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Innovation and Strategy

All Start Dates

  • Time

    11:00 AM – 2:30 PM ET

  • Length

    2 consecutive Tuesdays and Thursdays

  • Cost

    $2,750

  • Registration Deadline

    July 1, 2024

  • Time

    8:30 AM – 4:30 PM ET

  • Length

    2 consecutive days

  • Cost

    $2,990

  • Registration Deadline

    September 17, 2024

  • Time

    11:00 AM – 2:30 PM ET

  • Length

    every Tuesday for 4 weeks

  • Cost

    $2,750

  • Registration Deadline

    November 25, 2024

strategy and innovation, woman sitting at desk

Strengthen your organization’s capacity to drive innovation and achieve greater results.

What You'll Learn

Today’s top companies succeed by making innovation a fundamental part of their strategy. As the pace of change continues to increase and the threat of disruption becomes the new normal, companies need to have a focused and effective approach to innovation and strategy. Apple, Amazon, Intuit, and other industry leaders continue to build breakthroughs—strategies that reshape markets, deliver greater value at a lower cost, redefine channels, and force competitors to scramble.

In this program, you’ll examine the frameworks that market-leading companies use to build innovation into their business approach. Through interactive group exercises and real-world examples, you’ll learn how to drive innovation and develop winning strategies for your organization. The program emphasizes tangible, practical content which can be immediately deployed in your organization.

Program Benefits

  • Build innovation into the strategy development process.
  • Foster innovation culture and identify the most compatible structures to execute innovative ideas.
  • Enhance innovation discovery capabilities and shape new markets.
  • Evaluate and prioritize strategic options and allocate resources effectively to generate high ROI.
  • Design innovative, go-to-market strategies that capitalize on the organization’s resources and capabilities, create differentiated value for customers, and fuel growth.
  • Learn how to orient your business for speed in order to secure a competitive advantage.
  • Earn a Certificate of Participation from the Harvard Division of Continuing Education.

Topics Covered

  • Ensuring that innovation remains a strategic priority.
  • Fostering corporate innovation culture and driving innovation across the organization.
  • Exploring the habits of today’s “new innovators” and the various types of innovation.
  • Identifying innovation opportunities and evaluating their potential in context of your organization.
  • Developing a toolkit of innovation frameworks, including design thinking and jobs to be done.
  • Using defined metrics to assess innovation ideas objectively and effectively.
  • Setting up the right structure for innovation.
  • Managing and measuring a strategic innovation portfolio.
  • Learn the dynamics of minimum viable offerings, tech scouting, and coalition-building when considering build, buy, partner decisions.
  • Navigating the organizational challenges inherent in innovation programs in established companies.

Who Should Enroll

This program is designed for business leaders committed to building strategic innovation into their organization. It is equally suited for professionals from established companies who want to develop new revenue sources or from scale-ups who want to systematize non-core growth.

July Schedule

Week 1, Day 1

  • The Four Types of Innovation
  • The Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators
  • Utilizing Your Organization’s Resources and Capabilities to Innovate Inside the Box

Week 1, Day 2

  • Using Design Thinking and Lean Startup Frameworks to Innovate Outside the Box
  • Identifying Strategic Innovation Opportunities using Ideation Frameworks
  • Assessing Your Innovation Ideas Objectively

Week 2, Day 1

  • Building an Innovation Culture and Structure
  • Innovating Strategically to develop a Sustainable Competitive Advantage
  • Case Discussion: How Apple is Organized for Innovation

Week 2, Day 2

  • Innovation by Acquisition
  • Assessing your Innovation Environment
  • Managing your Innovation Portfolio
  • Individual Presentations: Innovating Inside or Outside the Box

*This schedule is subject to change.

September Schedule

Day 1

  • The Strategic Imperative for Innovation
  • Innovation Methodologies & Frameworks

Day 2

  • Lean Start-Up Workshop & Debrief
  • Innovation Leadership in Practice

December Schedule

Week 1

  • The Four Types of Innovation
  • The Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators
  • Utilizing Your Organization’s Resources and Capabilities to Innovate Inside the Box

Week 2

  • Using Design Thinking and Lean Startup Frameworks to Innovate Outside the Box
  • Identifying Strategic Innovation Opportunities using Ideation Frameworks
  • Assessing Your Innovation Ideas Objectively

Week 3

  • Building an Innovation Culture and Structure
  • Innovating Strategically to develop a Sustainable Competitive Advantage
  • Case Discussion: How Apple is Organized for Innovation

Week 4

  • Innovation by Acquisition
  • Assessing your Innovation Environment
  • Managing your Innovation Portfolio
  • Individual Presentations: Innovating Inside or Outside the Box

*This schedule is subject to change.

Instructor

  • Areen Shahbari

    Areen Shahbari

    Areen has over 15 years of corporate, business training, and consulting experience. She is the CEO of Shahbari Training & Consultancy, an instructor at Harvard University Extension School, and an entrepreneurship and leadership trainer at Babson Executive Education and Stanford University Center for Professional Development.

Instructor

  • Ben Little.

    Ben Little

    Ben is an accomplished professor, practitioner, and researcher with a strong passion for innovation. As the Vice President of Design Strategy at Fidelity Investments, he spearheads the development of groundbreaking and cutting-edge projects. Ben also serves as the Director of Design Innovation at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where he mentors aspiring designers.

Instructor

  • Areen Shahbari

    Areen Shahbari

    Areen has over 15 years of corporate, business training, and consulting experience. She is the CEO of Shahbari Training & Consultancy, an instructor at Harvard University Extension School, and an entrepreneurship and leadership trainer at Babson Executive Education and Stanford University Center for Professional Development.

Certificates of Leadership Excellence

The Certificates of Leadership Excellence (CLE) are designed for leaders with the desire to enhance their business acumen, challenge current thinking, and expand their leadership skills.

This program is one of several CLE qualifying programs. Register today and get started earning your certificate.

Learn More