Teaching
I have taught technology and entrepreneurial strategy to undergraduate, MBA, and mid-career students, entrepreneurs, and investors from Columbia Business School, Harvard Business School, Harvard Extension School, Harvard Business School Alumni Angels Association, MassChallenge, and elsewhere.
Scaling Strategically
The class walks current or prospective executives through how to approach scaling with a strategy in mind. The first part focuses on reflecting on and refining the firm's strategy. What is really the firm's core? What kind of investments does that core require? How can the leadership team clearly distill and communicate that core in a strategy statement to get employees and other stakeholders on board? The second part focuses on applying that strategy to key investment areas in the scaling phase, including expanding or deepening the market, defining a moat relative to competitors, structuring the organization, and formalizing the company’s cultural values. We will discuss the tradeoffs in each of these areas and how to leverage strategy to decide among them. Through a combination of discussions about global company examples leveraging strategy frameworks and hands-on exercises evaluating strategic decisions in the scaling phase, the course will equip participants with the tools to power strategy-driven growth in their company.
Companies make decisions daily to compete in the digital age; some are laying strategic building blocks for the future while others are toiling away on tactical distractions or leading their organizations headlong down the path to obsolescence. The advent of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), has transformed how firms organize, operate, and compete. It is now more critical than ever for entrepreneurs and managers to understand the effects of new technologies and the competitive landscape in which those new technologies are developed and deployed. The course will assess these effects in three sections: (1) how technological change affects the global competitive landscape; (2) how the use of AI influences the firm and managers within the firm; (3) how these technological changes influence the nature of work within firm units. The course is intended for managers and entrepreneurs who seek to gain or improve awareness of key trends in the digital economy.
The advent of digital technologies and artificial intelligence have transformed how, when, and where companies can create and capture value. Tune in for an overview of competition fundamentals, platform strategy, and policy environments in this digital world. Learn key considerations for competing in the digital economy from global company examples and academic insights. What are network effects, and how can they create competitive advantage? How do you overcome the chicken-and-egg problem in establishing a multi-sided platform? What are key policy areas governing digital business, and how do you navigate them? How can you leverage global markets to scale?