Addressing Strategic Leadership Challenges

Starting in early 2019, Warwick Business School’s new postgraduate Executive Diploma Series, run from its inspirational teaching space at The Shard, in Central London will focus on four key strategic challenges facing organizations and executives across the globe – strategic leadership; digital leadership; organizational change; and strategic innovation.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Warwick Business School’s new Executive Diploma Series focuses on four key strategic challenges facing organizations – Strategic Leadership; Digital Leadership; Organizational Change; and Strategic Innovation.

Start dates: April-May 2019 │ Duration: One year part-time (4x4-day modules) Location: WBS London, The Shard

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WARWICK EXECUTIVE DIPLOMA SERIES HERE

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

However experienced leaders are or however au fait with advanced management methods, to operate successfully in today’s disrupted fast-paced world requires them to have an even greater ability to understand themselves, inspire others, think critically, and challenge their existing view of the world.

Strategic leadership links the personal attributes of the leader with their professional knowledge and experience. Because strategy is no longer a top-down activity but is the responsibility of many people within an organization, demanding a culture of strategic innovation and openness, leaders must be able to connect their leadership imperative with the culture and practice of the wider organization, thereby delivering sustained impact and influence through individuals, teams and business units.

DIGITAL LEADERSHIP

Basing strategy on analysis of close sector rivals is no longer enough. In the rapidly moving digital age disruptive competition is likely to come from outside, and from sector players about which executives may have very little understanding.

Successful strategic leadership today requires a deep and broad understanding of both the technological and cultural landscapes in which business operates and the ‘next-sensing’ ability to stay ahead when technology, markets, and customer behaviour are rapidly evolving. 

To realise the transformative potential of digital technology for their business senior leaders need to develop the ability to build sustainable business models, based on a sound understanding of platform strategy, cyber security, the implications of artificial intelligence, and new data analysis approaches.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

Over the two past decades digital communication technology and the social web have greatly boosted business efficiency for those organizations that have fully embraced the changes need to realise their potential. Now as organizations enter the era of AI, robotics, and the Internet of Things even more change will be needed. Furthermore, organizations must also evolve to keep up with generational and social attitudes; in the case of leadership moving from traditional ‘command and control’ to a more democratic styles.

For organizations to stay ahead, or at least keep-up, in these dynamic times their leaders need to be ready to engage with the full spectrum of change strategies, from incremental change to organizational transformation, as well as the development of new cultures of agility and responsiveness.

STRATEGIC INNOVATION

Innovation is key to surviving and thriving in dynamic and fast-changing environments and innovation, both transformative and incremental, needs to be a core part of any organization’s culture. However, leading innovation in organizations can be hard. There can be many barriers - due to lack of staff engagement, organizational silos, out-of-touch R&D researchers, or just lack of determined focus.

Leaders need to be able to identify and overcome organizational barriers to innovation; develop new ventures within long- or newly-established organizations; adopt new strategic approaches to company direction and decision-making in order to build successful business models which exploit new opportunities; take new approaches to stakeholder management, governance and funding; and develop robust but flexible plans for strategic execution.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

WBS are offering four self-standing Diplomas each delivered over one year as four four-day modules. They are aimed at executives from diverse world regions and sectors who want an accelerated, rigorous and challenging development program whilst maintaining their current responsibilities.

The Warwick Executive Diploma Series:

• Warwick Diploma in Strategic Leadership (April 2019)
• Warwick Diploma in Digital Leadership (May 2019)
• Warwick Diploma in Organizational Change (May 2019)
• Warwick Diploma in Strategy & Innovation (April 2019)

The launch evening on 18 September provides an opportunity to meet all of the Diploma Directors and to understand the benefits of each Diploma for executives and their organizations. 

If you would like more information about the Warwick Executive Diploma Series please contact Leyla Gilbey by email at execdiplomas@wbs.ac.uk or telephone on: +44 (0)24 7652 4100.