Aligning Strategy, Leadership, and Culture: Keys to Competitive Advantage

Successful leaders, in good times and bad, see opportunity where others see pitfalls. In every type of economic climate, leaders must continue to look to the future, think innovatively, and execute for profitable performance. Aligning Strategy, Leadership, and Culture:  Keys to Competitive Advantage creates value for you and your organization in these very ways.

Program Objectives

Aligning Strategy, Leadership, and Culture is designed for leaders charged with creating and implementing strategy. It provides you with the integrated management perspective to maximize the performance of your organization. You will learn how the forces of culture impact performance and hone leadership skills that establish a common sense of purpose that drives commitment and cooperation. Specifically, the program prepares you to:

• Critically assess and respond to the changing environment and marketplace
• Grow and develop core capabilities and operational focus to compete
• Build capability through global networks of employees, partners, and suppliers
• Understand how financial performance affects process and operations in an organization
• Communicate, motivate, and empower talent to implement strategic changes

Who Should Attend

This program is designed for those charged with creating and implementing business strategy, organizational capability, and talent development. Past participants have been directors thru VP-level.  General managers will benefit also. The participant may or may not have direct reports but is in a position of strategic influence in the enterprise or business unit.

Note to Government Professionals:  This program fulfills much of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) required for Senior Executive Service.

Program Benefits

Aligning Strategy, Leadership, and Culture prepares you to effectively deal with the multi-faceted complexities of leading today’s organizations. Faculty leaders will have you step back and take a global view where you will confront the broad shifts impacting the business. Then you will break down your role into components of strategic, interpersonal, and execution. Specifically, you will be equipped to:

• Develop a strategy and align the organization to perform
• Assess your organizational culture and the propensity for change
• Use organizational culture  to positively affect performance and behavior in others
• Implement best processes for leading change
• Strengthen your leadership effectiveness

“Personally, the class gave me the opportunity to take a good look at my own motives and expectations in relation to "work.”  Taking the time to compare where my motives lie and recognizing how that affects my leadership style will fundamentally improve my professional development. Excellent program that I would definitely recommend.”
– Matthew Caesar, Chief of Product Development, Digital Solutions Incorporated/Inmate Telephone Incorporated

Program Content

Strategic Leadership

Assessing the external environment

Business modeling and innovation- new session added!

Setting direction for your organization

Managing cycles of change

Enhancing leadership effectiveness

Encouraging flexibility and creativity

Enhancing People Systems

Leadership roles and responsibilities

Team-building methods and procedures

Building motivation and reward systems

Implementing Change

Enacting organizational models in a global environment

Assessing organizational vision

Translating strategic intent into action

Strategic Finance

Creating value

Evaluating success through the numbers

Acquiring levers for enhancing performance

“This program helped me to start to think outside the box an learn the concept of continual product/process development (momentum); as well as leadership styles, and when and how to use them.”
– Nabeel Sarwani, M.D., - Assistant professor of radiology and Director, Body MRI, Penn State Hershey Medical Center

Value Created for Your Company

Research Instruments - Through two assessment tools that use data provided by your colleagues, you receive candid, objective assessment of your current organizational and leadership environment.  The Strategy, Leadership, Culture Questionnaire (SLCQ) is a simple but powerful process that measures 18 critical dimensions of organizational effectiveness. Learn more. The second tool provides a focused look into the organizational climate specific to the participant’s immediate sphere of influence. Feedback from the instruments combined with coaching by the faculty provide important personal and organizational insight that, when armed with new perspectives and data, form the basis of real change.

Change Leadership Simulation - You will apply concepts discussed about the process of change through a computer-based simulation that has you determine the appropriate tactics and timing of them in order to lead a successful change initiative. This is an extremely powerful tool that provides intense learning in a short period of time.

Action Plan – Throughout the program, you will assimilate all you’ve learned from faculty,  combined with networking dialogue, and prepare the beginning of an actionable plan that will enable you to have a conversation with your boss and other stakeholders about direction and strategic imperatives. Following the program, you will continue to have access to your networks of fellow participants and faculty to maintain the momentum for change.

Faculty Leaders

Faculty Director

Dr. Carlo Ninassi, Associate Professor of Practice - Strategy & Innovation, Executive Programs, Smeal College of Business, Penn State

Faculty Leaders

Dr. Albert A. Vicere, Executive Education Professor of Strategic Leadership, Smeal College of Business, Penn State

Ms. Maria W. Taylor, Managing Director of Executive Programs, Smeal College of Business, Penn State

Mr. Kenneth Pasch, Instructor in Accounting, Smeal College of Business, Penn State

Mr. Jason Lewis, Management Consultant, ExperiencePoint

Fees

The program fee of $7,950 includes all instructional materials, private room accommodations, meals, and access to recreational facilities

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