Influential Leadership: Strategies for Successful Change and Negotiations
Study Tour to Harvard in Collaboration with Harvard Division of Continuing Education (DCE)
The Study Tour to Harvard is open to current Aalto Executive MBA, Aalto MBA, and Global Leader program participants, and alumni.
When leaders share their vision for a new future, they must also acknowledge that the desired change comes with inherent challenges. The Influential Leadership: Strategies for Successful Change and Negotiations program will help you lead successful change initiatives in your organization and become a more efficient negotiator. The program consists of four full days of learning with different professors and distinguished guest speakers.
This certificate program is being held in a study tour format at the prestigious Harvard University Campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At the end of the program, each participant will be awarded a certificate of completion from the Harvard Division of Continuing Education.
This study tour also counts as an elective module (4.5 ECTS) for current Executive MBA, MBA, and Global Leader participants.
Global Thought Leadership
Develop your strategic thinking to lead successful change initiatives at your organization. Pre-readings, traditional Harvard case methodology, tales from the field, fireside chats, and other highly interactive methods ensure that content is learned, practiced, and retained.
The Harvard Experience and Certificate
Since its founding in 1636, people have gone to Harvard in the pursuit of truth, knowledge, and a better world. Be exposed to the Harvard experience in the campus environment and receive a certificate from Harvard DCE at the end of the program.
Content and Schedule
The Influential Leadership: Strategies for Successful Change and Negotiations program will take place on May 4–7, 2026, at the Harvard University campus. In addition, we will reconvene after “100 Days” online on Zoom for a final, 2-hour wrap-up session on August 19, 2026, at 16:00-17:40 (EEST).
Aalto EE and Harvard DCE reserve the right to make changes to the program.
Study Tour Venue
The program takes place at Harvard University’s campus at One Brattle Square in Cambridge. Take a virtual tour »
Flights and Accommodation
Kindly note that the flight and hotel arrangements are to be made independently.
The program will start in the morning of Monday, May 4, and end on Thursday, May 7, in the afternoon by 16:30. We advise you to book your flights only after the minimum number of 30 participants is reached and, as always, to book flights that you can reschedule/cancel if needed.
Harvard provides a Harvard rate in some nearby hotels for its participants. We will send you a discount code and more information on the options once the minimum number of 30 participants is reached. You can also see the Harvard Plan Your Visit webpage for more information.
Faculty
Robert C. Bordone
Robert C. Bordone (Bob) is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School and the Founder and Principal of The Cambridge Negotiation Institute.
Bordone is an internationally recognized expert, author, speaker, and teacher in negotiation, conflict resolution, mediation, and facilitation. Previously, he served on the full-time faculty at Harvard Law School for more than 20 years as the Thaddeus R. Beal Clinical Professor of Law, Director, and Founder of the Harvard Negotiation & Mediation Clinical Program, before launching his consulting practice.
Richard Cavanagh
Dr. Richard E. Cavanagh is an Adjunct Lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School.
Former Executive Dean Dr. Richard E. Cavanagh teaches entrepreneurship and innovation courses at the Harvard Kennedy School. He serves as the non-executive chairman of the BlackRock Fixed-Income Mutual Funds and is a director of Fremont Group, the Guardian Life Insurance Company, and the recent national board chair of Volunteers of America. Over three decades, he has also served on the boards of five multinational public companies and has been a director/investor in two successful start-ups. He is co-author of the best-selling management book, The Winning Performance.
Sarah Doktori
Sarah Doktori is an Assistant Attorney General in the antitrust and consumer protection divisions of the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General.
In her role she manages a range of litigation and investigations focused on protecting the rights of Minnesotans.
In law school, Sarah Doktori focused her studies in negotiation and conflict resolution and was involved in numerous negotiation courses, including at Harvard Law School and MIT’s Sloan School of Business. She continues to train, consult, and advise clients on matters related to negotiation and dispute resolution in a variety of contexts and industries.
David A. Shore
Dr. David A. Shore serves as a lecturer at Harvard Extension School.
He is a recognized authority on innovation, managing change initiatives, strategic planning, and gaining competitive advantage. Throughout his career, Shore has worked to combine research, consulting, and teaching to build constructive links between theory and practice. Never known to simply “admire the problem,” Shore provides executable advice, inspiring leaders and organizations to gain a unique and adaptable competitive advantage.
Shore is the former distinguished professor of innovation and change at Tianjin University of Finance and Economics (China) and is adjunct professor of organizational development and change at the School of Business, University of Monterrey, (Mexico). Shore is a faculty member of The Governance Institute and Executive in Residence at Enable East in the United Kingdom. He is a founding member of the McKinsey & Company Implementation Advisory Board. He has held visiting professorships including in Amsterdam, Santiago, and Shanghai and has consulted on six continents. Previously, Shore spent two decades at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he served as associate dean.