Strategic Management

SPS Certificate website: https://sps.northwestern.edu/post-baccalaureate/strategic-management/

One of the biggest challenges facing human resources managers or anyone with a leadership role in business management is developing organizational structures in which people can function effectively and comfortably. The Strategic Management post-baccalaureate certificate program teaches students about the changing state of organizations, how management and leadership function in an evolving business world, and how communication and other critical elements of business can be achieved most effectively within organizational structures. The program is designed for human resources professionals, as well as individuals in management and leadership positions or who aspire to those roles.

Certificate Offered

Strategic Management Courses

COMM_ST 250-DL Team Leadership and Decision Making (1 Unit)  

Theories and research relating to communication in small groups and group decision making.

COMM_ST 360-DL Theories of Organizational Communication (1 Unit)  

Effective communication behaviors and skills for contemporary organizations. Dimensions of organizational communication, including listening, nonverbal communication, ethics, and values. Interactive exercises and practical applications of theory.

COMM_ST 363-CN Bargaining and Negotiation (1 Unit)  

Communication in bargaining and negotiation in organizational settings. Cognitive and motivational theories emphasizing bargaining and negotiation strategies.

ORG_BEH 307-DL Leadership Principles (1 Unit)  

This course introduces the theory and practice of leadership: the capacity to mobilize group resources to affect fundamental change in organizations. Topics include understanding organizations as complex social systems; the difference between leadership and managerial authority; navigating the politics of competing factions within organizations to achieve shared goals; emotional intelligence and the role of building and maintaining relationships of trust to drive optimal performance and continuous improvement; and the role of leadership in creating an environment in which risk-taking and innovative solutions are encouraged, learned from, and rewarded. The classroom, as well as students' experiences, will serve as foundational learning and ultimately become case studies in leadership.

ORG_BEH 310-DL Organizational Change (1 Unit)  

In-depth investigation of the forces driving organizational change and their impact on people and structure.

ORG_BEH 311-DL Conflict Resolution (1 Unit)  

Conflict theory and its application to negotiations; conflict resolution style, group membership's impact on conflict.

ORG_BEH 367-DL Strategic Planning and Management (1 Unit)  

Concepts of strategic planning applied to various types of organizations.

ORG_BEH 368-DL Project Management (1 Unit)  

Foundations of leading and managing projects in increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) environments. Three domains, leading and managing self, people, and business are covered.