How Tuck Executive Education is Innovating for the Future

The project was an easy pick for Lehman’s Management Action Plan (MAP), a core component of AMP that leads executives through the process of applying core strategic concepts to a specific organizational challenge. 

Two weeks later, Lehman left Tuck with new confidence—and clear next steps. 

“Throughout the program, I learned to segment the revival into manageable projects slated for completion over 18 to 24 months,” she explained. 

This year, AMP participants are taking the MAP process even further, thanks to a revamped curriculum that offers additional dedicated sessions with faculty and peers. 

That update is just one of several recent changes to Tuck Executive Education’s program offerings. With cutting-edge content and new online offerings, Tuck offers emerging and established leaders more options than ever to build future-ready skills. 

New Program Leaders and Curricula Offer Fresh Perspectives

This year, the Advanced Management Program also boasts new sessions on change management, digital transformation, and supply chain management—as well as a new faculty director: Professor Pino Audia, chair of Tuck’s Organizational Behavior research group and an expert on leadership and decision making.

“Today’s leaders are facing unprecedented levels of change and ambiguity,” says Audia. “AMP’s unique blend of cutting-edge knowledge, peer learning, and personal reflections gives executives the tools and confidence to lead with clarity.”

Changes to the one-week Leadership & Strategic Impact program, which focuses on strategy and communication and targets high-potential executives, include the addition of a session on the Purposeful Leader. Taught by Shannon Huffman Polson T’03, founder of the Grit Institute and author of The Grit Factor, the session prepares participants to lead successfully through uncertainty by aligning their purpose with their organization’s and developing the resilience to tackle the unexpected. 

Next Step, Tuck’s program for military veterans and elite athletes transitioning to business, also welcomed new faculty leaders this year: Adjunct Professor Amy E. Florentino T’10, who is also Commander for the US Coast Guard’s Sector Northern New England, and Tuck Professor Aram M. Donigian T’08, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army and cofounder of the West Point Negotiation Project. 

“Both Florentino and Donigian can personally relate to Next Step participants’ experiences and understand how to help them draw on their specialized strengths to build meaningful careers,” says Phil Barta, executive director of Tuck Executive Education. 

Finally, Global Leadership, a multi-month program for executives within a consortium of non-competing multinational companies, has added a new module that brings participants to Nairobi, Kenya, to see firsthand what innovation looks like in a frontier market. 

Online Education Programs Tackle Crisis Communications, Emerging Technologies, and More

Tuck Executive Education also offers several online education programs that allow participants to develop specific skills from anywhere in the world. This year, new courses are available to both individuals and companies. 

In Power the Future: AI and Data for Strategic Advantage, a new executive sprint taught by Professor Vijay Govindarajan (VG) and Boston University’s Venkat Venkatraman, participants explore the potential applications of data and AI for strategy and the digital capabilities necessary for success. The first session of Power the Future ran in the spring, and the next iteration of the program will run on October 22 and 29, 2024.
 
Building on Power the Future’s success, a second executive sprint will be offered in November. In Leadership in Disruptive Times: Thriving Through Uncertainty, Professor Scott Anthony will provide participants with practical tools for leaders, so they can use uncertainty and change to their advantage. The program will take place on November 13 and 20, 2024. 

This fall, Professor Paul Argenti will launch a new Corporate Communication Strategy Certificate program on the EdX platform. Its four modules will cover everything from developing a communications strategy to corporate responsibility, brand strategy, and crisis communications. 

Corporations that use the ExecOnline professional development platform also have access to new courses from some of Tuck’s most popular faculty members: Building Courageously Inclusive Workplaces with Professor Ella Bell Smith; Managing Your Visibility with Professor Stacey Blake-Beard, and Networking Strategically with Professor Adam Kleinbaum. These come in addition to ExecOnline’s preexisting Tuck content, a series of communications courses led by Argenti. 

No matter the intended audience, says Senior Associate Dean for Innovation and Growth Joseph Gerakos D’90, keeping content fresh and relevant is the Tuck Executive Education team’s top priority. 

“We’re always building and updating programs based on what we’re hearing from our corporate partners and participating executives, as well as the trends our faculty are seeing,” he says. “Whether their core challenge is using generative AI effectively or managing emotionally charged conversations around social issues, we want to give them the actionable tools they need, when they need them.”