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.
"This course provides an introduction to strategic management. Strategy Formulation has two broad goals. The first is to understand why some companies are financially much more successful than others. Second, we will analyze how managers can devise a set of actions ("the strategy") and design processes that allow their company to obtain a financial advantage. To gain a better understanding of strategic issues and begin to master the analytic tools that strategists use, we will study the strategic decisions of companies in many different industries and countries, ranging from U.S. technology firms to a Spanish fashion retailer and a Danish shipping company. The primary objective of Strategy Formulation is for you to analyze the sources of companies competitive advantage. This skill is not only critical for positions in general management but also for those who aspire to careers in banking, consulting, non-profit, social enterprise, and start-up environments. The course will provide the analytic tools to analyze competitors, predict competitor behavior, and understand how firms can develop and sustain advantages over time."
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 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, and navigating the team structure and culture. We 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 equips 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?