Leadership Decision Making

Online

Session Date

June 05, 2023 - June 16, 2023

Application Deadline

May 15, 2023

Program Fee

$6,200

Faculty Chair

Jennifer Lerner

Program Director

Laura Bussa

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Executive Certificate: This program is a core program in the Public Leadership and Public Policy concentrations. This program can also be used as a third program for any concentration in the Executive Certificate series.
Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): This program aligns with one or more Executive Core Qualifications.
On Campus

Session Date

October 01, 2023 - October 06, 2023

Application Deadline

August 07, 2023

Program Fee

$10,600

Faculty Chair

Jennifer Lerner

Program Director

Laura Bussa

Request Brochure

Apply

Executive Certificate: This program is a core program in the Public Leadership and Public Policy concentrations. This program can also be used as a third program for any concentration in the Executive Certificate series.
Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): This program aligns with one or more Executive Core Qualifications.

Program Overview

Wise judgment and effective decision-making have always been essential skills for leaders across all professional settings. Today, leaders have access to mountains of data from myriad sources. The question is, how can they leverage this abundance of information to make smarter decisions?

Leadership Decision Making features hands-on learning experiences that help leaders like you improve decision analysis and leadership effectiveness. Led by Faculty Chair Jennifer Lerner, this intensive program will give you the tools to recognize biases in judgment that affect even the most intelligent individuals and to incorporate structured decision-making techniques empirically shown to enhance decision making. You'll also receive customized, confidential feedback on your decision-making style.

Program Curriculum

Drawing on theories and evidence from psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience, Leadership Decision Making presents cutting-edge research and translates scientific discoveries into practical strategies through live lectures, asynchronous materials, and group work. In addition to Faculty Chair Jennifer Lerner’s expertise in decision science and management, this program features world-renowned Harvard faculty and experts as guest speakers.

Learning Objectives

The curriculum focuses on key areas that drive organizational performance, including:

Reducing decision biases in your organization
Communicating risk accurately and effectively
Increasing prediction accuracy, especially for low-probability, potentially catastrophic events
Understanding the role of emotion in judgment and decision making
Designing smart accountability systems for judgment and decision making
Leading positive change
Harnessing the power of experiments to catalyze organizational learning

Application Information

Recommended Applicants

Leadership Decision Making is designed for senior-level executives in the public, nonprofit, and corporate sectors.

Past participants have included:

Elected politicians
Corporate executives
Military officers
Diplomats
Law enforcement officers
Scholars
Intelligence analysts
Senior managers and emerging leaders

The program places a high priority on participant diversity. Our intention is for participants to interact with colleagues from across geographic boundaries and professional sectors to gain insight into the human dynamics that make or break the effectiveness of decision environments within their own organizations.

Program Schedules

Access a sample online program schedule.

Access a sample on-campus program schedule.

Online VS On-Campus Schedule
The on-campus program is an immersive and intense learning experience on Harvard’s historic Cambridge campus. During the week, you’ll experience lectures firsthand and connect with peers both in and outside of the classroom. Access a sample on-campus program schedule.
The online program is delivered over the course of two weeks, and it provides a more flexible format where you can apply concepts directly to your work while experiencing the rigor of Harvard remotely. Access a sample online program schedule. The interactive online curriculum is conducted through a mix of live faculty-led sessions and asynchronous work, including:

Live Faculty-led sessions will run Mon - Fri from 9:00 am ET – 12:00 pm ET time, with the exception of the second Tuesday of the program when class will start at 8:30am ET and end at 12:30pm ET time.
Pre-program readings: Participants will be expected to spend approximately one hour preparing before the program begins and approximately two hours of independent work daily once the program is underway.
A 1-hour Onboarding Session (week prior)
Optional Daily virtual networking before and after class: 8:30am-9:00am ET and 12:00-12:30pm ET