Shelly Nooner (GMP 33, 2022) had already proven herself to be visionary and execution-focused during her two decades at Trimble, an industrial technology company that provides hardware, software, and services across agriculture, construction, geospatial, and transportation sectors. But to advance her career in new directions and add greater value to the company, she wanted to broaden her insights, skills, and network, which prompted her to enroll in HBS’s General Management Program (GMP) in 2021, a decision made more feasible because of the program’s new hybrid component.

GMP, one of four comprehensive leadership programs offered by Executive Education at HBS, is designed to enhance one’s business perspective, management expertise, and leadership skills. “As a woman in construction, I wanted to elevate myself more around profit and loss management—the financial management—and understand how more of the world plays into what I’m doing,” says Nooner, sector vice president of Innovation and Cloud and formerly general manager for civil infrastructure at Trimble.

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Another factor in Nooner’s decision to enroll in the intensive 16-week program was how it accommodated her schedule. In previous years, two of GMP’s four modules were self-paced and asynchronous, and two took place on the HBS campus. During the pandemic, however, the on-campus modules were replaced with sessions that used the innovative HBS Live Online Classroom, which simulates the classroom learning experience with 96 participants on a wall of video screens interacting with a faculty member in the Live Online Classroom studio. Because of its success, this virtual learning mode has replaced one of the on-campus modules, which shortens the time executives have to be away from their work and home lives from seven weeks to four.

That was especially attractive to Nooner given that she had assumed a new role at Trimble right before she entered GMP. “I would have gotten the support from my company if I had to attend those extra weeks on campus, but having the online classroom session instead was really beneficial,” she explains, adding to the overall positive experience she had attending GMP.

Spending less time away from one’s home or office is especially important for women executives who may also be primary caregivers for their families. Nooner was one of 35 women among the 155 participants, the highest number to date in a GMP class (excluding the all-virtual programs during the pandemic). Another modification to the program is that now during the three-week Live Online Classroom module, participants can choose to attend sessions in one of the two different time zones offered that best aligns with where they live, a move that has increased enrollment in GMP because of the improved work, life, and learning balance.

“These changes to GMP were our first experiment in one of Executive Education’s comprehensive leadership programs, and they have been well received,” says Patrick Mullane (MBA 1999), executive director of both Harvard Business School Online and Executive Education. He explains that as a result of modifying programs during the pandemic, Executive Education has embraced more hybrid and virtual modes of learning. “We are using a number of asynchronous online courses within several Executive Education programs to augment what’s being learned in-person in the classroom. We’ve run virtual-only programs as well, using both Zoom and the Live Online Classrooms, so we can connect with people wherever they are—people who can’t take the time to come to campus,” Mullane explains.

Executive Education is also offering content that reflects changes in business that leaders are having to navigate today, such as Competing in the Age of AI—Virtual and Unlocking Growth with Climate Change Innovation (see box at bottom).

Mullane says that a number of the asynchronous online courses Executive Education includes in its programs are drawn from Harvard Business School Online’s portfolio created for learners at all stages of their careers. The platform’s offerings are evolving as new features and functionalities are added to make the learning experience more engaging. In addition, HBS Online is planning to experiment with shorter courses that can be produced more quickly, thus enabling content to be delivered into the marketplace in a more timely manner—something particularly important in a world where topics critical to business leaders evolve rapidly. In addition to its core program formats, HBS Online has developed Pathways to Business, a free program that introduces young college students from underrepresented communities to a dynamic set of leadership and management stories designed to inspire participants to consider a career in business.

To fill the gap between people who want something more substantive than a single HBS Online course but who can’t commit to or are not yet qualified for an Executive Education comprehensive leadership program, Mullane says that HBS Online will introduce in January the Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB), a seven-course asynchronous program. Led by Amy Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at HBS and CLIMB faculty chair, it is designed to help new and experienced leaders accelerate their careers. CLIMB delivers on HBS Online’s real-world learning via examples and challenges faced by specific business leaders today (see sidebar).(see box below).

Referencing Nooner’s experience in GMP, Mullane notes that non-degree programs at HBS will have to continually evolve to meet the needs of aspiring and practicing leaders. “Shelly’s story is illustrative of how each business leader’s educational journey is unique. Our goal is to meet as many of their individual needs as possible through multiple delivery models and content forms. In doing so, we hope to extend our reach and accomplish our mission to educate leaders who make a difference in the world.”

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