Program Overview

Enhance your leadership capabilities with Harvard Kennedy School's Leadership Decision Making program. This intensive program is designed to help senior executives harness the power of data and evidence-based strategies to make informed, effective decisions. 

The Leadership Decision Making program offers hands-on learning experiences that enhance decision analysis and leadership effectiveness. Led by Faculty Chair Jennifer Lerner, this program equips leaders with tools to recognize judgments and decision-making tendencies, leverage structured decision-making techniques, and incorporate the latest research from psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience. You'll also receive customized, confidential feedback on your decision-making style.

Program Curriculum

The Leadership Decision Making curriculum integrates theories and evidence from psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience. Participants will engage in live lectures, asynchronous materials, and group work, gaining insights from renowned Harvard faculty and experts. New sessions include topics on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on organizational decision processes, blending theoretical foundations with practical applications.

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. As of 2023, we’ve added a new session on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and organizational decision processes. Beginning with an introduction to AI and machine learning, the session will cover a blend of theoretical foundations, practical applications, and critical discussions on the implications of AI in various sectors.  Participants will learn critical insights necessary for working productively in an AI-augmented future.

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

Leadership Decision Making is tailored for senior-level executives from 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 brings together participants from different geographic regions and professional fields to gain insight into the human dynamics that influence the effectiveness of decision environments within their own organizations.

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.

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. 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

WHAT PARTICIPANTS ARE SAYING

"The best executive learning experience I have had. It gave me many new tools on how to create and apply decision frameworks to the complex problems I deal with at work, and how to recognize and correct for cognitive biases in myself and others."
EILEEN BJORKMAN, EXEC. DIRECTOR, US AIR FORCE TEST CENTER

Hear from the Faculty Chair

HKS Faculty Chair Jenn Lerner discusses the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Program Leadership Decision Making 

Faculty & Research

Jennifer Lerner Photo

Jennifer Lerner

Thornton F. Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy, Decision Science, and Management
617-495-9962

Sharad Goel Photo

Sharad Goel

Professor of Public Policy

Julia Minson Photo

Julia Minson

Associate Professor of Public Policy

Todd Rogers Photo

Todd Rogers

Weatherhead Professor of Public Policy

Robert Wilkinson Photo

Robert Wilkinson

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Leadership

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