Leading Organizational Change

Add this program to MyWharton (Login required)

Dates Location Tuition
Nov 30, 2009 - Dec 3, 2009 Philadelphia $7,450
May 10, 2010 - May 13, 2010 Philadelphia $7,450

Change is vital to organizational growth and survival, but it is difficult to do well. While change initiatives take many forms, they share one thing in common: a dismal record of success. For example, researchers estimate that only about 20 to 50 percent of major corporate reengineering projects at Fortune 1000 companies have been successful. Mergers and acquisitions fail between 40 to 80 percent of the time, and the primary reason is “people issues.” Only an estimated 10 to 30 percent of companies successfully implement their strategic plans. How can you improve the odds for your own change initiatives?

Leading Organizational Change is a hands-on workshop that offers the best insights from research and practice focused on addressing your specific change initiatives. The program offers frameworks, models, and perspectives on leading change that participants immediately apply to their own projects. You’ll understand the factors that trip up promising organizational transformations and the strategies that can make them more successful. You’ll gain a better grasp of the complex interpersonal and strategic issues involved to become a more effective change agent in your organization.

Tuition for Philadelphia programs includes lodging and meals. Prices are subject to change. Program Consultants are available to provide more information on course specifics and discuss how this program might meet your needs. Please contact them by telephone at +1 215.898.1776 or by e-mail.


Ready To Register? Apply for This Program
Want To Learn More? Contact a Program Consultant
Still Researching? Request Materials

The workshop format of the program will allow you to learn, understand and use a variety of perspectives on creating change at the organizational level. Each participant comes to the program with a specific challenge or project and will leave Wharton with an action plan for moving forward. Enrollment is limited to allow for an environment conducive to interaction.

Session Topics for the Leading Organizational Change Program

  • The change process
  • The role of leadership in change
  • Culture and congruence
  • Stakeholder model
  • Power and politics
  • Work systems model and levers of change
  • Change implementation
  • Overcoming obstacles to change

Related Leadership Articles

Wharton@Work: E-Buzz

Knowledge@Wharton

Articles

Upper-middle to senior managers who are engaged in change initiatives, or are preparing for them, will gain frameworks to help make the change process more effective.

We encourage companies to send cross-functional teams of executives to leverage the application and value of the program. Additional group benefits are available when four or more participants attend a program.

Participants must be fluent in English. Specifically, they should be comfortable with metaphoric speech. If this presents a problem, the University of Pennsylvania offers one- and two-week intensive English Language Programs (ELPs) to prepare you for a productive week at Wharton.

Participants bring specific challenges or projects to the program from their organizations, and the focus during the entire program is on addressing these challenges. Faculty use a mix of workshops, team sessions, interactive lectures, and cases. The program culminates in presentations by individuals and teams related to an implementation plan for their change initiatives. Enrollment is limited to allow for an environment conducive to interaction. You will:

  • Develop a detailed action plan for addressing your current change initiative.
  • Gain key frameworks, approaches, and knowledge for improving the change process based on current research and best practice.
  • Develop knowledge of the strategic, organizational, and personal challenges of successful change.

Sigal Barsade , PhD  SIGAL BARSADE, PhD
Academic Director
Professor of Management
The Wharton School

Sigal Barsade, area coordinator of the organizational behavior area at Wharton, has consulted to many diverse organizations, including Hewlett Packard, Merrill Lynch, The Jewish Home and Hospital Lifecare System, and the NBA, as well as to smaller entrepreneurial organizations. The focus of her consulting has been on assessing or changing organizational culture, organizational change, leadership, program evaluation, and emotional intelligence. She actively integrates her research on organizational culture, emotions in the workplace, group dynamics, top management teams, emotional intelligence, and other areas into her practice. Dr. Barsade serves on the editorial boards of two of the leading organizational behavior journals, Administrative Science Quarterly and Academy of Management Review.
Greg Shea GREGORY SHEA, PhD
Adjunct Professor of Management
Faculty Associate, Center for Leadership and Change Management
The Wharton School

Greg Shea consults, researches, writes, and teaches in the areas of group effectiveness, organizational and individual change, and conflict management. In addition to his affiliations at Wharton, he is a partner in the Coxe Group, an international consulting firm serving the design profession; adjunct senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; and senior consultant at the Center for Applied Research. He is a contributing editor to the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science.

These quotes are from a previous version of the Leading Organizational Change program, before its redesign, which was directed by Greg Shea.

"A thought-provoking program for those serious about change and how to affect it."
— Global Project Manager, International Bank

"I wholeheartedly recommend this program for anyone charged with the responsibility to navigate the company through a period of change -- the more contemporary the change the richer the experience."
— Vice President, Electrical Utility

"The program offered us an opportunity to create profound change in ourselves, our organizations, and in our environments. I expect the seeds planted here will produce fruit in the years to come.”
— Associate Professor, International University

Wharton Also Recommends

If you are interested in this program, you might also enjoy:

Finance and Accounting for the Non-Financial Manager

The program describes the accounting process, the creation of financial statements, the role of the auditor, and the basics of income tax. Gain the ability to read financial statements in depth, spot trends, and study your competition with a keener eye.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions are often key elements of a firm’s strategy — yet many fail, destroying an organization’s value. Learn how to develop and implement successful strategies. Determine a rationale to select, value, and evaluate the potential of acquisition targets. The interdisciplinary faculty provides a strategic perspective and examines key elements of the M&A process.