business case study about leadership

• All Headlines

Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2021

Two cases about Hertz claimed top spots in 2021's Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies

Two cases on the uses of debt and equity at Hertz claimed top spots in the CRDT’s (Case Research and Development Team) 2021 top 40 review of cases.

Hertz (A) took the top spot. The case details the financial structure of the rental car company through the end of 2019. Hertz (B), which ranked third in CRDT’s list, describes the company’s struggles during the early part of the COVID pandemic and its eventual need to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

The success of the Hertz cases was unprecedented for the top 40 list. Usually, cases take a number of years to gain popularity, but the Hertz cases claimed top spots in their first year of release. Hertz (A) also became the first ‘cooked’ case to top the annual review, as all of the other winners had been web-based ‘raw’ cases.

Besides introducing students to the complicated financing required to maintain an enormous fleet of cars, the Hertz cases also expanded the diversity of case protagonists. Kathyrn Marinello was the CEO of Hertz during this period and the CFO, Jamere Jackson is black.

Sandwiched between the two Hertz cases, Coffee 2016, a perennial best seller, finished second. “Glory, Glory, Man United!” a case about an English football team’s IPO made a surprise move to number four.  Cases on search fund boards, the future of malls,  Norway’s Sovereign Wealth fund, Prodigy Finance, the Mayo Clinic, and Cadbury rounded out the top ten.

Other year-end data for 2021 showed:

• Online “raw” case usage remained steady as compared to 2020 with over 35K users from 170 countries and all 50 U.S. states interacting with 196 cases.
• Fifty four percent of raw case users came from outside the U.S..
• The Yale School of Management (SOM) case study directory pages received over 160K page views from 177 countries with approximately a third originating in India followed by the U.S. and the Philippines.
• Twenty-six of the cases in the list are raw cases.
• A third of the cases feature a woman protagonist.
• Orders for Yale SOM case studies increased by almost 50% compared to 2020.
• The top 40 cases were supervised by 19 different Yale SOM faculty members, several supervising multiple cases.

CRDT compiled the Top 40 list by combining data from its case store, Google Analytics, and other measures of interest and adoption.

All of this year’s Top 40 cases are available for purchase from the Yale Management Media store .

And the Top 40 cases studies of 2021 are:

1.   Hertz Global Holdings (A): Uses of Debt and Equity

2.   Coffee 2016

3.   Hertz Global Holdings (B): Uses of Debt and Equity 2020

4.   Glory, Glory Man United!

5.   Search Fund Company Boards: How CEOs Can Build Boards to Help Them Thrive

6.   The Future of Malls: Was Decline Inevitable?

7.   Strategy for Norway's Pension Fund Global

8.   Prodigy Finance

9.   Design at Mayo

10. Cadbury

11. City Hospital Emergency Room

13. Volkswagen

14. Marina Bay Sands

15. Shake Shack IPO

16. Mastercard

17. Netflix

18. Ant Financial

19. AXA: Creating the New CR Metrics

20. IBM Corporate Service Corps

21. Business Leadership in South Africa's 1994 Reforms

22. Alternative Meat Industry

23. Children's Premier

24. Khalil Tawil and Umi (A)

25. Palm Oil 2016

26. Teach For All: Designing a Global Network

27. What's Next? Search Fund Entrepreneurs Reflect on Life After Exit

28. Searching for a Search Fund Structure: A Student Takes a Tour of Various Options

30. Project Sammaan

31. Commonfund ESG

32. Polaroid

33. Connecticut Green Bank 2018: After the Raid

34. FieldFresh Foods

35. The Alibaba Group

36. 360 State Street: Real Options

37. Herman Miller

38. AgBiome

39. Nathan Cummings Foundation

40. Toyota 2010

About Stanford GSB

• The Leadership
• Dean’s Updates
• School News & History
• Commencement
• Business, Government & Society
• Centers & Institutes
• Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
• Center for Social Innovation
• Stanford Seed

About the Experience

• Learning at Stanford GSB
• Experiential Learning
• Guest Speakers
• Entrepreneurship
• Social Innovation
• Communication
• Life at Stanford GSB
• Collaborative Environment
• Activities & Organizations
• Student Services
• Housing Options
• International Students

Full-Time Degree Programs

• Why Stanford MBA
• Academic Experience
• Financial Aid
• Why Stanford MSx
• Research Fellows Program
• See All Programs

Non-Degree & Certificate Programs

• Executive Education
• Stanford Executive Program
• Programs for Organizations
• The Difference
• Online Programs
• Stanford LEAD
• Seed Transformation Program
• Aspire Program
• Seed Spark Program
• Faculty Profiles
• Academic Areas
• Awards & Honors
• Conferences

Faculty Research

• Publications
• Working Papers
• Case Studies

Research Hub

• Research Labs & Initiatives
• Business Library
• Data, Analytics & Research Computing
• Behavioral Lab

Research Labs

• Cities, Housing & Society Lab
• Golub Capital Social Impact Lab

Research Initiatives

• Corporate Governance Research Initiative
• Corporations and Society Initiative
• Policy and Innovation Initiative
• Rapid Decarbonization Initiative
• Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative
• Value Chain Innovation Initiative
• Venture Capital Initiative
• Career & Success
• Climate & Sustainability
• Corporate Governance
• Culture & Society
• Finance & Investing
• Government & Politics
• Leadership & Management
• Markets and Trade
• Operations & Logistics
• Opportunity & Access
• Technology & AI
• Opinion & Analysis
• Email Newsletter

Welcome, Alumni

• Communities
• Digital Communities & Tools
• Regional Chapters
• Women’s Programs
• Identity Chapters
• Find Your Reunion
• Career Resources
• Job Search Resources
• Career & Life Transitions
• Programs & Webinars
• Career Video Library
• Alumni Education
• Research Resources
• Volunteering
• Alumni News
• Class Notes
• Alumni Voices
• Contact Alumni Relations
• Upcoming Events

Admission Events & Information Sessions

• MBA Program
• MSx Program
• PhD Program
• Alumni Events
• All Other Events
• Databases & Datasets
• Research Guides
• Consultations
• Research Workshops
• Career Research
• Research Data Services
• Course Reserves
• Course Research Guides
• Material Loan Periods
• Fines & Other Charges
• Document Delivery
• Interlibrary Loan
• Equipment Checkout
• Print & Scan
• MBA & MSx Students
• PhD Students
• Other Stanford Students
• Faculty Assistants
• Research Assistants
• Stanford GSB Alumni
• Telling Our Story
• Staff Directory
• Research Support
• Stanford GSB Archive

Explore case studies from Stanford GSB and from other institutions.

Stanford GSB Case Studies

Other Case Studies

• Priorities for the GSB's Future
• See the Current DEI Report
• Supporting Data
• Research & Insights
• Share Your Thoughts
• Search Fund Primer
• Teaching & Curriculum
• Affiliated Faculty
• Faculty Advisors
• Louis W. Foster Resource Center
• Defining Social Innovation
• Impact Compass
• Global Health Innovation Insights
• Faculty Affiliates
• Student Awards & Certificates
• Changemakers
• Dean Jonathan Levin
• Dean Garth Saloner
• Dean Robert Joss
• Dean Michael Spence
• Dean Robert Jaedicke
• Dean Rene McPherson
• Dean Arjay Miller
• Dean Ernest Arbuckle
• Dean Jacob Hugh Jackson
• Dean Willard Hotchkiss
• Faculty in Memoriam
• Stanford GSB Firsts
• Class of 2024 Candidates
• Certificate & Award Recipients
• Dean’s Remarks
• Keynote Address
• Teaching Approach
• Analysis and Measurement of Impact
• The Corporate Entrepreneur: Startup in a Grown-Up Enterprise
• Data-Driven Impact
• Designing Experiments for Impact
• Digital Marketing
• The Founder’s Right Hand
• Marketing for Measurable Change
• Product Management
• Public Policy Lab: Financial Challenges Facing US Cities
• Public Policy Lab: Homelessness in California
• Lab Features
• Curricular Integration
• View From The Top
• Formation of New Ventures
• Managing Growing Enterprises
• Startup Garage
• Explore Beyond the Classroom
• Stanford Venture Studio
• Summer Program
• Workshops & Events
• The Five Lenses of Entrepreneurship
• Leadership Labs
• Executive Challenge
• Arbuckle Leadership Fellows Program
• Selection Process
• Training Schedule
• Time Commitment
• Learning Expectations
• Post-Training Opportunities
• Who Should Apply
• Introductory T-Groups
• Leadership for Society Program
• Certificate
• 2024 Awardees
• 2023 Awardees
• 2022 Awardees
• 2021 Awardees
• 2020 Awardees
• 2019 Awardees
• 2018 Awardees
• Social Management Immersion Fund
• Stanford Impact Founder Fellowships and Prizes
• Stanford Impact Leader Prizes
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Stanford GSB Impact Fund
• Economic Development
• Energy & Environment
• Stanford GSB Residences
• Environmental Leadership
• Stanford GSB Artwork
• A Closer Look
• California & the Bay Area
• Voices of Stanford GSB
• Business & Beneficial Technology
• Business & Sustainability
• Business & Free Markets
• Business, Government, and Society Forum
• Get Involved
• Second Year
• Global Experiences
• JD/MBA Joint Degree
• MA Education/MBA Joint Degree
• MD/MBA Dual Degree
• MPP/MBA Joint Degree
• MS Computer Science/MBA Joint Degree
• MS Electrical Engineering/MBA Joint Degree
• MS Environment and Resources (E-IPER)/MBA Joint Degree
• Academic Calendar
• Clubs & Activities
• LGBTQ+ Students
• Military Veterans
• Minorities & People of Color
• Partners & Families
• Students with Disabilities
• Student Support
• Residential Life
• Student Voices
• MBA Alumni Voices
• A Week in the Life
• Career Support
• Employment Outcomes
• Cost of Attendance
• Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program
• Yellow Ribbon Program
• BOLD Fellows Fund
• Application Process
• Loan Forgiveness
• Contact the Financial Aid Office
• Evaluation Criteria
• GMAT & GRE
• English Language Proficiency
• Personal Information, Activities & Awards
• Professional Experience
• Letters of Recommendation
• Optional Short Answer Questions
• Application Fee
• Reapplication
• Deferred Enrollment
• Joint & Dual Degrees
• Entering Class Profile
• Event Schedule
• Ambassadors
• New & Noteworthy
• Ask a Question
• See Why Stanford MSx
• Is MSx Right for You?
• MSx Stories
• Leadership Development
• How You Will Learn
• Admission Events
• Personal Information
• GMAT, GRE & EA
• English Proficiency Tests
• Career Change
• Career Advancement
• Daycare, Schools & Camps
• U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
• Requirements
• Requirements: Behavioral
• Requirements: Quantitative
• Requirements: Macro
• Requirements: Micro
• Annual Evaluations
• Field Examination
• Research Activities
• Research Papers
• Dissertation
• Oral Examination
• Current Students
• Education & CV
• International Applicants
• Statement of Purpose
• Reapplicants
• Application Fee Waiver
• Deadline & Decisions
• Job Market Candidates
• Academic Placements
• Stay in Touch
• Faculty Mentors
• Current Fellows
• Standard Track
• Fellowship & Benefits
• Group Enrollment
• Program Formats
• Developing a Program
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Strategic Transformation
• Program Experience
• Contact Client Services
• Campus Experience
• Live Online Experience
• Silicon Valley & Bay Area
• Digital Credentials
• Faculty Spotlights
• Participant Spotlights
• Eligibility
• International Participants
• Stanford Ignite
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Operations, Information & Technology
• Organizational Behavior
• Political Economy
• Classical Liberalism
• The Eddie Lunch
• Accounting Summer Camp
• Videos, Code & Data
• California Econometrics Conference
• California Quantitative Marketing PhD Conference
• California School Conference
• China India Insights Conference
• Homo economicus, Evolving
• Political Economics (2023–24)
• Scaling Geologic Storage of CO2 (2023–24)
• A Resilient Pacific: Building Connections, Envisioning Solutions
• Adaptation and Innovation
• Changing Climate
• Civil Society
• Climate Impact Summit
• Climate Science
• Corporate Carbon Disclosures
• Earth’s Seafloor
• Environmental Justice
• Operations and Information Technology
• Organizations
• Sustainability Reporting and Control
• Taking the Pulse of the Planet
• Urban Infrastructure
• Watershed Restoration
• Junior Faculty Workshop on Financial Regulation and Banking
• Ken Singleton Celebration
• Marketing Camp
• Quantitative Marketing PhD Alumni Conference
• Presentations
• Theory and Inference in Accounting Research
• Stanford Closer Look Series
• Quick Guides
• Core Concepts
• Journal Articles
• Glossary of Terms
• Faculty & Staff
• Researchers & Students
• Research Approach
• Charitable Giving
• Financial Health
• Government Services
• Workers & Careers
• Short Course
• Adaptive & Iterative Experimentation
• Incentive Design
• Social Sciences & Behavioral Nudges
• Bandit Experiment Application
• Conferences & Events
• Reading Materials
• Energy Entrepreneurship
• Faculty & Affiliates
• SOLE Report
• Responsible Supply Chains
• Current Study Usage
• Pre-Registration Information
• Participate in a Study
• Founding Donors
• Location Information
• Participant Profile
• Network Membership
• Program Impact
• Collaborators
• Entrepreneur Profiles
• Company Spotlights
• Seed Transformation Network
• Responsibilities
• Current Coaches
• How to Apply
• Meet the Consultants
• Meet the Interns
• Intern Profiles
• Collaborate
• Research Library
• News & Insights
• Program Contacts
• Site Registration
• Alumni Directory
• Alumni Email
• Privacy Settings & My Profile
• Success Stories
• The Story of Circles
• Support Women’s Circles
• Stanford Women on Boards Initiative
• Alumnae Spotlights
• Insights & Research
• Industry & Professional
• Entrepreneurial Commitment Group
• Recent Alumni
• Half-Century Club
• Fall Reunions
• Spring Reunions
• MBA 25th Reunion
• Half-Century Club Reunion
• Faculty Lectures
• Ernest C. Arbuckle Award
• Alison Elliott Exceptional Achievement Award
• ENCORE Award
• Excellence in Leadership Award
• John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award
• Robert K. Jaedicke Faculty Award
• Jack McDonald Military Service Appreciation Award
• Jerry I. Porras Latino Leadership Award
• Tapestry Award
• Student & Alumni Events
• Executive Recruiters
• Interviewing
• Land the Perfect Job with LinkedIn
• Negotiating
• Elevator Pitch
• Email Best Practices
• Resumes & Cover Letters
• Self-Assessment
• Whitney Birdwell Ball
• Margaret Brooks
• Bryn Panee Burkhart
• Margaret Chan
• Ricki Frankel
• Peter Gandolfo
• Cindy W. Greig
• Natalie Guillen
• Carly Janson
• Sloan Klein
• Sherri Appel Lassila
• Stuart Meyer
• Tanisha Parrish
• Virginia Roberson
• Philippe Taieb
• Michael Takagawa
• Terra Winston
• Johanna Wise
• Debbie Wolter
• Rebecca Zucker
• Complimentary Coaching
• Changing Careers
• Work-Life Integration
• Career Breaks
• Flexible Work
• Encore Careers
• Join a Board
• D&B Hoovers
• Data Axle (ReferenceUSA)
• EBSCO Business Source
• Global Newsstream
• Market Share Reporter
• ProQuest One Business
• Student Clubs
• Entrepreneurial Students
• Stanford GSB Trust
• Alumni Community
• How to Volunteer
• Springboard Sessions
• Consulting Projects
• 2020 – 2029
• 2010 – 2019
• 2000 – 2009
• 1990 – 1999
• 1980 – 1989
• 1970 – 1979
• 1960 – 1969
• 1950 – 1959
• 1940 – 1949
• Service Areas
• ACT History
• ACT Awards Celebration
• ACT Governance Structure
• Building Leadership for ACT
• Individual Leadership Positions
• Leadership Role Overview
• Purpose of the ACT Management Board
• Contact ACT
• Business & Nonprofit Communities
• Reunion Volunteers
• Ways to Give
• Fiscal Year Report
• Business School Fund Leadership Council
• Planned Giving Options
• Planned Giving Benefits
• Planned Gifts and Reunions
• Legacy Partners
• Giving News & Stories
• Giving Deadlines
• Development Staff
• Submit Class Notes
• Class Secretaries
• Board of Directors
• Health Care
• Sustainability
• Class Takeaways
• All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions
• If/Then: Business, Leadership, Society
• Grit & Growth
• Think Fast, Talk Smart
• Spring 2022
• Spring 2021
• Autumn 2020
• Summer 2020
• Winter 2020
• In the Media
• For Journalists
• DCI Fellows
• Other Auditors
• Academic Calendar & Deadlines
• Course Materials
• Entrepreneurial Resources
• Campus Drive Grove
• Campus Drive Lawn
• CEMEX Auditorium
• King Community Court
• Seawell Family Boardroom
• Stanford GSB Bowl
• Stanford Investors Common
• Town Square
• Vidalakis Courtyard
• Vidalakis Dining Hall
• Catering Services
• Policies & Guidelines
• Reservations
• Contact Faculty Recruiting
• Lecturer Positions
• Postdoctoral Positions
• Accommodations
• CMC-Managed Interviews
• Recruiter-Managed Interviews
• Virtual Interviews
• Campus & Virtual
• Search for Candidates
• Think Globally
• Recruiting Calendar
• Recruiting Policies
• Full-Time Employment
• Summer Employment
• Entrepreneurial Summer Program
• Global Management Immersion Experience
• Social-Purpose Summer Internships
• Process Overview
• Project Types
• Client Eligibility Criteria
• Client Screening
• ACT Leadership
• Social Innovation & Nonprofit Management Resources
• Develop Your Organization’s Talent
• Centers & Initiatives
• Student Fellowships

• Magazine Issues
• Magazine Articles
• Online Articles
• Training Day Blog
• Whitepapers
• L&D Provider Directory
• Artificial Intelligence
• Employee Engagement
• Handling Customer Complaints
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Leadership Development Case Studies
• Positive Relationships
• Teams and Teambuilding
• Awards Overview
• Training APEX Awards
• Emerging Training Leaders
• Training Magazine Network Choice Awards
• Online Courses
• Training Conference & Expo
• TechLearn Conference
• Email Newsletter
• Advertising

Leadership Case Studies

Here is a sample of three case studies from the book, Leadership Case Studies, that are most instructive and impactful to developing leadership skills.

For the past 30 years, I have conducted seminars and workshops and taught college classes on leadership.

I used a variety of teaching aids including books, articles, case studies, role-plays, and videos.

I recently created a book, Leadership Case Studies that includes some of the case studies and role-plays that I found to be most instructive and impactful.

Here is a sample of three case studies.

Peter Weaver Case Study

Peter Weaver doesn’t like to follow the crowd. He thinks groupthink is a common problem in many organizations. This former director of marketing for a consumer products company believes differences of opinion should be heard and appreciated. As Weaver states, “I have always believed I should speak for what I believe to be true.”

He demonstrated his belief in being direct and candid throughout his career. On one occasion, he was assigned to market Paul’s spaghetti-sauce products. During the brand review, the company president said, “Our spaghetti sauce is losing out to price-cutting competitors. We need to cut our prices!”

Peter found the courage to say he disagreed with the president. He then explained the product line needed more variety and a larger advertising budget. Prices should not be cut. The president accepted Weaver’s reasoning. Later, his supervisor approached him and said, “I wanted to say that, but I just didn’t have the courage to challenge the president.”

On another occasion, the president sent Weaver and 16 other executives to a weeklong seminar on strategic planning. Weaver soon concluded the consultants were off base and going down the wrong path. Between sessions, most of the other executives indicated they didn’t think the consultants were on the right path. The consultants heard about the dissent and dramatically asked participants whether they were in or out. Those who said “Out” had to leave immediately.

As the consultants went around the room, every executive who privately grumbled about the session said “In.” Weaver was fourth from last. When it was his turn, he said “Out” and left the room.

All leaders spend time in reflection and self-examination to identify what they truly believe and value. Their beliefs are tested and fine-tuned over time. True leaders can tell you, without hesitation, what they believe and why. They don’t need a teleprompter to remind them of their core beliefs. And, they find the courage to speak up even when they know others will disagree.

• What leadership traits did Weaver exhibit?
• If you were in Weaver’s shoes, what would you have done?
• Where does courage come from?
• List your three most important values.

Dealing with a Crisis Case Study

Assume you are the VP of Sales and Marketing for a large insurance company. Once a year your company rewards and recognizes the top 100 sales agents by taking them to a luxury resort for a four-day conference. Business presentation meetings are held during the morning. Afternoons are free time. Agents and spouses can choose from an assortment of activities including golf, tennis, boating, fishing, shopping, swimming, etc.

On day 2 at 3:00 p.m., you are at the gym working out on the treadmill, when you see Sue your administrative assistant rushing towards you. She says, “I need to talk to you immediately.”

You get off the treadmill and say, “What’s up?” Sue states, “We’ve had a tragedy. Several agents went boating and swimming at the lake. Randy, our agent from California died while swimming.”

(Background information – Randy is 28 years old. His wife did not come on the trip. She is home in California with their three children).

• Explain what you would communicate to the following people.
• Your Human Resources Department
• The local police
• The attendees at the conference (Would you continue the conference?)
• How will you notify Randy’s wife?
• If Randy’s wife and a few family members want to visit the location of Randy’s death, what would you do?
• What are some “guiding principles” that leaders need to follow in a crisis situation?

 Arsenic and Old Lace Case Study

Review the YouTube video, “ I’ll show them who is boss Arsenic and Old Lace.”   

Background Information

The Vernon Road Bleaching and Dyeing Company is a British lace dyeing business. It was purchased in bankruptcy by the father/son team of Henry and Richard Chaplin. Richard has been acting as “Managing Director” which is the same as a general manager or president of a company.

The company has had 50-to-150 employees with 35-to-100 being shop floor, production employees. The company produces and sells various dyed fabrics to the garment industry.

Gerry Robinson is a consultant who was asked to help transform methods of conducting business to save the company.

Jeff is the factory manager.

• What are Richard’s strengths and weaknesses as a leader?
• What could Richard have done to make the problems of quality and unhappy customers more visible to the workforce?
• What do you think Richard’s top three priorities should be for the next 12 months?
• What could Richard have done to motivate the workforce?
• Evaluate Jeff’s approach and effectiveness as a leader.

The book contains 16 case studies, four role-plays, and six articles. I hope you find some of the content useful and helpful in your efforts to teach leadership.

Click for additional leadership case studies and resources .

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

5 Steps to Shift from Managing to Coaching

Training apex awards best practice: johns hopkins medicine: patient access’ practical application training.

How Learning and Development Can Increase Engagement and Build Unity

Online partners.

Showcase your L&D success with the 2025 Training APEX Awards

Business Advisor

How to Make Different Business Leadership Styles Work (With Case Studies)

Several thought leaders have referred to 2020 as the year of great reset. But if you want to be really strict about it, most of the biggest business shifts started way back at the onset of the 21st century. 

Traditional business leaders who are banking on traditional business leadership styles in this new century needlessly risk losing their businesses to unhealthy age-old leadership practices.

The pandemic just helped reiterate the need for business leaders to change the way they approach business problems primarily due to the following reasons:

• New technologies
• Pace of change
• Changing demographics and employee expectations
• Changing customer expectations

Simon Sinek, in his influential book Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action , proposes a powerful framework that emphasizes the importance of a leader’s ‘why’. Sinek argues that leaders who start with why, with their purpose, cause, or belief, are able to inspire and motivate others in a way that transcends simply outlining tasks and goals. This focus on purpose aligns well with the idea that effective leadership is about more than just giving orders; it’s about creating a shared vision and inspiring a team to achieve it.

The chart below gives you a better glimpse of the reasons why there is a difference in the requirements for the kind of leaders we need to have in this era. The data depicted is from Deloitte’s Human Capital Trends Survey .

What are these particular requirements? According to the same study by Deloitte, business leaders need to have the following abilities:

• lead through more complexity and ambiguity
• lead through influence
• manage on a remote basis
• manage a workforce with a combination of humans and machines
• lead more quickly

See this second figure below.

According to Forbes , there are three notable leadership skill shifts for 2021 and these are the following:

• Communication to Empathy 
• Emotional Intelligence to Emotional Agility 
• Time Management to Context Management

Leaders are expected to be effective communicators, but the shift is now focused on empathy as a priority for business leaders this year. The Management Research Group found empathy to be the leading positive leadership competency and one of the biggest predictors of senior executive effectiveness . This makes a lot of sense especially now that the recent challenges brought about by the pandemic have highlighted the value of caring while communicating.

Emotional intelligence to emotional agility is another important shift. Susan David , a psychologist and the author of the book “Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life” describes emotionally agile people be the type of people who are not only aware of their feelings but also know how to navigate through them.

Now the shift from time management to context management gives emphasis on how the change in the context of how and where we work requires realignment in managing our time and designing our days around how we work. 

While there are several leadership styles and the specific strategies vary depending on the field or industry, the concepts are basically the same. Let’s take note of these leadership skill shifts mentioned earlier in studying how we can better tailor the different leadership styles to suit the changing times. 

The following are six of the different leadership styles we will tackle further:

• Autocratic Leadership Style
• Democratic Leadership Style
• Laissez-Faire Leadership Style
• Situational leadership style
• Transactional Leadership Style
• Transformational Leadership Style

First off, let’s start with the traditional business leadership styles.

Get personalized leadership advice and monthly goal assessment

1. autocratic leadership style.

Case Study: Howell Raines of The New York Times

The New York Times under Howell Raines as the Executive Editor decided at one point to only put resources on the stories that he deemed as worth covering. While this led to The New York Times winning a record-breaking seven Pulitzer awards in a single year, several staff members got demoralized.

There is no known theorist behind autocratic leadership so it is considered as an organic leadership style that has developed over the course of time that it has been used. 

Basically, an autocratic leader is the type of leader who would make decisions without proper consultation. You may think that this leadership style is unacceptable for who decides on his own especially if the decision concerns an entire organization, right? 

But, Cleverism articulates three situations where the autocratic leadership style can be used and these are the following:

• The situation requires fast and immediate decision-making
• There is no clarity in the process of the procedure and pushing ahead might only lead people to danger
• There are more inexperienced people in the group and most of them are demotivated

The tendency of most businesses with an autocratic leader is that the subordinates will become passive and mediocre, or conflicts may arise.

In these situations where a business leader must step up and use the autocratic leadership style, it is important to take note of communicating openly and regarding others with respect the entire time.

2. Democratic Leadership Style

Case Study: Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google

Founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page hired Eric Schmidt to jump-start the Internet search engine. Blending autocratic, laissez-faire and democratic leadership styles, they allowed someone knowledgeable and experienced into Google which would then lead to more democratic teams composed of experienced talent. 

Also known as the participative leadership style, the democratic leadership style in business management is often characterized as the style that encourages collaboration with fellow leaders and team members. In other words, everyone is allowed to participate in the decision-making process. 

While this style of leadership is very motivating for most people as compared to the autocratic leadership style, it works best for businesses that employ experts in their departments so little supervision is required. 

According to St. Thomas University , the following organizations can take advantage of this:

• Biotech R&D divisions
• Housing construction sites
• Universities
• Information technology companies

Furthermore, the university lists the following as the disadvantages of this leadership style:

• Business leaders may become too dependent on their subordinates
• Getting everyone’s input may take a lot of time 
• Missed deadlines are possible 
• Consulting with people who lack accurate data or sufficient knowledge
• Too much burden for business leaders to oversee collaboration

The democratic leadership style can bring forth massive business growth if business leaders are willing to take responsibility for the decisions made and provide support and expertise during collaborations.

Such requires highly productive leaders who know what they do and will take action.

3. Laissez-Faire Leadership Style

Case Study: Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway

Warren Buffett is known for exemplifying the laissez-faire leadership style as he allows people he works with to do their jobs without his supervision or intervention. His great success over several years has been attributed to his style of leadership which allows a culture of motivation and confidence. He, however, sees to it that he only hires people he can trust to do their jobs.

The laissez-faire leadership style emerged from the French word laissez-faire which means “leave alone”. Also called the hands-off approach, this style is based on the concept that leaders can leave their employees or teams alone in coming up with ideas or decisions for the business departments they are part of. 

This used to be a very popular style before the 19th century, but as modernization started, more and more business leaders find the disadvantages of leading teams with no supervision to be detrimental. This is particularly possible for companies that lack expert talent.

What business leaders who employ this leadership style should note is that assuming that subordinates must be free from accountability. This only encourages the company’s people to be complacent.

The business leader must ensure that teams are composed of highly-skilled individuals who can be reliable in achieving business goals under their responsibility.

At this point, we’ve already discussed the three leadership styles that can be highly traditional unless approached with a fresh perspective that takes into account the new leadership needs and skill shifts.

How these three business leadership styles work is illustrated below.

Which leadership style can you resonate with the most?

We now have what we call modern leadership styles or approaches. These styles have emerged as a response to the traditional styles that do not allow much room for innovation. 

Although most of these new approaches are modified versions of the traditional leadership styles, they are identified mainly based on the following types of categories:

• Situational leadership
• Transactional leadership
• Transformational leadership
• Innovative leadership

4. Situational Leadership Style 

This leadership style follows the contingency-based leadership model when responding to situations or making decisions. Business leaders who employ this style are flexible and would normally use varying leadership strategies depending on the situation.

Goleman believes that a situational leader must be able to incorporate the six specific leadership styles given the right circumstances.

5. Transactional Leadership Style

Also known as managerial leadership, transactional leadership is a style that focuses on supervision, organization, and group performance.

Business leaders under this style use rewards and punishments to motivate subordinates in a given task.

According to Verywell Mind , the basic assumptions of transactional leadership are the following:

• When the chain of command is clear, your workforce performs their best
• Rewards and punishments are effective agents of motivation
• Obeying the leader is the most important goal of the subordinates
• Careful monitoring is a must

When giving assignments, the business leader must be clear when it comes to the instructions, rewards and consequences, as well as giving feedback. 

6. Transformational Leadership Style

Business leaders who subscribe to the transformational leadership style serve as inspirations to their subordinates.

They inspire as they lead by example and as they cultivate an environment that welcomes creativity and innovation. This suits employees who have entrepreneurial minds as transformational business leaders seek to inspire just the right amount of intellectual independence in the workplace.

In a roundup article, Harvard Business Review lists the following as the best examples of transformational leadership:

• Jeff Bezos , Amazon
• Reed Hastings , Netflix
• Jeff Boyd and Glenn Fogel , Priceline
• Steve Jobs and Tim Cook , Apple
• Mark Bertolini , Aetna
• Kent Thiry , DaVita
• Satya Nadella , Microsoft
• Emmanuel Faber , Danone
• Heinrich Hiesinger , ThyssenKrupp

The Harvard Business Review refers to this group as the Transformation 10 for exemplifying transformational leadership.

Strengthening Your Leadership Mindset

About 60% of the executives who participated in the 2021 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends said that what prepared them for the unknown is leadership . This is the kind of leadership that takes into account the unpredictable and incorporates strategies surrounding that through coaching, teaming, and fostering.

But did you know that based on the research of the Corporate Executive Board , about 50%-70% of the new business executives or leaders fail within the first 18 months? Unless you have the right leadership mindset and you solidify that mindset, you will become part of this figure. 

Whenever a major business problem happens, you can either succumb to the pressure and give up, or find a solution to the problem . The most successful business leaders try their hardest to never give up.

Most business leaders would rather grind than get back to their regular jobs of 9-to-5.

In 1519, a Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernán Cortés pursued the treasures of the Aztecs with 11 ships and a crew of 100 sailors and 500 soldiers. His army was vastly outnumbered and some soldiers tried to escape. Cortés gave the order to burn the ships and left no choice but to fight until their last breath.

That wasn’t the end for everyone. Part of the army survived and they got a hold of the treasure.

At first, calmness is a myth. People are emotional by nature and react to any deviations from their plans. With time, those who choose to be in the captain’s spot until the end see problems that have to be solved and suppress the emotional part that is dragging them down.

The role of a business leader isn’t easy in the first place. Constant changes and surprises are not abnormal and at some point, they become a daily routine.

Plenty of problems appear to be critical, but in the end, they should be solved. You don’t run away from them. You step up as a business leader and inspire your teams to follow through.

The most effective leadership style for business is the leadership that inspires.

If being a business leader of a successful company is among your highest priorities, work on your leadership know-how, develop your management soft skills , and make it work for your people.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Successful Collaborative Leadership in Action: Case Studies and Real-World Examples

Table of contents, benefits of collaborative leadership over traditional hierarchical approaches, key principles of collaborative leadership, company overview: google, strategies and successes, organization: mayo clinic, collaboration in action, organization: habitat for humanity, success story, overcoming challenges.

What makes collaborative leadership so vital in today’s business environment? This approach, which emphasizes teamwork, open communication, and shared objectives, makes organizations better equipped to harness the collective skills and insights of their diverse teams, leading to enhanced problem-solving and decision-making. 

This blog aims to delve into practical case studies that highlight the effectiveness of collaborative leadership in various sectors, offering professionals and executives insights into how these practices can be implemented successfully.

Collaborative leadership stands in contrast to traditional hierarchical management by fostering a participative and inclusive environment. This approach not only boosts employee morale and engagement but also enhances decision-making quality by incorporating diverse perspectives. 

Studies have shown that organizations adopting collaborative leadership are more agile, report higher satisfaction among team members, and are more successful in navigating complex market conditions.

By focusing on collaboration, organizations can unlock the potential of their workforce more effectively. This shift from a directive to a more consultative and inclusive style of leadership can lead to substantial improvements in innovation. As each team member has the opportunity to contribute ideas and insights, the collective intelligence of the group improves, leading to more creative solutions and better outcomes.

At the heart of collaborative leadership lie principles such as:

• Open Communication: Effective collaborative leadership relies on transparent and open communication channels. Leaders must encourage dialogue among team members, ensuring that everyone feels comfortable expressing their ideas, concerns, and feedback. This fosters a culture of trust and ensures that information flows freely across the organization.
• Mutual Respect: Collaborative leaders recognize the value of each team member’s contributions and perspectives. They foster an environment where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their position or background. By promoting mutual respect, leaders create a sense of belonging and ownership among team members, which enhances collaboration and productivity.
• Shared Goals: Collaborative leadership aligns team members around common goals and objectives. Leaders must articulate a clear vision for the organization and ensure that every team member understands their role in achieving that vision. By emphasizing shared goals, leaders create a sense of purpose and unity, motivating team members to work together towards a common objective.
• Empowerment: Collaborative leaders empower their team members to take ownership of their work and make decisions autonomously. They provide support and guidance when needed but trust their team members to exercise their judgment and expertise. By empowering individuals, leaders foster a sense of autonomy and accountability, which encourages initiative and innovation.
• Continuous Learning: Collaborative leadership values learning and growth, both individually and collectively. Leaders encourage experimentation and iteration, recognizing that failure is a natural part of the learning process. They create opportunities for professional development and skill-building, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

According to leadership expert John Maxwell, “Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” This balance is crucial in collaborative environments. Studies, like those from Harvard Business Review , reinforce that leaders who practice empathy and openness are more likely to foster trust and cooperation among their teams.

Now, let’s see how these principles manifest in real-world examples across different sectors.

Case Study 1 – Technology Sector

Google, renowned for its innovation and market dominance, attributes much of its success to its collaborative culture. The tech giant promotes an atmosphere where ideas can flourish among all levels of staff, supported by an organizational structure that minimizes hierarchical constraints.

Google’s approach includes open-plan offices designed to encourage spontaneous interactions and brainstorming sessions. The company’s policy of “20% time” —allowing employees to dedicate one day a week to any project that interests them—has spurred innovation and led to the development of products like Gmail and AdSense. Moreover, Google’s leadership fosters a psychologically safe environment where team members feel secure enough to voice opinions without fear of ridicule or retribution, which was a significant finding from their Project Aristotle.

Case Study 2 – Healthcare Sector

The Mayo Clinic, a leader in the medical world, utilizes collaborative leadership to enhance its delivery of comprehensive healthcare. This prestigious institution integrates various specialists into cohesive teams to provide the best patient care possible.

A notable example of Mayo Clinic’s collaboration is their Multidisciplinary Design Clinic in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery , where multiple specialists (surgeons, physical therapists, biomechanical engineers) come together to discuss individual patient cases. This collaborative approach allows for a more holistic view of patient care and has led to higher success rates in complex surgeries and treatments. Moreover, the clinic’s emphasis on collaborative decision-making ensures that all potential treatment paths are considered, leading to optimized patient outcomes.

Case Study 3 – Nonprofit Sector

Habitat for Humanity leverages collaborative leadership to tackle significant challenges like housing insecurity. This global nonprofit coordinates efforts between donors, volunteers, and local communities to construct affordable and sustainable housing.

In response to the global housing crisis, Habitat for Humanity launched the “Home for a Home” initiative, which fosters collaboration between local businesses, governments, and volunteers. Through this program, every home built or renovated by volunteers triggers additional funding from corporate partners, which is then used to fund the construction of more homes. This initiative not only multiplies the impact of each contribution but also strengthens community ties and increases public awareness of housing issues.

Lessons Learned

From the case studies presented, several key themes emerge about the nature of collaborative leadership:

• Cultural Transformation: Implementing collaborative leadership often requires a cultural shift within organizations. Leaders must actively cultivate an environment where open communication, mutual respect, and shared goals are not only encouraged but also ingrained in the organizational culture.
• Inclusivity and Diversity: Collaborative leadership thrives on diverse perspectives and experiences. Leaders should actively seek input from individuals with different backgrounds, skills, and viewpoints to foster creativity and innovation within teams.
• Empowerment and Trust: Empowering team members to take ownership of their work and make autonomous decisions is essential for fostering a collaborative environment. Leaders must trust their teams to deliver results and provide support and guidance when needed.
• Continuous Improvement: Collaboration is an ongoing process that requires continuous learning and adaptation. Leaders should encourage experimentation, iteration, and feedback to foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
• Clear Communication: Effective communication is the cornerstone of collaborative leadership. Leaders must ensure that information flows freely across the organization, and that all team members feel comfortable expressing their ideas, concerns, and feedback.
• Overcoming Challenges: Implementing collaborative leadership may face challenges such as resistance to change, logistical complexities, and conflicts. Leaders should address these challenges proactively by demonstrating the benefits of collaboration, providing support and resources, and fostering a culture of resilience and adaptability.
• Measuring Success: It is essential to establish clear metrics and indicators to measure the success of collaborative leadership initiatives. Leaders should track key performance indicators related to team collaboration, innovation, employee satisfaction, and organizational performance to assess the effectiveness of their approach.

It is essential to recognize that implementing collaborative leadership may encounter challenges such as resistance to change, logistical complexities, and conflicts. However, these challenges can be addressed proactively by leaders. Demonstrating the benefits of collaboration through pilot projects and gradual implementation can help overcome resistance to change. Providing support and resources, fostering a culture of resilience and adaptability, and actively addressing conflicts as they arise are also essential strategies for overcoming challenges. Other effective solutions include the use of digital tools to enhance communication and the establishment of clear roles and responsibilities to ensure that all voices are heard without overwhelming the process.

The effectiveness of collaborative leadership, as demonstrated through these case studies, underscores its value in today’s complex organizational landscapes. By showcasing real-world examples from companies like Google, healthcare organizations like the Mayo Clinic, and nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity, we’ve seen how collaborative leadership principles can drive success and innovation.

But beyond just these success stories, it’s crucial to recognize that collaborative leadership isn’t just a trend; it’s a necessity in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. Organizations that embrace collaboration are better equipped to navigate complexity, adapt to change, and capitalize on diverse perspectives.

As professionals and executives, it’s essential to reflect on how we can integrate collaborative leadership principles into our own leadership practices. This means fostering open communication, promoting mutual respect, aligning around shared goals, empowering team members, and embracing continuous learning.

As we conclude this exploration of collaborative leadership in action, let us commit to fostering environments where collaboration thrives, where every voice is heard and valued, and where collective efforts lead to transformative outcomes. Together, we can shape a future where collaborative leadership isn’t just a strategy but a way of life, driving innovation, resilience, and prosperity for all.

• How can leaders foster a culture of collaboration in their organizations?

Leaders can foster a culture of collaboration by promoting open communication, mutual respect, and shared goals. Encouraging teamwork, providing opportunities for professional development, and recognizing and rewarding collaborative behaviors can also help create a collaborative culture.

• What role does technology play in facilitating collaborative leadership?

Technology plays a significant role in facilitating collaborative leadership by providing tools and platforms for communication, collaboration, and project management. Tools such as video conferencing, instant messaging, and project management software enable teams to collaborate effectively, regardless of their location.

• How can leaders ensure that all team members have a voice in decision-making processes?

Leaders can ensure that all team members have a voice in decision-making processes by actively soliciting input from all members, creating opportunities for discussion and feedback, and fostering an environment where diverse perspectives are valued and respected.

• How can organizations measure the success of collaborative leadership initiatives?

Organizations can measure the success of collaborative leadership initiatives by tracking key performance indicators related to team collaboration, innovation, employee satisfaction, and organizational performance. Surveys, feedback sessions, and performance evaluations can also provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of collaborative leadership.

• What are some common misconceptions about collaborative leadership?

One common misconception about collaborative leadership is that it requires consensus on every decision, which can lead to inefficiency and indecision. In reality, collaborative leadership involves empowering team members to make decisions autonomously while fostering a culture of collaboration and shared accountability. Another misconception is that collaborative leadership is only suitable for certain industries or organizational structures. In fact, collaborative leadership can be applied effectively in any industry or organizational context, regardless of size or structure.

Related Articles

Conflict Resolution for Collaborative Leaders

Table of contentsUnderstanding Conflict in Collaborative SettingsTypes of ConflictsImpact of Unresolved ConflictsCore Principles and Techniques of Constructive Conflict ResolutionImplementing Conflict Resolution StrategiesChallenges in Conflict ResolutionConclusion:…

The Unseen Role of Facilitators

Facilitators play a crucial yet often unseen role in team dynamics. This blog post explores the vital impact facilitators have on team health, productivity, and growth. Comparing the effect of a facilitator to the temperature of a room, it highlights the balance facilitators must strike between guiding discussions and remaining unobtrusive. The post references Priya Parker's views on hosting and emphasizes "invisible involvement" in facilitation. Insights from Voltage Control alumni underscore the long-term benefits of skilled facilitation in fostering innovation and empathy. Learn practical techniques to refine your facilitation skills and create environments where ideas flourish.

Essential Skills for Effective Facilitation

Mastering facilitation skills is essential for guiding brainstorming sessions, decision-making, and consensus-building activities. Key skills include active listening, neutrality, questioning, conflict management, time management, and consensus-building. Active listening ensures participants feel heard, while neutrality creates a safe space for open dialogue. Effective questioning promotes deeper thinking, and conflict management keeps discussions productive. Time management ensures agendas are met, and consensus-building guides groups to agreeable decisions. Developing these skills enhances the effectiveness of meetings, workshops, and group activities, leading to more collaborative and successful outcomes.

Copyright © 2023 Voltage Control. All Rights Reserved.

Ready to take your career to the next level?

Join our free introduction to facilitation workshop to learn collaborative leadership skills.

The next live session is July 11th, 3pm - 4:30pm CT

Uh oh, something went wrong! Try again. If the problem persists, contact us

You're signed up! Keep an eye on your email for more info.

Get new articles to your inbox!

The latest insights on innovation & design sprints sent monthly..

The Ethical Leadership Case Study Collection

The Ted Rogers Leadership Centre’s Case Collection, developed in collaboration with experienced teaching faculty, seasoned executives, and alumni, provides instructors with real-life decision-making scenarios to help hone students’ critical-thinking skills and their understanding of what good leaders do. They will be able to leverage the theories, models, and processes being advanced. Students come to understand that workplace dilemmas are rarely black and white, but require them to think through and address competing claims and circumstances. Crucially, they also appreciate how they can, as new leaders and middle managers, improve decisions by creating realistic action plans based on sound stakeholder analysis and communication principles. These case studies are offered free of charge to all instructors.

Cases come in both long and short forms. The long cases provide instructors with tools for delving deeply into subjects related to a variety of decision making and organizational development issues. The short cases, or “minis,” are quick in-class exercises in leadership.

For both the long cases and the minis, teaching-method notes are provided, which include not only recommended in-class facilitation methods, but also grading rubrics, references, and student feedback.

Testimonials

“I have been invited to judge the Leadership Centre’s Annual Ethical Leadership National Case Competition since its inception. Each year, competitors are given a Centre’s case to analyze and present. These cases are like nothing else. They bring the student into the heart of the situation. To excel, students must not only be able to cogently argue the options, but also demonstrate how to implement a decision based on a clear-eyed stakeholder analysis and an understanding of the dynamics of change.” Anne Fawcett, Special Advisor, Caldwell Partners

“I have worked with the Ted Rogers Leadership Centre to both develop and pilot test case materials. Feedback consistently shows that the Centre’s cases resonate with students, providing them with valuable learning experiences.” Chris Gibbs, BComm, MBA, PhD, Associate Professor

"As a judge in the recent national Ted Rogers Ethical Leadership Case Competition, I was very impressed with the quality of the case study prepared by the Leadership Centre. It was brief but well-composed. It exposed the students to ethical quandaries, of the sort they may well face in their business careers. It not only tested their reasoning, but it challenged them to develop a plan of action when faced with incomplete information and imminent deadlines.” Lorne Salzman, Lawyer

We value your feedback

Please inform us of your experience by contacting Dr. Gail Cook Johnson, our mentor-in-residence, at [email protected] .

• Leadership Ethics Cases
• Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
• Focus Areas
• Leadership Ethics
• Leadership Ethics Resources

Find ethical case studies on leadership ethics, including scenarios for top management on issues such as downsizing and management responsibilities. (For permission to reprint articles, submit requests to  [email protected] .)

The importance of academic institutions in shaping the societal narrative is increasingly showcased by constant media exposure and continuous requests for social commentary. This case study outlines effective methodologies of leadership, ethics, and change management within an organization, for the purpose of motivating and engaging stakeholders to empathize with and carry out a shared directive.

Extensive teaching note based on interviews with Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz. The teaching note can be used to explore issues around whistleblowing, leadership, the blocks to ethical behavior inside organizations, and board governance.

Case study on the history making GameStop short and stock price surge that occurred during January 2021.

What did Urban Meyer know and when did he know it?

Case study explores Kevin Johnson's response to an incident where two African Americans were asked to leave a Philadelphia Starbucks.

Three examples of CEOs whose leadership of their firm has been called into question over matters of their personal integrity and behavior.

What should business leaders take away from the disaster?

Business & government struggle over encryption’s proper place.

In many ways, WorldCom is just another case of failed corporate governance, accounting abuses, and outright greed.

• More pages:

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to footer

Chief Learning Officer - CLO Media

Chief Learning Officer is a multimedia publication focused on the importance, benefits and advancements of a properly trained workforce.

The Business Case for Leadership Development

New analysis sheds light on how CLOs can prove leadership development pays off.

by William C. Byham

August 17, 2017.

In recent years, CLOs have faced growing headwinds when it comes to making a business case for leadership development.

An article in McKinsey Quarterly accused U.S. companies of lavishing $14 billion per year on programs to nurture their leaders while seeing little in return. The Wall Street Journal ran an article a few years ago titled “So Much Training, So Little to Show for It.” And the authors of an October 2016 article in Harvard Business Review referred to leadership development programs as the “great training robbery.”

The irony is the need for better leaders continues to grow. Global CEOs identified improved leadership development practices as a top five human capital strategy, according to the “Global Leadership Forecast 2014-15,” conducted by The Conference Board and Development Dimensions International. Yet, the same study found just 40 percent of leaders said the quality of their organization’s leadership is high and only 15 percent said they have a strong leadership bench — a decline of 18 percent from 2011.

However, a DDI analysis of longitudinal data from one leadership development program offers useful evidence to CLOs charged with making a case to CEOs or senior executives.

The study looked at data gathered over more than 40 years from more than 18,000 leaders and 12,000 managers, peers and direct reports of leaders who completed on average five courses from a leadership development program designed to improve business and interpersonal skills.

One of the biggest findings of the study was, contrary to the negativity, leadership development really does work: 82 percent of managers, peers and direct reports of people trained cited higher frequency of observed positive leadership behaviors among leaders after they had completed development courses.

Positive behaviors included leadership competencies such as building trust, influencing, leading change, managing performance problems and resolving conflict. This finding is more reliable because it’s based on data from observers — the people who leaders interact and work with every day — as opposed to leaders’ self-ratings of their own effectiveness, which is less objective.

Additionally, the study found that 81 percent of people who report to a trained leader said they were more engaged in their jobs. Even more important is how the change in leader behavior in 43 companies affected important business metrics (Figure 1). A further 22 companies calculated return on investment for their training programs and found ROI figures ranged from 147 percent to 633 percent.

Leadership Development Supports Business Goals 

Leadership development can make new leaders effective faster. The research found that a good development program can elevate the capability of leaders who have been in their roles for just one to two years to a level comparable to leaders who have been in their roles 10 years or more — promoting consistency in leadership quality regardless of tenure (Figure 2).

Improved gender equality in leadership is another result. Analysis showed that a leadership development program will be equally effective at improving the skills of both men and women but 82 percent of women reported their confidence in being a leader increased after participating in a development program. Lack of self-confidence is a significant factor holding women back from career advancement.

Leadership development also helps leaders perform better as they transition into global roles. A global development program can promote a common leadership language across borders and help set leaders up for success as they take on global assignments.

Building a business case for leadership development can be a challenge for CLOs. But, it needn’t be that way. Identifying metrics and showing the bottom-line impact improves standing as a trusted partner for the business and paves the way for investment in your leaders — and the organization’s future.

William C. Byham is executive chairman of DDI and the author of 28 books, including “Leaders Ready Now.” He can be reached at [email protected].

William C. Byham

Related articles.

Transforming learning paradigms: The evolution from upskilling to comprehensive professional development

by Venus Gilbert

Don’t blame it on the learner

by George Vukotich

Learning Insights: Jeneane Becker embodies lifelong learning

by Elizabeth Loutfi-Hipchen

Exploring the impact of education assistance programs

Immersive Experiences: TD Bank Shares Insights on The Future of Learning Beyond eLearning

5 Critical Drivers of Learning Organization Performance

Avoid the Development Desert! 5 Reasons to Focus on Managers Right Now

Bridging the Gap: Aligning L&D Programs with Business Priorities and Measuring Impact

From Resistance to Resilience: Bridging the Digital Skills Gap with Workflow Learning

A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Business Case for Learning and Development

Tl;dr: how to deliver an effective business case for learning.

• Research: Start by researching the main business challenges and strategic initiatives to identify where training can have the greatest impact.
• Form Alliances:  Form partnerships with key stakeholders, like department leaders, to formulate plans that tie back to tangible work in the organizations.
• Compile Options:  Gather all your material to formalize good, better, and best options that you'll present to senior leadership.
• Predict ROI:  With plans all but complete, estimate the potential ROI for your solutions. Weigh the costs against the risks and benefits.
• Present: Present your solutions to stakeholders, senior leadership, employees, and anyone else who stands to benefit from learning programs. Winning your case helps position the organization for growth.

Anyone who's dealt with budget cuts knows the frustration and stress of making do with less. Unfortunately, learning and development dollars seem to be one of the first cost-cutting areas when times are tough.

Tech executives who participated in Skillsoft's annual IT Skills and Salary survey say budget and resource constraints are the greatest challenge they face this year, followed by workload and talent retention. The first challenge, tight budgets, also impacts the latter two, creating a vicious cycle of divestment that hurts business and operations.

"When there isn't as much of an emphasis on learning and development, you certainly see a higher turnover rate and that attrition comes at a very high cost," said Bill Anderson, digital services training specialist at Corewell Health. "So, in essence, it has the opposite effect of what you're really trying to accomplish. That investment in learning and development will certainly pay back in lower attrition."

There are steps department heads can take to help prevent budget cuts because ultimately learning and development helps close gaps but also anticipates what skills the organization will need to remain competitive long term. For those leading these departments, the objective is to both educate and persuade executives that talent development can help more than hurt during lean times.

This win-win scenario unfolded at Corewell Health after a significant merge that  created Michigan's largest hospital system . Editor's note:  Corewell Health is a Skillsoft customer.

With the merge came a complex consolidation effort to cut costs, reduce duplicative efforts, and unify the two organizations. Virtually every aspect of the organization was under consideration, including technical training.

According to Anderson, the learning and development team managed to protect its training investments by building and presenting  an effective business case to leadership . It was a win for the learning team, but also a win for an organization focused on delivering modern, technology-powered experiences for employees and patients.

Here's how they did it:

Step 1: Research Strategic Priorities and Business Challenges

Building a compelling business case for learning starts with research. You want to have a thorough understanding of what the organization is going through and how that impacts goals. For this first step, ask questions and dig deep. You want to connect the top-level challenges to outcomes — good and bad.

For example:

Consider how  onboarding new technology without training could cause a ripple effect throughout the organization.

⬇️ The IT department onboards a new vendor. 

⬇️ Without training, employees don't know how to use it. 

⬇️ Adoption suffers, and some employees buy different solutions.

❌ IT doesn't see the ROI or meet its goal; organization takes on more risk.

In the scenario above, training could help in a big way. Telling the inverse of this story would show a clear need for learning programs that ultimately benefit different areas of the organization.

Where to Focus Your Research

By understanding the broader landscape and best practices, professionals can understand where training can have the greatest impact and tell why. Getting intel on what's listed below will help identify the organization's specific needs and demonstrate how targeted training can effectively address these areas. And remember, drill down.

Internal research:

• Current business challenges
• Current and future strategic initiatives
• New deployments
• Employee performance
• Retention rates
• Existing gaps in current skills
• Desired future skills or certifications

External research:

• Industry benchmarks
• Competitor training initiatives
• Published studies on the benefits of training

Subscribe to the Skillsoft Blog

We will email when we make a new post in your interest area.

Select which topics to subscribe to:

Thanks for signing up!

Step 2: formulate a solution with stakeholders.

After gathering data and doing your research, it's time to visit with other department leaders who will likely benefit the most from training.

Department leaders across the business serve as both your stakeholders and your supporters when making the case to executive leadership. In essence, you must form a partnership with these leaders to ensure alignment between their department initiatives and the training that you will deliver. Doing so helps measure the readiness of the department against its intended goal and lends more tangibility to your case for learning.

You want to understand: 

• What their challenges and needs are
• Their expectations for training programs
• Impressions of third parties and vendors
• What skills or certifications they're focused on
• What vacancies they have on their teams

...And more. The more you know, the better.

Along the way, take notes and compile your evidence. Documenting your findings ensures all insights, data, and analyses are ready to share with others. When working with department leaders, thorough documentation can also demonstrate transparency and facilitate collaboration.

Step 2.1: Assemble a Team of Skill Champions

Through meticulous research, professionals can compile a data-driven, persuasive case that aligns organizational goals with training and demonstrates the value of L&D initiatives.

But what's it all for if adoption is low or employees don't see the value in it?

It's worth reiterating the importance of connecting with stakeholders early in this process and assembling a cohort of champions who not only see the value of training but also spread the word.

"We were fortunate enough to have a portion of our business that had already been using Skillsoft Percipio for learning and development," Anderson said. "So that word of mouth from those team members already using Skillsoft was very helpful when we went to extend training to our entire IT team."

Step 3: Form Your Argument with Good, Better, Best Options

By this step, you've done your internal and external research, met with department leaders, and you have a clear understanding of the organization's strategic priorities and key challenges.

Now, it's time to prescribe training as a solution in support of the organization. And it helps to offer options that illustrate the impact training investments can have at varying levels.

Providing several scenarios allows stakeholders to compare various approaches and their implications. This comparison should include both internal solutions, like leveraging in-house expertise and resources, and external options, such as partnering with specialized training providers.

What Does Good Look Like?

With a low investment, learning and development teams can support modest training programs that help meet compliance requirements and build select skills among a cohort of employees. 

The Pros and Cons: By keeping costs low, the upfront investment doesn't burden the organization while also meeting compliance and some skilling requirements. However, the solution may not scale easily, which makes it tough to forecast future needs, and the program may only benefit a limited number of employees and stakeholders.

What Does Better Look Like?

With more investment, learning and development teams can begin to scale learning programs more easily and offer more training to more employees.

The Pros and Cons:  While the cost is higher, training programs have a wider impact on the organization and stakeholders (employees, patients, customers, etc.). Programs scale more easily, and it becomes easier to see the short- and long-term impact of training at an organizational level, including cultural and behavioral changes.

What Does Best Look Like?

With a best-case-scenario investment in training, learning and development teams can deploy and support enterprise-level programs that are measured, optimized and scaled.

The Pros and Cons:  The upfront cost of this option is the highest, creating the most burden for the organization. However, the investment will pay the organization back in time through a range of dividends, including closed skill gaps, more productive employees, faster product development and time to market, and higher employee satisfaction.

By evaluating these options, stakeholders can make informed decisions that balance costs, benefits, and risks. Presenting a range of solutions also demonstrates to stakeholders the strategic approach to delivering effective training programs that solve business challenges.

Don't be Shy About the Benefits of Learning

Especially in tech, department leaders today struggle with talent recruitment and retention, developing stronger teams, innovation and change management, workload and more. And because of skill gaps, employees feel more stress, projects slow down, and business objectives falter.

All of these challenges can be solved — at some level — with investments in learning and development.

According to  Skillsoft's IT Skills and Salary Report , tech leaders say these are the top benefits of training:

• Improves team morale
• Shortens project durations
• Improves talent retention
• Makes it easier to attract talent
• Increases revenue
• Increases ability to innovate

Step 4: Estimate Your ROI of Training Investments

In L&D, demonstrating a return on investment is often difficult. Sometimes, the metrics aren't there. Or the effort is too cumbersome. But there are ways to simplify the process and still make your case.

The team at Corewell Health created a process that helped them assign a dollar value to training, which substantially strengthened their case for learning. The learning and development team looked at the resources being consumed and assigned dollar values to them.

For example, if learners accessed a book in Skillsoft Percipio, they cross-checked what it would cost for the individual to buy it outside of the subscription. They added up all the times a person accessed that book and totaled the cost. They took the same approach to other resources, including courses, labs and so on.

It looked like this:

Cost of books + Cost of courses + Cost of Labs + Cost of Certification Prep + = Cost of Training Resources

Cost of Training Resources x Number of Accesses = Gross Training Cost

From there, you'd identify the cost savings by comparing the "gross training cost" to, in this case, the cost of the training subscription. 

"Money talks," Anderson said. "What I found in our situation was our leadership really wanted to know how much money we were saving by taking classes with Skillsoft rather than taking them at other institutions. That really ended up being a great measurement to show how our team was adopting this tool."

When they tallied up the cost savings using this method, Corewell Health saved about $150,000. Anderson said a range of metrics can work in building your case, including  skill assessments , course or journey completions, badges earned, and gamification or leaderboards to show participation.

Other ways to show cost-savings include weighing the training investment against estimated recruiting costs or that of managed services, and the cost of team vacancies.

Read Next:  Measure Mastery: How Interactivity Showcases Earned Skills - Skillsoft

Step 4.1: Anticipate Opposition and Risks

From a business perspective, senior leaders want to keep costs low and benefits high. And when costs become too much, they have difficult decisions to make. During such times, leaders might see learning programs as less critical than other areas that can have short-term or immediate impact on the bottom line, ultimately diverting money away from these programs.

Corporate training programs often require an upfront investment in both time and resources, with benefits that may not be immediately visible. Additionally, skepticism fuels opposition. Some leaders may doubt the impact of training, questioning whether it translates into measurable business outcomes. This skepticism can be reinforced by past experiences with poorly executed training programs that failed to deliver.

Convincing senior leadership to overcome these reservations requires presenting a thorough argument that clearly demonstrates the success and ROI of well-implemented training programs and how the team helps anticipate future business needs. By preemptively acknowledging these concerns and providing compelling evidence to counter them, L&D leaders can build a stronger, more persuasive case for investing in learning.

Step 5: Present Your Case for Learning to... Everyone

Arguably the most important part of undertaking this effort is spreading the word throughout your organization because training can (and does) have a tremendous impact on developing new leaders, securing coveted skills, and fostering a  vibrant company culture . As you present your case, it's important to consider your audiences and what they care about.

"Understanding your audience and communicating value effectively can significantly enhance the impact of your business case," writes Cathy Hoy, CEO of CLO100.

Hoy recommends  presenting your case for learning  using a flow like this:

• Executive Summary  — Condense the presentation and list key takeaways.
• The Business Challenge — Call out what hurts the business today.
• The Benefits   — Answer what the organization gains by implementing the solution.
• The Risks — Get in front of the risks or concerns people may have and refute them.
• The Costs — Address what the investment costs the organization and why. Include the estimated ROI.
• The Timeline  — Communicate what people should expect and when.
• The Call-to-Action  — Articulate what you need from your stakeholders and ask for it directly.

As you embark on the campaign trail, tailor your messages to the respective audience. Pro tip:  Constantly ask yourself, "what's in it for them?"

Your Message to Executives — Communicate how training aligns with strategic business goals both now and in the future, highlighting the financial benefits and ROI over time. Their buy-in secures funding and protects your investments.

Your Message to Department Leaders — Show how training can lead to outcomes they care about, like improved team performance, while supporting the organization's overarching mission. Their buy-in ensures smoother implementation and ongoing support.

Your Message to All Employees — Educating the broader workforce about the value of ongoing learning fosters a culture of continuous improvement. When employees see how training will benefit them — career advancement, improving performance, etc. — they are more likely to participate. Their buy-in ensures the adoption of training programs, the closure of skill gaps, and more systemic outcomes, like higher morale, lower attrition, and more.

An Effective Business Case Protects Investments, Secures Budget

When done well, an effective business case for learning can protect hard-won learning programs and demonstrate to leadership the impact training can have on powerful outcomes, like customer and employee satisfaction, productivity, and more.

However, it takes time to build a thorough case — especially alone. Doing so with support from other areas of the business will strengthen the argument for learning while also decentralizing the planning and execution process. This will help while building a case, but also when the case has been won.

If you're building a case for your programs, consider reviewing Skillsoft's Total Economic Impact Studies, commissioned through Forrester Consulting. Each of these studies shows the potential return on investment a composite organization would realize by investing in Skillsoft training.

• Total Economic Impact of Skillsoft Technology and Developer Solutions
• Total Economic Impact of Skillsoft Compliance Solutions
• Total Economic Impact of Skillsoft Leadership and Business Solutions

Further, this year's  Lean Into Learning Report and  IT Skills and Salary Report dive deep into training data and industry trends to help inform L&D strategy. Use resources like these to bolster your argument in favor of training.

Embracing Mental Health in the Workplace

How AI-Driven Skilling Scenarios Can Benefit Your Business

6 Reasons to Track Skills Development

Subscribe to Blog

Purdue Online MBA Courses

Request Information

Ready to learn more about our program?

Advance into Leadership Roles

Our rigorous curriculum delivers the top-quality instruction and practical learning you need to strengthen your talents and advance into the next level of high-profile management and leadership careers. Courses include case studies, experiential projects, remote collaboration and team-based learning.

Go at your own pace and choose the course load each term that best supports your needs.

Program Credits

Total Program Credits¹: 48

Foundational Course Credits: 9 Core Course Credits: 22 Specializations Option Course Credits: 6-9 Capstone Course Credits: 2 Elective Course Credits: 6

Program Requirements

Featured Course: Executive Presence: Leadership with Empathy

Enhance your presentation skills beyond filler words and fidgeting. Students will gain confidence in leading through effective communication. This immersive course experience caters to professionals seeking improved communication across diverse audiences in order to strengthen their credibility and leadership abilities through hands-on practice and attentive listening.

Offered during the Summer months, students will attend virtually for the majority of the semester while completing their course work over a weekend at the end of the term on-campus in West Lafayette. While on campus, students will also experience peer networking, campus tours, Purdue traditions, and more with Daniels Online Programs.

See the Summer 2024 Weekend Outline here

 I’m a storyteller and love to make cross-cultural communication theory come to life through my business experience. I have managed and been part of global teams that brought together professionals from Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and the US. I’m looking forward to sharing my experience and learning from that of the participants as well. 

A. Laura Stef-Praun, PhD Lecturer — Law, Communication, and Ethics Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, Purdue University

"As an engineer with business experience, I had a desire to gain a more formal knowledge of business, decision-making and leadership. Purdue was one of the first to offer a formal program that fit my criteria."

Brian Birdsall Division Manager Purdue University Online MBA Graduate, 2021

Gain an Edge in STEM, Analytics and Data

Get invaluable business analytics experience when you earn an online MBA from one of the top STEM universities in the world.

Watch the Video

Curriculum Differentiators in Technology and STEM

Learn from leading business faculty while also gaining exposure to top professors in engineering and computer science.

Online MBA Curriculum

View a Sample 2-Year Plan of Study

Foundational Courses — Prepare for Further Study (9 Credits)

Get an introduction to microeconomic theory. Analyze consumer demand, output and input decisions of firms, price determination, economic efficiency, market structures, and market failure.

This course examines how the U.S. economy functions and develops a theoretical framework permitting an analysis of the forces affecting national income, employment, unemployment, interest rates and the rate of inflation.

Emphasis is placed upon the role of government fiscal and monetary policy in promoting economic growth and stable prices. Topics covered include employment and unemployment, the monetary system, business cycles and macroeconomic stabilization techniques.

Total Credits: 2

The strategic design process helps individuals and organizations find new products and business opportunities by analyzing external and internal trends of the existing companies and industries.

It is an effective way to discover and deliver innovative business models by comparing and adopting innovations from cross-industry sectors, bridging the gap in the innovation pipeline.

Total Credits: 1

The two-course accounting sequence employs a user’s perspective on the firm’s database. First, the standard accounting model is developed into a working tool, as no prior study of accounting is assumed. Then illustrative business cases are discussed to show how external reports conform to financial contracts and public regulation.

Public reports primarily directed to investors and creditors are analyzed to reconstruct the economic events and managerial decisions underlying generally accepted accounting standards.

Total Credits: 3

This course features an integrated analysis of major marketing decisions, including product pricing, advertising, distribution and sales force policies.

Core Courses (22 Credits)

Investigate the causes of macroeconomic fluctuations in the economy. Examine changes in inflation, unemployment, real output, interest rates and exchange rates, and explore why they occur, what their effects are and what (if any) role government should play in dealing with these problems.

The course includes a mixture of theory and case studies with reference to historical case studies. Current macroeconomic problems will be discussed, with a focus on the international aspects of macroeconomic problems.

The course studies optimal decision-making processes by managers and policymakers within firms and other organizations. Topics covered include optimal price strategies; optimal production and capacity decisions; strategic decision-making of firms; strategic interactions between firms in markets; first- and second-mover advantages; optimal number of products and branches introduced into markets; and entry-deterrence strategies. 

In order to determine the manager’s optimal decisions, the course makes use of modern tools related to Game Theory. We explicitly consider strategic interactions between individual economic decision-makers (consumers, workers, firms and managers) as well as groups of these individuals (firms, households, industries, markets, unions and associations).

The main goal of this course is to provide a good understanding of logical mechanics and to provide a solid foundation in managerial economics and business decision-making processes that facilitate the understanding of daily business problems.

Analyze short-term working capital needs, cash-budgeting procedures, pro forma statements, major types of short-term loan arrangements and short-term asset management.

Examine the nature of the legal environment from the viewpoint of the social and moral bases of law. Emphasis is given to the operation of our legal system and its significance in managerial decisions.

Study concepts and methods that integrate previous training in functional areas of management. The perspective is that of the general manager charged with directing the total enterprise. Emphasis is given to formulation and implementation of strategy.

As goods and services are produced and distributed, they move through a set of interrelated operations or processes in order to match supply with demand. The design of these operations for strategic advantage, investment in improving their efficiency and effectiveness, and controlling these operations to meet performance objectives is the domain of operations management.

The primary objective of the course is to provide an overview of this important functional area of business.

This is an introduction to quantitative decision procedures in times of uncertainty. You’ll study applications of descriptive statistics, probability models, simulation models, interval estimates and hypothesis testing to management problems. Managerial-oriented cases are used in instruction.

The internet and other information technologies have reshaped the economic, organizational, cultural and personal landscape. Managers, consultants and entrepreneurs are all expected to effectively utilize technology to achieve organizational goals.

Organizations are now expected to not just adapt to technology changes but also innovate, taking advantage of the benefits of technology and thrive using their new capabilities. Accordingly, the objective of the course is from the perspective of information technology executive leadership interested in enhancing the organization’s competitive advantage.

Specifically, in the course, we will study in detail what the different types of technologies are, how they can be taken advantage of and what the critical success factors are for successful implementation of each type. The course material will be delivered using case discussions, lectures and examples.

This course enhances student professionalism in managerial contexts by improving oral communication skills and developing strong oral presentation techniques.

Individual and group behavior are the central components of the study of behavior in organizations. Focus is on the managerial application of knowledge to issues such as motivation, group processes, leadership, organizational design structure and others. The course employs cases, exercises, discussions and lectures.

Specializations (6-9 Credits)

Business analytics specialization.

This course covers up-to-date and practical spreadsheet modeling and simulation tools that can be applied to a wide variety of business problems in finance, marketing and operations to model and analyze quantitative problems.

The course has four modules: (1) deterministic and stochastic optimization techniques to determine the best managerial actions under internally and/or externally imposed constraints; (2) probability distribution fitting techniques to find the most likely description of the uncertainty in future business; (3) simulation modeling techniques to discover and analyze the risk and uncertainty in business environment and processes; (4) application of spreadsheet modeling and simulation techniques in forecasting asset dynamics (stock price), pricing options and real investment opportunities.

Simon (1977) stated that managerial decision-making is synonymous with the entire process of management. In order to make intelligent decisions, one must have access to data and information. Today’s electronically networked world provides a nearly infinite number of opportunities for data collection. The issue thus becomes: How does one approach these large quantities of data with the purpose of intelligent decision-making?

The purpose of this course is to introduce the concepts, techniques, tools and applications of data mining. The material is approached from the perspective of a business analyst, with an emphasis on supporting tactical and strategic decisions.

The course outlines the art and science of visually and persuasively illustrating data for users to interpret, understand and make decisions. You’ll use data to think critically and analyze business opportunities, inform decision-making, and communicate the story behind complex information. 

This course provides students pursuing management careers an opportunity to apply the knowledge learned from their studies in an applicable area. The course is designed to polish and integrate the knowledge, skills and abilities students have developed from their coursework by successfully developing a solution with an industry partner in a structured fashion.

Course time will be predominately spent with project teammates to provide the answers and deliverables specified by an industry partner over the semester.

Digital Marketing & Analytics Specialization

This course covers essential statistical models and strategic metrics that form the cornerstone of marketing analytics.

This course presents a set of useful concepts, strategic frameworks and knowledge on techniques and tools to aid students in better understanding the new marketing thoughts and media.

The course outlines the art and science of visually and persuasively illustrating data for users to interpret, understand and make decisions. You’ll use data to think critically and analyze business opportunities, inform decision-making and communicate the story behind complex information.

Finance Specialization

The course will be devoted to the two basic problems that all companies face: (1) On what should funds be spent? and (2) How and at what cost should funds be obtained?

The course is designed to be the fundamental course in investments and finance in general, and it will provide the essential background for more advanced investments and corporate finance topics.

Long-term capital structure planning, capital budgeting, treatment of uncertainty in investment decisions, security underwriting, dividend policies and mergers.

Financial Economics Specialization

Students in this class will review and practice the mathematical methods required to solve micro- and macroeconomic theoretical models, especially constrained optimization problems.

This course explores the operations of government in society and the economy. Using real-world policy examples, motivations for intervention and policy alternatives are explored. A strong emphasis is placed on how individuals respond to government action.

This course offers an overview of the federal budget and the budget process. Students will discuss some of its history, examine both the theory and practice of the process, identify the main players involved and principal sources of information, discuss some of the important methodological issues, identify sources of failure and discuss some of proposals for fixing them.

Human Resources Specialization

This course will survey theory and techniques used in human resource management within organizations.

This course focuses on the employer-employee relationship and how managers work with employees to improve their performance.

This course examines the tangible and intangible aspects of compensation, through the lens of a total reward philosophy of an organization in order to attract, motivate and retain their human capital.

Innovation and Technology Commercialization Specialization

Innovative management of the process from idea to impact requires the collaboration of multiple players. All participants in the innovation process have their own unique goals and priorities so achieving alignment around a common purpose is a complex task. Also, corporate innovation requires collaboration, not only within the organization, but with multiple external contributors and stakeholders.

The course content is based on Strategic Doing, a proven discipline incubated at Purdue’s Agile Strategy Lab. The same tools and insights have been taught to industry, government, nonprofit and higher education leaders in over 46 states and eight different countries.

This course covers the funding options available to technology entrepreneurs at all stages of the venture's lifecycle from startup to exit, and delves into issues such as deal structures, incentives, business models and valuation.

As part of the course, you will perform due diligence on a real startup and provide a recommendation to the investment committee of a seed fund.

This course takes an in-depth look at how technological innovation affects the competitive dynamics of markets, how firms can strategically manage these dynamics, and how firms and entrepreneurs can create and implement strategies that maximize their likelihood of success.

The course introduces tools, concepts and analytical frameworks that will enhance your ability to define and analyze strategic problems that stem from innovation and technological change, and to identify sources of competitive advantage from both an industry and firm-level perspective.

Upon completing the course, you will be able to understand the foundations and implications of the dynamics of innovation, interpret the technological environment within which a firm operates and identify meaningful patterns, analyze and design strategies for high technology environments, and craft collaboration strategies and strategies for protecting innovation.

Global Supply Chain Management Specialization

The management of operations involves ensuring that the product or service is of high quality, choosing the appropriate design and technology for the production or service process, planning and controlling the flow of parts or customers so that lead times are reduced to minimal levels, and distributing the finished goods or services in a timely manner.

Operations management requires decisions that include identifying which products and services to offer, determining how much capacity is needed, providing a good level of service, and evaluating which technology will best meet a company's needs.

Continues the examination of the linkage between a firm’s product-market strategy and the role of the operations (i.e., production) function initiated in MGMT 66000. Topics include material requirements planning, production activity control and just-in-time systems.

This course will emphasize both planning and control of dynamic supply chain systems. This requires the simulation of plans and required changes over time. Therefore, the course will revolve around active learning computer simulations in SAP. 

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to execute end-to-end business scenarios, choose among several planning methods and develop initial parameters based on supply chain and production capabilities and market intelligence, modify system parameters as necessary, access and analyze operational data from the ERP system, and design a manufacturing planning and control strategy to maximize company value.

This course introduces different phases of managing projects from conception to termination, with particular emphasis on quantitative tools for planning, scheduling, resource allocation, monitoring and control. 

In addition, topics such as risk management, communication and conflict management will be covered. The course will use qualitative frameworks, analytical tools and real-world cases to achieve the learning goals.

With the relentless trend of globalization, procurement has moved from fighting for organizational significance to playing pivotal roles in the success of global firms. In global firms’ profit and loss accounts, the share of material cost and the share of purchased services are growing continuously, underscoring the increasing strategic importance of sourcing and procurement management.

This course will address the process of procurement including terminology, metrics, and decision-making. We will also explore the sourcing decision and the strategic ramifications of producing/providing goods and services internally or purchasing them from external organizations.

This course seeks to both improve your understanding of global supply chain strategies and enhance your analytical skills. The course will present several analytical techniques that aid in making decisions in the real world. In addition, the course will introduce you to various aspects, issues and initiatives in current business operations. 

By the end of this course, you should be able to: apply established frameworks to explain the importance and challenges of globalization in designing supply chain strategies, analyze problems and improvement opportunities in supply chain management and recommend improvements consistent with an organization’s mission and strategy, and develop solutions to real-world cases depicting major strategic issues and trade-offs in global supply chain management.

Supply chain analytics (SCA) focuses on data-driven and rigorous decision-making in supply chain management. It is a complete problem-solving and decision-making process. Furthermore, it integrates a broad set of analytical methodologies that enable the creation of business value.

This course will cover all three SCA categories (descriptive analytics, predictive analytics and prescriptive analytics) and you will gain understanding of the entire analytics process.

Leadership, Negotiation and Change Management Specialization

This course focuses on leadership in organizations and invites you on a journey of personal exploration, understanding and development. Leadership develops over time through repetition, feedback and self-reflection.

The overall goal of this course is to provide information and tools that will guide you toward becoming a more effective leader by increasing your conceptual understanding of key leadership principles and strategies utilized within formal organizations, deepening your knowledge of important interpersonal relationship skills and abilities, and helping discover important insights into oneself and others as a leader (including strengths and weaknesses/opportunities for personal growth).

This course focuses on developing your negotiating skills and making you a more confident negotiator. By the conclusion of this course, you will have improved your ability to diagnose negotiation situations, strategize and plan upcoming negotiations, and engage in more fruitful negotiations, even in situations where you are dealing with difficult negotiation counterparts.

Because negotiating agreements is as much art as science, learning in this course will take place mainly by doing experiential exercises and will draw on negotiations research to supplement this learning.

The purpose of this course is to provide you with essential tools and concepts you need to help create and sustain needed change in your personal and/or professional life, your work teams and your organizations.

The course is taught in an executive-style format intended for working future managers. Emphasis is placed on knowledge application and experiential learning.

Machine Learning and AI Specialization

This course will familiarize students with key information technologies and their underlying methods and techniques that are used to store, manipulate, analyze and exploit large volumes of data.

You will learn how to write computer programs in Python language to solve real-world problems.

This self-paced course will walk you through a high-level overview of the technologies that are considered AI and what is state of the art today.

This industry-agnostic course is focused on training leaders to be able to talk to and manage the people who are collecting data and making inferences from the data, and then making data-driven decisions.

Strategic Change and Transformation Specialization

This course is designed to make you familiar with the ins and outs of corporate mergers & acquisitions. To that end, we will cover a wide array of topics related to M&A activities including relevant research evidence and connect the dots with theoretical principles and real-world examples.

Capstone Course — Business Simulation (2 Credits)

Make strategic business decisions under pressure in a simulated real-life scenario. Working with a team, you’ll assume cross-functional roles to broaden your leadership skills. You’ll use data analytics to assess risk management from qualitative and quantitative perspectives.

Electives (6 Credits)

MGMT 57000 — Spreadsheet Modeling and Simulation

MGMT 57100 — Data Mining

MGMT 59000 — Financing New Ventures

MGMT 59000 — Frontiers in C-Suite

MGMT 59000 — Science and Practice of Complex Collaboration

MGMT 59000 — Technology Strategy

MGMT 65420 — Leadership

MGMT 65430 — Negotiations in Organizations

MGMT 69000 — Change Management

MGMT 69000 — Tech Commercialization

This is a sampling of electives and not an exhaustive list; electives are subject to change.

Program Overview

Specializations, get started today.

Make your career goals a reality with Purdue University's Online Master of Business Administration. Call  877-491-0224 to speak with an Enrollment Specialist or request more information .

NOTES AND CONDITIONS - PLEASE READ

1 Course offerings and plan of study subject to change.

Your company may already be a member. View our member list to find out, or create a new account .

Forgot Password?

Content Library

You can search our content library for case studies, research, industry insights, and more.

You can search our website for events, press releases, blog posts, and more.

How PwC Bridged the Trust Gap in Business Leadership

June 30, 2024    

PwC's Trust Leadership Institute engages business executives to bridge the trust gap and enhance their leadership skills through immersive programs, fostering relationships and commitment to long-term success.

This Is an ANA Member Exclusive

Access to this item is reserved for ANA members only.

Already have an account? The industry's best insights and resources await:

No Account?

Use your business email address to create your free account ; if you're a member through your company, we'll know.

Members can access their benefits as soon as they sign up and log in.

Not a Member?

You can still create a free account to access the latest from our online publication, ANA Magazine , receive content and special event offers through our newsletters, get breaking industry updates, and so much more.

The content you're trying to see is available to:

• ANA Client-Side Marketer Tier Members
• Platinum Tier Members
• Gold Tier Members
• Silver Tier Members
• Individual Members

Discover everything the ANA can do to help drive growth for your organization. Connect with our membership team.

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

Leadership styles

• Leadership and managing people
• Leadership development
• Leadership qualities
• Leadership transitions

Are You Spending Your Parenting Time and Energy Wisely?

• April 19, 2021

7 Ways to Make Employees Feel Respected, According to Research

• Jack Zenger
• Joseph Folkman
• June 07, 2023

Good Bosses Switch Between Two Leadership Styles

• December 05, 2016

The Leadership Odyssey

• Herminia Ibarra
• Claudius A. Hildebrand
• Sabine Vinck
• From the May–June 2023 Issue

How to Navigate Feelings of Confidence and Self-Doubt After a Promotion

• Nihar Chhaya
• October 23, 2023

Harder They Fall

• Roderick M. Kramer
• October 01, 2003

3 Ways to Compassionately Hold Your Team Accountable

• Chris Weller
• June 12, 2024

Fueling an Appetite for Leadership

• Gianpiero Petriglieri
• June 03, 2010

When Your Toughest Conversations Are the Ones You Have with Yourself

• Erica Ariel Fox
• March 22, 2017

4 Ways to Fix the Q&A Session

• Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg
• August 19, 2014

What Makes a Leader?

• Daniel Goleman
• January 01, 2004

Honing Your Skills as a Peer Coach

• Stewart D. Friedman
• February 23, 2010

Managing Through Crunch Time — Without Burning Out Your Team

• Flavio Serapiao
• Andrew Hill
• Boris Groysberg
• September 13, 2021

Leaders Must React

• Nitin Nohria
• From the January–February 2024 Issue

Why Consistent Growth Is So Challenging

• Gary P. Pisano
• Paul Leinwand
• Dunigan O'Keeffe
• Karen Harris
• Austin Kimson
• March 01, 2024

Executives' Biggest Productivity Challenges, Solved

• Gretchen Gavett
• February 14, 2014

To Clarify Your Purpose, Reflect on Your Childhood

• April 29, 2014

How the Other Fukushima Plant Survived

• Ranjay Gulati
• Charles Casto
• Charlotte Krontiris
• From the July–August 2014 Issue

How to Uncover Your Unique Purpose

• January 06, 2015

Finding the Right Balance — and Flexibility — in Your Leadership Style

• Jennifer Jordan
• Michael Wade
• Tomoko Yokoi
• January 11, 2022

Ethics for the Real World: Creating a Personal Code to Guide Decisions in Work and Life

• Ronald A. Howard
• Clinton D. Korver
• June 24, 2008

Dr. Tom Mihaljevic and Cleveland Clinic

• Linda A. Hill
• Lydia Begag
• April 22, 2024

Leadership on the Line, With a New Preface: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Change

• Ronald Heifetz
• Marty Linsky
• July 11, 2017

The World Wrestling Federation (A): Vince McMahon vs. Bret "the Hitman" Hart

• Thomas Mannarelli
• Christopher Baty
• December 01, 2000

School of Rock: Tuning into Structured Empowerment (B)

• Tatiana Sandino
• Jeffrey Rayport
• Samuel Grad
• Stacy Straaberg
• January 19, 2024

Pina Bausch: Leadership as collective genius

• Katharina Lange
• November 01, 2012

The Tham Luang Cave Rescue: The Search (A)

• Yael Grushka-Cockayne
• Francesca Gino
• August 21, 2020

Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A)

• C. Roland Christensen
• August 01, 1978

Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America (A)

• Kristin C. Doughty
• August 15, 1999

Aung San Suu Kyi, Seizing the Moment: Soaring Hopes & Tough Constraints in Myanmar's Unfolding Democracy, Abridged

• Pamela Varley
• Hannah Riley Bowles
• Patricia Garcia-Rios
• October 24, 2018

Moral Voice: Talking About Ethics at Work

• Jared Harris
• Megan F. Hess
• December 18, 2015

Turn the Ship Around! (B)

• David Marquet
• February 20, 2017

ABB Deutschland (B)

• Hugo E.R. Uyterhoeven
• April 01, 1993
• James L. Heskett
• April 11, 1996

Netflix: A Creative Approach to Culture and Agility

• Allison M. Ciechanover
• Jeff Huizinga
• September 23, 2019

Jack Welch: General Electric's Revolutionary

• Joseph L. Bower
• October 25, 1993

How I Did It: Lessons from the Front Lines of Business

• Harvard Business Review
• March 18, 2014

Laura Rodriguez at OutSite: Playing the "Game" of Professional Advancement (A)

• Gail Berger
• October 05, 2022

Reimagining Enel: Enabling Sustainable Progress (A)

• Michael L. Tushman
• Kerry Herman
• October 17, 2022

Madam C.J. Walker: Entrepreneur, Leader, and Philanthropist

• Anne E. Dwojeski
• William Grundy
• Erica Helms
• Katherine Miller
• Nancy F. Koehn
• March 26, 2007

Impact of Push-and Pull-Leadership Approaches on Confidence and Satisfaction

• May 24, 2022

Popular Topics

Partner center.

Collaborating Across Generations: Problems That Span Generations Require Leadership That Does Too

More than half of the people on earth are under the age of 30, yet in political arenas and board rooms they are scarcely present. Why are we building a future without the voices of those who will inherit it?

In a new 2024 global study on the power of intergenerational collaboration published by We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) in partnership with The Possibilists and the Vienna University of Economics and Business, 87% of respondents cited believe youth have ideas and solutions that can improve or solve global issues. Yet, only 19% agree that youth are currently given enough opportunities to lead and contribute. We need young people to help rethink, reshape, challenge, and collaborate alongside today’s decision-makers as we solve the world’s unprecedented problems.

No single generation has all the answers. SAP embraces this methodology of intergenerational collaboration, bringing dynamic perspectives together across its business in hopes that young experts can work alongside today’s leaders to shape the future of both business and our world. As evidenced by WAFF’s global study , here are some additional insights as to why this strategy is one you should consider too.

Youth Are Digital Natives in a Tech-Driven Era

Technology can help address the most profound environmental, economic, and social challenges of our time. Software and analytics can help predict and prevent disasters, make cities smarter, and foster equity in workplaces. In this era of rapid technological evolution, leaders of all generations have valuable perspective and expertise to augment the power of technology as well.

WAFF’s global study reminds us that Gen Z are digital natives who grew up online and “have adapted to learn, grow, and build skills in an entirely new and accelerated ways.” The study goes on to remind leaders that by investing in young people now, global leaders and corporations alike can sooner harness their technological expertise and unique lived experiences.

SAP, for example, is curating partnerships and opportunities that invest in the expertise of young social entrepreneurs, like 19-year-old Sneha Revanur, CEO and founder of Encode Justice and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in AI 2023. At World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this January, Revanur sat alongside Chief Technology Officer and Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE Juergen Mueller, hosting a powerful conversation on the future of A I and the opportunity to bring youth to the table. “In spaces rife with credentialism, young people can offer perspectives that are rooted in lived experience,” Revanur shares.

Mueller affirms this approach: “I strongly believe in the power of intergenerational leadership – involving young talents in decision-making processes helps to bring the best in innovation to market. For instance, I have an early talent board in my organization who I regularly exchange with and get valuable guidance from. I also had the opportunity to meet with several young changemakers at events like the World Economic Forum in the last years and could learn a lot from them. Giving young leaders a seat at the table brings the right connections, mindsets, and energy together to create innovative and responsible solutions.”

Youth Demand Accountability

The tech industry and young people are united by a common cause: ensuring responsible data use and harnessing its power for good. Data allows us to generate accurate and actionable insights to transform the way the world works. When companies and governments have access to data-driven information, they can use those insights to achieve their vision – be it to clean the ocean, transform industries, or redefine the future of work. Effective solutions and responsible technology require collaboration, however. Data provides a foundation, but real change occurs when the public, private, and social sectors work together to create solutions.

This collaborative spirit echoes the work of Revanur and Encode Justice to leverage the power of data to shape the future. Encode Justice launched an intergenerational and multisector campaign towards AI ethical regulation by 2023 . “Recent breakthroughs are transforming social, political, and economic realities, but they have not come without unanticipated risks…As AI grows more and more capable, harms will only proliferate. Our shared future is more precarious now than ever before. It is young people who have the most to gain – and the most to lose,” Encode Justice’s website reads.

How AI will Redefine Management? – Questions to Juergen Mueller🚀 #sapcommunity #ai

Click the button below to load the content from YouTube.

Finding the Tipping Point

SAP’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Alexandra van der Ploeg points out that SAP has been working alongside organizations like We Are Family Foundation and The Possibilists to unlock and scale the power of young social innovators for nearly a decade. “Transformative change takes ages, but this is not something that we can afford to take ages on. 2030 is around the corner. We must identify the levers and find the tipping point as a community to move from data and evidence to solutions that work for the world,” van der Ploeg acknowledges.

Leveraging the global study is a great place to start when considering how to create a more sustainable future. It offers case studies and recommendations for meaningful intergenerational collaboration that any organization can act on, including co-creating projects alongside young experts.

“A new generation of young leaders has emerged – well-informed, resolutely committed, and emboldened by the challenges they face firsthand,” says Annie Greene, director of Programs at We Are Family Foundation. “By investing in these young leaders today, we benefit from their unique insights and extend their runway to help us solve our most pressing problems.”

To advance solutions for humanity, we must change the dynamics in rooms of power. Given the opportunity to collaborate with the leaders of tomorrow on today’s challenges, why wouldn’t we?

Jennifer Beason is global director for Impact Entrepreneurship at SAP.

UN Plastics Treaty: Good for Business and the Planet

SAP’s “Source from Ukraine” Initiative Boosts Business and Social Responsibility

SAP CSR’s eBook Celebrates a Year of Global Impact

More From Forbes

The backstory we often forget when we watch the olympics.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

(Original Caption) USA's Dave Wottle (r), of Canton, Ohio races across the finish line inches ahead ... [+] of Soviet Union's Evgeni Arzhanov in the official finish photo of the Olympic 800 meters run, with the third place finisher Mike Boit of Kenya, only a step behind.

The dog days of summer are approaching and normally that would mean looking forward to some downtime in sports television viewership. But every four years, the arrival of the Olympic games gives us something to stay up late, get up early, and stay tuned for.

Like professional sports, Olympic competition teaches us lessons about leadership and about the pursuit of greatness in general. In fact, one could argue that, in their purest form, the Olympic Games offer an example of the pursuit of greatness for greatness’ sake—to chase excellence in your chosen field.

One of the great pleasures of watching the Olympics comes from our vicarious experience of the pressures and disappointments and exaltation felt by the athletes. As you enjoy the 2024 Games in Paris this summer, in addition to cheering on your favorite athlete and favorite country, consider the unique pressures, sacrifices, risks, and resilience of the athletes who are competing. Consider that for many of the athletes who have sacrificed much to be there, this is truly their one shot at taking their place on the medal stand.

Here’s a way to warm up for getting yourself in this mindset.

Imagine yourself as American runner Dave Wottle competing in the 800-meter run in the 1972 games in Munich, Germany. You’ve dedicated your entire life to doing nothing else but running twice around a track, and there you are in Munich. The starting gun goes off, and within seconds you find yourself not only in last place but trailing a full 10 yards behind the pack.

“I was pretty demoralized for the first 200 meters,” recalled Wottle in an interview. “They had taken off so quickly. I didn’t feel I could keep up and still have something left at the end. Honestly, I thought I was out of the race. Fortunately, the pack slowed down, came back to me, probably realizing they had gone out too quick.”

Ranked: The 30 Most Walkable Cities In The World, According To A New Report

‘house of the dragon’ season 2, episode 3 recap and review: old feuds and bad blood, controversial christian bale movie coming to netflix in july.

How he regrouped, closed the gap between the pack and then overtook one runner after another until, just millimeters from the finish line, he leaned forward to overcome the last man still in front of him is a story of grace under fire that still sends chills up the spine. If you haven’t seen among the greatest comebacks in history, watch it here .

EUGENE, OREGON - JUNE 24: Athing Mu competes in the women's 800m final on Day Four of the 2024 U.S. ... [+] Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field on June 24, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. Mu finished last and failed to qualify for the team. (Photo by Patrick Smith)

That’s an inspirational ending. But another American 800-meter runner, Athing Mu, illustrates just how narrow and fragile is the margin between glory and dejection. After winning the gold medals in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics 800-meter and 4x400-meter relay, Mu was considered the favorite to win the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in the 800-meters. Yet, barely 200 meters into the race, as Mu was moving toward the inside lane in a crowded pack, the runner behind her clipped her heal , sending her crumbling to the track, where she lost precious seconds before managing to scramble back to her feet.

Champion that she is, Mu continued the race and managed to close some of the distance she’d lost, but ultimately, she was unable to pull another Wottle. End result, she will not represent the USA in that race when the Paris Olympics begin.

Contrast this with professional sports. If PGA star Brooks Koepka loses his focus and finishes second at the Masters (as he did in 2023), there is another opportunity to win right around the corner with the next tournament, next match, or next game. Koepka showed this by winning his third PGA Championship a little over a month after losing to Jon Rahm at Augusta National. If the Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum loses an Eastern Conference Final in 2023, he only has to wait one year to get another chance. In the meantime, he will enjoy all the perks and ample compensation of a professional basketball player.

Mu will not be so lucky. Life will go on for her, of course, but there will be a hole in the field where she was supposed to be standing, shaking out her legs and arms to loosen up before the race, waiting for the announcement to get on her mark.

The good news on this front is that Olympians tend to develop the kind of characteristics that allow them to achieve great things outside of their sport. For example, an EY and espnY report found that 94 percent of women in the C-suite played competitive sports. Most of them were not Olympians, but the characteristics of confidence, focus, teamwork, goal-setting and, last but not least, resilience, that competitive sports including the Olympics teach women prepares them very well for the game of life.

And the same may be said for the men. In other words, greatness is transportable. Wottle went on to enjoy a career as a motivational speaker and university administrator. And as for Mu, she is still only 22 years old. The great ones are masters at managing their emotions, and we can expect that Mu will be tenderly nursing not only her bruised knees but also the chip on her shoulder. We may yet see more of this magnificent athlete. Just not this year in the 800-meter run.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.