World-Class Management: Leadership in a Global Age

We live in an era of unprecedented global connectedness. Yet, at the same time, powerful figures and movements have emerged arguing that humanity's divisions are greater than our commonalities. This course explores this dynamic in global leadership and management, as well as the recent past that has led up to the present moment we find ourselves in. Students are introduced to leadership in the past and in the present, considering both common elements and the influence of specific contexts, generating discussion and constructive debate about the nature of productive, unproductive, and destructive leadership around the world. We also explore theories of leadership and management techniques that exist apart from what is commonly considered in the professional school context (for example, that of the Harvard Kennedy School or Harvard Business School). Additionally, the course employs three overarching themes: the settings in which moments of (and opportunities for) leadership arise, the means by which leadership has been given to or taken by historical and contemporary leaders, and the effective versus ineffective calculus of leadership assessment in the field of management studies.