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Technical professionals' goals and incentives are often different from those of other employees, and so are the management challenges that arise. Drawing on the wealth of research and industry experience of faculty and leading practitioners, Managing Technical Professionals and Organizations explores proven, practical, and innovative strategies for maximizing the contribution of technical professionals. This intensive program focuses on the management and motivation of technical professionals in the innovative organization, and in particular:

• How creative individual contributors work together on risky projects, processing information under conditions of uncertainty;
• How to address critical problems and issues dealing with staff professionals and members of project teams, including cross-functional teams;
• How to work effectively with prima donnas and independent spirits.

The Learning Experience
Organizations that are designed and managed for doing the same things well repetitively, as in manufacturing and operations, are not particularly appropriate for doing something well once, as in R&D. Running a technical organization presents a unique set of management problems. How do you motivate and reward technical professionals to maximize their performance and creativity? How do you create an organizational structure that will contribute to success, not inhibit it? How do you deal with creative individual contributors, project teams, and innovative professionals? How do you build and sustain high motivation and vitality while preventing complacency? How do you utilize "marshaling" events for building more collaborative, innovative activities? And how do you move information and technology effectively across organizational structures?

This unique two-day program focuses on issues critical to the effective management of technical professionals and cross-functional teams. Its principles and strategies can be applied in any organization where research, development, engineering, or computer-related technology developments need to take place in a timely, effective, and successful manner.

Participants will learn principles and strategies of crucial importance to any organization where R&D, engineering, and/or computer-related technologies lie at the core of the business. Upon completing this program, participants will gain a thorough understanding of the following subjects:

• Managing risk taking and uncertainty in technical projects
• Managing and motivating your technical professionals
• Developing effective reward and incentive systems for technical professionals
• Creating a highly motivating work environment
• Managing and leading creative individual contributors
• Maximizing the technical productivity and vitality of teams
• Leading and managing more effectively across organizational structures
• Leading system change within established corporate cultures
• Transferring technology and information flows between and within organizations
• Organizing for innovative product development
• Managing the tensions among development efforts and cost/schedule pressures

"This was my fourth program and it was the very best by far. Professor Katz is Mel Brooks meets Yoda -- pearls of wisdom delivered in an extremely engaging manner. Highly recommended." ~ Past Participant Matthew K.

A great idea does not guarantee great profits. If a company's R&D dollars are going to pay off in profitable products and technologies, it needs a strategy that not only makes markets, but also beats the competition. This program presents a depth of challenges that extend from R&D to manufacturing, engineering, project management, product strategy, and new ventures. It provides an innovative and powerful approach to developing and managing technology and products that people want to buy. The program material will also explore ways to link those technologies and products with a company's business strategy. 

Please note: This program was previously named Developing and Managing a Successful Technology and Product Strategy.

Drawn from MIT Sloan School's top-ranked MBA curriculum, this groundbreaking program will provide a framework for understanding how technologies and markets evolve; how they are linked; how technologies differ across markets; and how new technologies get accepted. This program will enable participants to:

• Identify profitable projects for their research dollars and find out how to capture the value of those projects
• Build technical capabilities for products that create value for their customers
• Restructure their organizations to respond to market and technical dynamics
• Implement their strategies for maximum benefit

Leadership by Design will help both individuals and teams understand and practice human-centered design. Participants in this program will learn both strategic and hands-on techniques for structured exploration through prototyping. They will also learn how to enable an action-based organizational culture in which empathy is generated, trial and error is encouraged, and failure is celebrated as a source of learning, all resulting in successful innovation. It is intended to introduce the concepts of human-centered design to individuals and teams who are not already familiar with these design-based concepts and their application.

Drawing on the resources of MIT?s Integrated Design & Management curriculum and its new Integrated Design Lab (ID Lab), this program combines the inspired, intuitive methods taught in the world?s best design schools with the systematic, analytical methods for which MIT is world-renowned. This program is led by Matthew S. Kressy, creator and Director of Integrated Design & Management (IDM).

Course content includes:

• Discussions on expression and culture
• Field exercises in observation, exploration, and user empathy
• Lectures on concept generation
• Studio exercises in persona development and storytelling
• Lectures and case studies pertaining to design leadership
• Hands-on sketch modeling and rendering exercises
• Functional prototyping workshops
• Opportunities to build, test, and iterate prototypes in teams
• Concluding discussions on process and leadership

The tools presented in the program can be applied to any range of human-centered innovation problems and opportunities including products, services and social/societal challenges.

By applying a design-centered approach to leadership, you?ll be able to conceive of radically innovative solutions to multifaceted problems, create a vision that gets buy-in from senior management and colleagues, avoid hazards, and create solutions that people love both emotionally and intellectually.

Some organizations achieve such exceptional levels of performance?time to market, quality, safety, affordability, reliability, dependability and adaptability?that it puts their rivals to shame. Though few in overall number, they exist in manufacturing, high tech, heavy industry, product design and production, and services, such as health care delivery. The select few are capable of generating and sustaining such high-velocity, broad-based, relentless improvement and innovation, that they achieve unparalleled levels of excellence. Learn what drives the success of these companies.

The Learning Experience

Creating High Velocity Organizations employs several teaching techniques: presentations, case discussions, video dramatizations, and an in-class simulation emphasizing a participatory style to maximize the opportunities for "learning by doing." The program material is organized into thematic modules designed around the four key principles of building the discovery capability in an organization?smart work design, creative problem solving, continuous knowledge sharing, and developing of discovery skills among employees. Each module consists of several sessions, which demonstrate, first, the positive impact through successful application of those key principles, and then provides examples of negative results when those principles were clearly needed but not applied. Each session is punctuated by facilitated small-group exercises, in which participants can actively apply the ideas and examples offered in class to their own specific, real-life situations.

Assignment Required Before Arrival

This program will provide multiple opportunities for participants to explore their own processes. Participants should come prepared to work on an important challenge in their organization.

This program will enable participants to:

• Create an organization where work is done by harnessing the best-known approaches available and signaling the need for new knowledge.
• Solve problems as they arise and to develop new understanding that prevents the problems from recurring.
• Multiply the impact of local discoveries by making them useful systemically throughout the organization.
• Lead an organization where discovery is encouraged, supported, and promoted at all times. 

The MIT Edge

Traditional business-school curricula tend to focus on teaching decision-making skills as a way to success. However, many companies today?especially those in relatively new industries?find themselves lacking the information or the experience needed to make the decisions that could determine their future. That is where the leaders' ability not only to think, but also to behave like innovators, becomes vital to the success of the organization. Known for its commitment to innovation, with this program MIT Sloan offers a rare opportunity for participants to learn how to channel their curiosity into innovators' behavior.

GEA is an eight-day management and leadership program for experienced executives across the globe. The program is taught in English and materials are translated into multiple languages, with UN-style simultaneous interpretation offered for executives who prefer to participate in their native language.

Mandarin, Portuguese and Spanish languages are typically offered, provided there are at least 10 paid participants in each language. Other languages will also be considered. Please register early so we can ensure your language is offered. If we are unable to offer your preferred language, you may choose to participate in another language or request a full refund.

The program includes access to a large number of our world-class MIT Sloan faculty teaching a broad range of topics including: leadership, strategy, innovation, systems thinking, marketing (branding), communications, negotiations and finance.

• Big picture understanding of the global economic environment including responses to international conflict and the resulting impact it can have on your business and local economy
• Familiarization with MIT?s 4 Capabilities Leadership Model and a template for charting your own organization?s strengths and opportunities for improvement
• A clearer vision of your personal brand, your company?s value proposition and ways to strengthen your competitive position
• Ideas on how to innovate and insights on how to lead organization-wide innovation
• Financial tools and acumen critical for executive-level decision making
• Negotiating techniques and multi-cultural negotiating experience
• An expanded network of talented, worldly executives from a variety of industries and countries, and the diverse perspectives they?ll share with you over your two week journey with us
• New insights, skills and frameworks that you can immediately apply to your business when you return home
• An Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership from MIT Sloan Executive Education and a 20% discount on any future programs

Global Executive Academy is geared toward experienced executives looking to advance or refresh their leadership capabilities and global perspective. Many people choose to participate in English. For those who are more comfortable participating in their local language, we offer translated materials and simultaneous interpretation into select languages.* The content and experience applies to:

• Senior executives from small and mid-sized organizations around the world
• Mid- to senior-level executives from large, multinational organizations
• High-potential technical or business leaders looking to advance their general business acumen or gain international experience
• Leaders seeking a condensed, global program as a substitute for or refresher to an International MBA
• The 2016 cohort included participants from 16 different countries, spanning 16 industries and a variety of executive leadership functions from general management to finance & planning, engineering, business development, customer service, HR, legal, marketing, procurement and more.

Language Requirements
Global Executive Academy is offered in English with simultaneous interpretation into Mandarin, Portuguese and Spanish (provided there are at least 10 paid participants in each language; other languages may also be considered). Most pre-readings and written classroom materials are translated into the target language. Supplemental readings are offered in English only. The program is primarily designed for international executives and leaders with a basic working knowledge of English who prefer to experience the program and actively participate in their native language. Participants should be able to speak with high proficiency in either English or one of the interpreted languages.

All email inquiries as well as the pre-program administrative processes will require the use of English, so please plan accordingly when completing these steps:

• Application form
• Customer service inquiries
• Follow-up communications regarding acceptance, payment, and visa issues

Application and Payment Requirements
To register for Global Executive Academy, please submit an online application. Standard cancellation and deferral policies will apply to this amount.

U.S. Entry Requirements
It is the participant's responsibility to understand and comply with the entry requirements for travel to the United States. Please note that some citizens are required to hold a Machine Readable Passport or visa in order to enter the United States. Visit the U.S. Department of State website, or contact your local embassy or consulate, to determine the requirements based on your country of origin. If you require a visa invitation letter, please email us at execacademy@mit.edu as soon as possible after your non-refundable deposit has been made, and we will provide you with the letter.

Participants who successfully complete the entire program earn an Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership.

For questions, contact execacademy@mit.edu.

While people have always been critical to the success of organizations, many business leaders still make key decisions about their workforce based on intuition, experience, advice, and guesswork. However, today?s leaders can improve their people decision-making based on the collection and systematic analysis of data.

Leading People at Work: Strategies for Talent Analytics focuses on the strategies that can be used to successfully design and implement people analytics in an organization. Faculty draw on the latest practices and research to illustrate how leading companies are using cutting-edge techniques to analyze data about their employees to and make their organizations and their individual employees more successful. In doing so, we will explore areas where talent analytics are most effective, and where it is particularly important to incorporate them. Participants of this program will gain a deeper understanding of how and when people analytics can be applied to improve critical issues such as recruiting and hiring, performance evaluation, promotion and training, compensation, and organizational change.

The program takes the perspective of the general manager when examining how emerging big data analytical approaches applied to human resource management can be used to advance business objectives. By the end of this course, participants will understand how and when big data can be used to make key employee decisions, enabling executives to position themselves as a strategic partner in their company?s talent management.

This course is not intended to teach statistics or programming. Nor will this course cover the issues involved when gathering (and analyzing) data. Instead, it is intended to acquaint participants with key strategies for the design and implementation of people analytics in an organization.

The goal of this course is to prepare executives to wisely collect and use data to manage people at work. Participants of this program will:

• Become familiar with the most relevant topics general managers face concerning the management of people.
• Learn a set of frameworks and theoretical models to help make key employee decisions.
• Be exposed to some of the most cutting-edge techniques used by companies to analyze data about their employees in order to make their organizations and their individual employees more successful.
• Understand how to apply big data analytics to identify, evaluate, and resolve a variety of challenges and issues relating to their workforce.
• Learn how to interpret and present the results of their analyses to make strategic people-related decision. (This course is not intended to teach statistics or programming.)

By learning about strategies for talent analytics, participants will not only advance their company's business objectives through the strategic management of people, but also their own career.

Every great innovator, from Jeff Bezos to Steve Jobs, excels at asking the right questions. Day-in and day-out they seek provocative new insights by getting out of their offices and into the real world, actively observing, networking, and experimenting to generate valuable new ideas. By doing so, they improve our lives and grow our economy, finding new solutions to the most challenging problems we face. Innovative entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs act differently to think differently and, in the end, they make a significant impact..

Building on hundreds of interviews and more than ten thousand survey assessments, Gregersen delivers unique insight into the behaviors of extraordinary innovators. Participants of this new program will learn and practice important discovery skills that lead to new and disruptive innovation, ranging from product improvement to new market creation, to generate valuable, new economic growth.

These key innovation skills include:

• Questioning the status quo
• Observing the world like anthropologists
• Networking with diverse people to get new ideas
• Experimenting in small, fast, and cheap ways to reach novel solutions
• Connecting typically unconnected insights to deliver disruptive new business ideas

To put this innovation strategy into practice, participants will identify an individual challenge for which they seek a solution and commit to innovating around that challenge throughout the two days. They will also engage in a personal diagnostic assessment to better understand their own innovation and execution focused leadership skills.

This highly interactive program will help participants:

• Gain deeper insight into their unique innovation skill strengths
• Build questioning, observing, networking, and experimenting capabilities to surface new ideas and value-creating innovations
• Practice questioning skills intensively through individual and group exercises
• Apply skills to a real individual challenge
• Evolve their existing corporate culture to better foster these five skills