Rotman Senior Leadership
Online program
Equip yourself with a comprehensive toolkit of organizational framework models and practical strategies for leading cross-functional teams in complex organizations.
6 weeks, excluding 1 week orientation.
6–8 hours of self-paced learning per week, entirely online.
Email: rotman.utoronto@getsmarter.com
Call: +1 647-496-0623
About this program
Traditionally, business leadership has relied on a siloed, hierarchical approach to teams and functions. But modern organizations have evolved, driven by changes in technology, the economy, and society. This has resulted in an increase in the complexity of each organization itself, requiring leaders to reassess their responsibilities in light of the need for cross-functional teams able to deliver on strategic goals.
In the Rotman Senior Leadership online program from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, you’ll gain a toolkit of frameworks and models to produce highly effective organizational teams. These include a congruence model of organizational effectiveness developed by your Program Director, Professor Hugh Arnold, as well as a team leader effectiveness model. With an emphasis on understanding organizational complexity rather than growing individual skills, this program gives you the knowledge needed to face the challenges of senior leadership in a modern organization. During this program, you’ll develop the ability to break down silos, shape organizational culture, and articulate your vision as you lead cross-functional teams towards the future. Ultimately, you’ll walk away equipped with a practical approach to organizational leadership, bolstered by insights from real-world case studies.
This Rotman program is eligible for financial support
The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) funding initiative is designed to help learners access sought-after skills and development opportunities through government-funded loans and grants. Financial assistance is available to Canadian citizens and applies to this Rotman Executive program. To find out if you qualify, visit the financial assistance homepage.
What this program covers
This online program explores the way organizations work, and ways leaders can navigate their complexities and functional interdependencies. It begins by examining the nature of organizational leadership and organizational effectiveness. This is followed by a discussion of silos in the workplace, including their causes, why they persist, and how to overcome them. It goes on to investigate how senior teams are built and led, the role of organizational culture, and how this can be used to enable high performance. Finally, the program addresses change management, providing insights into how leaders can overcome resistance to create change within an organization.
A powerful collaboration
The Rotman School of Management is collaborating with online education provider GetSmarter to create a new class of learning experience – one that is high-touch, intimate, and personalized for the working professional.
About Rotman
Embedded within the highest-rated university in Canada, the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management strives to create value for business and society through invention and innovation. Rotman is committed to fostering new ways of thinking to address today’s business challenges and opportunities through superior-quality learning experiences. With a focus on diversity, excellence, integrity, and respect, Rotman is determined to become a catalyst for positive change.
About GetSmarter
GetSmarter, a 2U, Inc. brand, partners with the world's leading universities and institutions to select, design, and deliver premium online short courses with a data-driven focus on learning gain.
Technology meets academic rigour in GetSmarter’s people-mediated model, which enables lifelong learners across the globe to obtain industry-relevant skills that are certified by the world’s most reputable academic institutions.
As a program participant, you will also gain unlimited access to 2U’s Career Engagement Network at no extra cost. This platform will provide you with valuable career resources and events to support your professional journey. You can look forward to benefits including rich content, career templates, webinars, workshops, career fairs, networking events, panel discussions, and exclusive recruitment opportunities to connect you with potential employers.*
*Some of these events may be virtual due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
What you’ll learn
You’ll be welcomed to the program and begin connecting with fellow participants, while exploring the navigation and tools of your Online Campus. Be alerted to key milestones in the learning path, and review how your results will be calculated and distributed.
You’ll be required to complete your participant profile and submit a digital copy of your passport/identity document.
Please note that module titles and their contents are subject to change during program development.
Learn about organizational leadership and the Seven Seismic Shifts that can be experienced within it.
- Identify the key elements of effective organizational leadership
- Determine the different sources of a leader’s power
- Relate your personal leadership journey to the Seven Seismic Shifts framework
- Reflect on the content that was covered and how you will apply this content to your own practice
Explore the leader’s role in shaping the five elements that lead to congruence in an organization's effectiveness.
- Identify the five elements of organizational effectiveness
- Illustrate the need for congruence among the five elements of organizational effectiveness
- Articulate the challenges of developing a long-term and external orientation when moving into a senior role
- Investigate your role as a leader in building congruence in your organization
- Reflect on the content that was covered and how you will apply this content to your own practice
Examine how silos form, why they are a barrier to collaboration, and how to break them down.
- Discuss the causes and consequences of silos
- Determine how cross-functional teams can be used to break down silos
- Analyze the factors that contribute to the difficulty of breaking down silos in your personal leadership journey
- Evaluate which behaviours are causing silos or preventing them from emerging in your organization
- Reflect on the content that was covered and how you will apply this content to your own practice
Explore the meaning of a team and a leader's various roles within it.
- Recognize the key elements of creating strong and effective teams
- Discuss the factors that make leaders highly effective
- Determine which decision-making style is appropriate for enhancing team performance
- Apply the team effectiveness model to your personal leadership journey
- Articulate the challenges of managing and maintaining an effective team
- Reflect on the content that was covered and how you will apply this content to your own practice
Learn about organizational culture and how it can enable high performance.
- Explain the difference between organizational culture and values
- Determine the origin of resistance to change in your organizational culture
- Analyze how the five key principles of culture change could be used to change your organizational culture
- Predict which changes organizations can create to build and maintain a positive culture
- Reflect on the content that was covered and how you will apply this content to your own practice
Investigate how a leader can overcome resistance and create change within an organization.
- Outline the nature of organizational change, reasons why organizations are resistant to change, and the methods of overcoming resistance to change
- Articulate the steps in the process of organizational change
- Analyze organizational culture and how it poses challenges to change
- Critique an approach to change management taken by an organization
- Reflect on the content that was covered and how you will apply this content to your own practice
Who should take this program
This program is focused on senior organizational leadership as it relates to teams and functions, optimizing cross-functional collaboration, and enhancing performance. Existing senior managers and executives will gain the tools to lead their organizations, drive change, and promote a collective vision. New managers and those anticipating a move into senior management will develop an understanding of the challenges of their role, while new and established business owners will have the opportunity to enhance their leadership skills.
This program is for you if you want to:
Align with stakeholders
Gain the ability to break down silos, shape organizational culture, and lead cross-functional teams successfully.
Enhance your leadership
Develop a practical approach to organizational leadership by leveraging insights from real-world case studies.
Grow your knowledge
Explore a nuanced understanding of the organizational complexities and challenges of senior leadership positions.
Optimize your teams
Use a comprehensive toolkit of frameworks and models to produce highly effective organizational teams.
About the certificate
Validate your understanding of senior leadership with a digital certificate of professional achievement from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order to be issued with a digital certificate, you’ll need to meet the requirements outlined in the program handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the program.
Your certificate will be issued in your legal name and sent to you digitally upon successful completion of the program, as per the stipulated requirements.
Who you’ll learn from
This subject matter expert from Rotman guides the program design and appears in a number of program videos, along with a variety of industry professionals.
Your Program Director
Hugh Arnold
Adjunct Professor and Executive-in-Residence of Organizational Behaviour and HR Management, Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto
Professor Arnold divides his professional time between teaching executives at business schools in Canada and the UK, and his consulting practice, specializing in leadership and organization. He was previously Magna International Professor of Business Strategy and Dean of the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Professor Arnold has published extensively in leading scholarly journals and has written several books in the McGraw-Hill Series in Management. He’s also served on the editorial boards of The Academy of Management Journal, Organizational Dynamics, and the Asia-Pacific Journal of Economics and Business.
How you’ll learn
Every program is broken down into manageable, weekly modules, designed to accelerate your learning process through diverse learning activities:
- Work through your downloadable and online instructional material
- Interact with your peers and learning facilitators through weekly class-wide forums and reviewed small group discussions
- Enjoy a wide range of interactive content, including video lectures, infographics, live polls, and more
- Investigate rich, real-world case studies
- Apply what you learn each week in assignments and an ongoing journal, culminating in a practical approach to managing cross-functional teams in complex organizations
Your success team
GetSmarter, with whom Rotman is collaborating to deliver this online program, provides a personalized approach to online education that ensures you’re supported throughout your learning journey.
Head Learning Facilitator
A subject expert who’ll guide you through content-related challenges.
Success Adviser
Your one-on-one support available during University hours (8am–5pm ET) to resolve technical and administrative challenges.
Global Success Team
Available 24/7 to solve your tech-related and administrative queries and concerns.
Technical requirements
Basic requirements
In order to complete this program, you’ll need a current email account and access to a computer and the internet, as well as a PDF Reader. You may need to view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and read and create documents in Microsoft Word or Excel.
Browser requirements
We recommend that you use Google Chrome as your internet browser when accessing the Online Campus. Although this is not a requirement, we have found that this browser performs best for ease of access to program material. This browser can be downloaded here.
Additional requirements
Certain programs may require additional software and resources. These additional software and resource requirements will be communicated to you upon registration and/or at the beginning of the program. Please note that Google, Vimeo, and YouTube may be used in our program delivery, and if these services are blocked in your jurisdiction, you may have difficulty in accessing program content. Please check with an Enrolment Adviser before registering for this program if you have any concerns about this affecting your experience with the Online Campus.
