About this Course

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Meet Jim Barton, the new CEO of Santa Monica Aerospace. Jim's job won't be easy: the company's hemorrhaging cash, struggling to regain investors' trust after an accounting scandal, and striving to transform its culture to become a more global competitor. In this course, you’ll travel with Jim as he takes on leadership challenges ranging from strategy execution, to inspiring people, to maintaining an ethical approach. Experts agree that twentieth-century leadership practices are inadequate for the stormy twenty-first-century present. This provocative course equips you with the insights you'll need to rise with the occasion of a rapidly shifting business landscape.
The course is based on a book, Harder Than I Thought: Adventures of a 21st Century Leader, by Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon O'Donnell, published by Harvard Business Review Press. Purchase of the book is optional. If you want more information about the book or wish to buy it, see https://hbr.org/product/harder-than-i-thought-adventures-of-a-twenty-first/an/10332-HBK-ENG or http://www.amazon.com/Harder-Than-Thought-Adventures-Twenty-First/dp/1422162591 

After taking the course, you'll be able to:
o   Enact your own personal leadership approach, derived from your ongoing evaluation of how Jim Barton has handled his leadership situation, as well as from established leadership concepts and frameworks;
o   Avoid leadership actions that might have worked in the past, but are not suited to a newly challenging 21st century world;
o   Navigate treacherous new 21st century leadership challenges, such as greater reliance on specialized workers or the need to respond to external scrutiny in an increasingly transparent world (and many more);
o   Avoid "slippery slope" ethical failures, and think more clearly about the separation between public and private life for a 21st century leader.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Approx. 38 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Strategic Management
Leadership
Collaboration
Communications Management

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Approx. 38 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.78/5 (270 Ratings)

Robert Austin

Professor, Management of Creativity and Innovation

Department of Management, Politics, and Philosophy

168,190 Learners

3 Courses

Shannon Hessel

Assistant Professor of Art, Leadership and Entrepreneurship

Department of Management, Politics, and Philosophy

71,337 Learners

1 Course

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating95%(14,675 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Course Preview and Intro

1 hour to complete

3 videos (Total 12 min), 4 readings

1 hour to complete

Taking on a New Leadership Role

1 hour to complete

2 videos (Total 10 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Getting Oriented and Assessing Your Team

3 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 36 min), 6 readings, 2 quizzes

4 videos

Introduction to Module 326sEpisode 2: Meeting the CFO (Day 3)12mEpisode 3: Touring the SMA Plant (Day 4)9mEpisode 4: Meeting the Head of Engineering (Day 4)13m

6 readings

A New Leader's First 100 Days10mSMA's Income Statement10mReports from a Boeing Factory10mTo-Do list for Today's CEO10mReflection and discussion: Assessing Barton's team10mA Vital Task: Getting Your Team Right10m

2 practice exercises

Assessing the Head of Engineering30mGetting Started as a New Leader30m

3 hours to complete

Communication in an Age of Super Transparency

In an age of social media and super hackers, leaders have to worry more than ever about secrets getting out, making hard decisions under scrutiny, and people misinterpreting what the company and its leaders are doing. Thanks primarily to the advance of technology, the organizational activities have never been more transparent. How should a leader take this new 21st century reality into account? Do past communications and PR approaches need to change? How would YOU do it?

3 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 52 min), 5 readings, 2 quizzes

6 videos

Introduction to Module 446sEpisode 5: Kohler's Philosophy of Disclosure (Day 8)5mEpisode 6: The Gala (Day 8)9mPart 1 of Living and Leading in an Era of Super Transparency8mPart 2 of Living and Leading in an Era of Super Transparency10mPart 3 of Living and Leading in an Era of Super Transparency16m

5 readings

How Capitalism Can Thrive in a Transparent World10mDan Geer: "We are all intelligence officers now"10mLinks to check out for Super Transparency Lecture10mReflection and discussion: Advising Barton on transparency10mLearner recommendations: How to address social media challenges10m

2 practice exercises

Approaches to Communication30mThe Era of Super Transparency30m

Week3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

Leading Collaboration

3 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 37 min), 7 readings, 3 quizzes

6 videos

Introduction to Module 535sIntroduction to the topic of leading collaboration3mLeading Collaboration at IDEO8mLeading Collaboration at Mass Animation9mCollaborative Leadership5mEpisode 7: Old Friends (Day 13)9m

7 readings

Video of IDEO's collaboration, "The Deep Dive"10mReflection10mMass Animation10mReflection and discussion: Collaboration at IDEO and Mass Animation10mWhat is "Collaborative Leadership"?10mIntroduction to Dramatized Episode #710mReflection and discussion: Advising Barton on collaboration10m

3 practice exercises

Determining the right context for collaboration30mDiagnosis30mCollaborative Leadership30m

3 hours to complete

Motivating and Inspiring

A leader must be able to move other people -- potentially in directions those others do not wish to go. A very important part of a leader's role, then, is to motivate people -- to somehow provide the impulse to move others in a particular direction. Indeed, a leader often needs to get people moving together, in a similar direction. But there are different ways of doing this. Incentives, for example, operate differently than inspiration, and the two might not work equally well in a particular circumstance. How should the 21st century leader motivate people? What would YOU do?

3 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 52 min), 5 readings, 2 quizzes

5 videos

Introduction to Module 630sEpisode 8: The Merit Pay System (Day 24)17mMotivating, Inspiring, and Other Ways Leaders Get People Moving in a Particular Direction: Introduction7mMotivating and Inspiring etc.: Economic models and their problems14mMotivating and Inspiring etc.: What are the alternatives to incentives?11m

5 readings

Introduction to Episode #810mMotivation in Literature 110mMotivation in Literature 210mReadings and Video10mReflection and discussion: Motivating people10m

2 practice exercises

What do you think?30mMotivating, Inspiring, and Leadership30m

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Effective Governance

A leader operates within a framework that outlines her or his responsibilities, range of authority, and access to resources -- we call such frameworks "governance." Governance empowers a leader but also looks over her or his shoulder. A precondition for effectiveness as a leader is having a foundation of sound governance. And although it can be rather tricky, leaders sometimes have to try to make changes to the governance framework within which they work. If you're a CEO and you decide you have an ineffective board of directors -- to whom you report -- what would YOU do?

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 36 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

7 videos

Introduction to Module 748sEpisode 9: Barton's First Board Meeting Day 31)11mEpisode 10: Sleeping with the Press (Day 31)5mEpisode 11: "A Sensitive Matter" (Day 45)1mEpisode 12: "Reconfiguring the Board of Directors" (Day 45)11mEpisode 13: The Reconfiguration Process (Day 93)2mEpisode 14: Reconfiguration Accomplished (Day 135)2m

5 readings

What does a board of directors do?10mIntroduction to Episodes 9 and 1010mReflection10mWhat makes for an effective board of directors?10mReflection and discussion: Creating a better Board of Directors10m

1 practice exercise

Effective Governance30m

1 hour to complete

Leading Change

1 hour to complete

3 videos (Total 7 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

Week5

Week 5

3 hours to complete

Managing Talent

In the 21st century, the biggest assets an organization has are its people what they can do. The evidence of this? Apple, Google, and Microsoft all have market values higher than Exxon (a company with vastly more physical assets). A very important job of a 21st century leader, then, is to attract, retain, and continue to develop the talents and skills of the people within the organization. Talent is a success multiplier, and an organization's leader is its talent-developer-in-chief. How should this be done? How would you do it?

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 64 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

8 videos

Introduction to Module 938sEpisode 17: Unexpected Insight from a Neighbor (Day 36)10mSpecialisterne: From Hope to Action To Impact3mManaging People with "Inspired Peculiarities": The Dandelion Principle13mAnka Wittenberg, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, SAP SE11mAnka Wittenberg Interview, Part 25mUnderstanding what matters to excellent performers9mEpisode 18: The Engineers Revolt (Sometime during Barton's 2nd year as CEO)9m

5 readings

How the dramatic episodes play into this module10mReflection and discussion: The Dandelion Principle10mA Sampling of 21st Century Perspectives on Talent Management20mReflection10mReflections and discussion: Managing talent10m

1 practice exercise

Managing Talent30m

2 hours to complete

Leading in Crisis

No matter how effective you are as a leader, sometimes things go wrong. In a crisis, a leader must make tough decision under the pressure of a ticking clock. That's really hard, partly because crises are (thankfully) rare and few people have a lot of experience with them. And yet, you need to get it right. The stakes, in a crisis, are often very, very high, for the organization and for a leader's career. As a leader, sooner or later you will have to deal with a crisis. How will YOU measure up?

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 19 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

6 videos

Introduction to Module 1028sEpisode 19: Barton in Crisis (Day 173)5mEpisode 20: Contemplating Resignation (Day 174)7mEpisode 21: An Ultimatum (Day 174)3mEpisode 22: Negotiating with the Unions (Day 175)1mEpisode 23: A united front (Day 175)49s

5 readings

Difficulty and development10mReflection and discussion: Avoiding and recovering from crisis10mThe harms done by bonuses and parachutes...10mReflection and Discussion: Drop the parachute?10mReflection and discussion: Assessing Barton's performance10m

1 practice exercise

Leading in Crisis30m

Week6

Week 6

2 hours to complete

Leading Innovation

Thanks to mature communications and transportation networks, it has never been easier for low cost producers to market low priced products and services all over the world. Because of this, companies -- especially those not located in low cost regions -- need to innovate, in order to keep offering products and services that are better, even if they aren't cheaper. In the 21st century, the capacity to innovate has become extremely important to business success. And it's the leader's job to create the conditions in which her or his people can innovate effectively. A leader must espouse principles, processes, and practices that allow the organization to innovation better than its rivals. How to do this? How would YOU do it?

2 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 29 min), 6 readings, 2 quizzes

4 videos

Introduction to Module 1125sFostering innovation8mEpisode 24: Innovation Dilemma (At about Barton's 1 year mark)10mCollaborating with clients for innovation8m

6 readings

What to expect in this module's lectures and episodes10mLean manufacturing mindset means continuous innovation10mEmily Pilloton on participatory design10mReflection: Innovation strategy10mVIDEO: Rethinking intelligence, education and our capacity for creativity10mReflection and discussion: How to encourage innovation10m

2 practice exercises

What should Akita decide?30mFostering Innovation30m

1 hour to complete

Leading Execution

1 hour to complete

3 videos (Total 12 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Week7

Week 7

2 hours to complete

Public Life, Private Life

You've seen it all too often in the newspaper headlines: a prominent leader called on to resign, not because of failure to perform on the job, but because of something troubling (at least to some) that has transpired in their so-called "private life" that has become public. Where is the boundary between public life and private life for a leader? Indeed, is there a boundary? Why do so many leaders have problems with this? How does it bear on notions of leadership character and integrity? What is YOUR personal philosophy in this important area?

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 21 min), 3 readings, 3 quizzes

6 videos

Introduction to Module 1346sEpisode 27: Firing Kohler (Day 144)3mEpisode 28: Played for a Fool? (Day 174)3mEpisode 29: Public life, Private life (A little more than 1 year into Barton's time as CEO)6mEpisode 30: Disclosure Issue (Sometime during Barton's 2nd year as CEO)4mEpisode 31: Liability (Sometime during Barton's 2nd year as CEO)1m

3 readings

Reflection10mQuestions about Disclosure: The case of Steve Jobs and his illness10mReflection and discussion: Final thoughts10m

3 practice exercises

Predictions30mVerdict30mThe Rights and Obligations of Leaders30m

3 hours to complete

Vision and the Role of Culture

The eminent management thinker Peter Drucker once said that "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." Lou Gerstner, after he turned around IBM, often said that the importance of culture was the one thing he seriously underestimated. What is culture? According to the simplest definition, widely used, culture is "the way we do things around here." But how should the leader influence that? What would YOU do?

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 51 min), 8 readings, 1 quiz

7 videos

Introduction to Module 1448sEpisode 32a: Consulting with a Peer, Part 1 (Flashback: Day 52)7mEpisode 32b: Consulting with a Peer, Part 2 (Flashback: Day 52)10mEpisode 32c: Consulting with a Peer, Part 3 (Flashback: Day 52)8mPart 1: What Culture Is6mPart 2: The Importance of Culture6mPart 3: The Difficulty of Changing Culture10m

8 readings

Introduction to Episode 3210mReflection and discussion10mReflection and discussion10mReflection and discussion10m"On Corporate Culture" by Richard Nolan10mOn communication10mOn culture and leadership10mReflection and discussion: Culture at SMA10m

1 practice exercise

The Importance of Corporate Culture30m

Week8

Week 8

1 hour to complete

Modern Theories of Leadership

Leadership is an active, if fragmented, field of management research. In this module, you'll encounter some of the ideas researchers have come up with to describe and improve the practice of leadership. Some of these theories have had more influence than others. Some have had less influence on the practice of leadership than many of the ideas we've already seen in the course (e.g., economic agency theory). We offer these here to raise the possibility that some of these ideas might help YOU as you synthesize a personal approach to leadership in the 21st century.

1 hour to complete

1 video (Total 1 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

4 hours to complete

A Study in Leadership Failure: The Financial Crisis (Part 1)

The early 21st century has seen some spectacular failures of leadership. From the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, to the 2008 financial crisis, we've seen a lot of major things go wrong with leadership. You could argue that these are examples of 20th century leadership applied to 21st century challenges...and that resulting failures demonstrate the need for a new leadership approach. In this module, we'll begin trying to understand some of the things that went wrong in the extremely complicated 2008 financial crisis.

4 hours to complete

1 video (Total 1 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz

Week9

Week 9

1 hour to complete

A Study in Leadership Failure: The Financial Crisis (Part 2)

1 hour to complete

1 video (Total 1 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

1 hour to complete

Real Leadership Case Study: Lord John Browne, British Petroleum

1 hour to complete

1 video (Total 1 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

Week10

Week 10

2 hours to complete

Synthesis - Leadership in 21st Century Organizations

2 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 9 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

4 videos

Introduction to Module 1930sEpisode 33: Maiden Flight (Exactly 4 years into Barton's tenure as CEO)2mEpisode 34: Barton Removed (Same day as maiden flight of new SMA plane)5mEnd of Course Wrap-up54s

5 readings

General Leadership Advice from Harvard Business School10mFour spheres of executive responsibility10mReflection and discussion: Final Assessment, Jim Barton CEO10mReflection and discussion: Right outcome?10mSynthesizing YOUR framework for 21st Century leadership10m

Reviews

4.8

367 reviews

5 stars
81.83%
4 stars
14.63%
3 stars
1.81%
2 stars
0.90%
1 star
0.80%

TOP REVIEWS FROM LEADERSHIP IN 21ST CENTURY ORGANIZATIONS

by GKJun 4, 2022

It has been an eye opener to many possibilities of successfully leading a modern organisation. The learning process was made easy an interesting by real life examples. I really ejoyed this course.

by IBSep 12, 2019

This is a must-take course for anyone considering a position of leadership - even if you think you know everything, you WILL find yourself taking notes and reflecting a lot after each module.

by JOct 19, 2017

It's a very comprehensive course. I enjoyed the combination of theory with case study and scenario. I had a lot of fun discovering the new trends in the 21st century's leadership.

by AKAug 7, 2020

exceelent course by all means. so much was there in the course that it has changed my perspective of looking at leadership challenges in the coming century, full marks to the course designer.

View all reviews

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Leadership in 21st Century Organizations