Browne10m

1 practice exercise

The Case of Lord Browne4m

Week

10

3 hours to complete

Synthesis - Leadership in 21st Century Organizations

Putting it all together. Last thoughts and attempts to synthesize thoughts about 21st century leadership.

4 videos (Total 9 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

4 videos

Introduction to Module 1930s

Episode 33: Maiden Flight (Exactly 4 years into Barton's tenure as CEO)2m

Episode 34: Barton Removed (Same day as maiden flight of new SMA plane)5m

End of Course Wrap-up54s

5 readings

General Leadership Advice from Harvard Business School10m

Four spheres of executive responsibility10m

Reflection and discussion: Final Assessment, Jim Barton CEO10m

Reflection and discussion: Right outcome?10m

Synthesizing YOUR framework for 21st Century leadership10m

Instructors

Robert Austin

Professor, Management of Creativity and Innovation

Department of Management, Politics, and Philosophy

Shannon Hessel

Assistant Professor of Art, Leadership and Entrepreneurship

Department of Management, Politics, and Philosophy

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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