Oxford University AI Programs
Oxford University’s AI-Driven Business Transformation Executive Programme offers a cutting-edge learning experience designed to equip professionals with a comprehensive understanding of artificial intelligence and its transformative impact on business. Delivered entirely online with flexible weekly modules, this programme combines rigorous academic insights with practical strategies, enabling participants to lead innovation and navigate the complexities of AI-powered environments. Certified by the UK’s CPD Certification Service, the course is tailored for forward-thinking leaders seeking to harness AI ethically and effectively to drive sustainable organisational growth in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Course Details
Program Overview
Duration
Excluding orientation period
Time Commitment
Per week flexible schedule
Format
Flexible weekly modules
Kickstart Your Career
Take advantage of our special offer — enjoy 20% off course fees when you register by September 10, 2025. Use the promo code SKILLS2025 at checkout to claim your discount.*
This course is designed for busy professionals like you who want to skip the busywork and focus on building real career momentum. With a flexible, job-focused curriculum, you can learn at your own pace and apply new skills immediately to your work.
What You’ll Gain From This Programme
- Deep Knowledge of AI: Understand the history, current applications, and limitations of artificial intelligence — all through the important ethical, legal, and societal perspectives.
- Practical Innovation Strategies: Learn to develop and implement measurable, achievable strategies aligned with your organisation’s short- and long-term growth goals.
- Leadership Roadmap: Build a clear plan to lead and manage technological change in complex AI-powered environments with creativity and confidence.
Certification & Credits
This Oxford AI-Driven Business Transformation Executive Programme is certified by the UK’s CPD Certification Service and may count towards continuing professional development (CPD) for members of UK-based professional bodies. The programme involves approximately 190 hours of focused learning.
Please note: Claiming CPD credits is your responsibility. Oxford Saïd and Get Smarter cannot guarantee or validate credit approval.
Ready to invest in your future? Register now and transform your career with Oxford’s world-class AI programme!
Programme curriculum
Over the duration of this online programme, you’ll work through the following modules:
1: Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem
Overview
The first step in mastering AI is understanding the ecosystem it operates in. This module introduces you to the history, evolution, and real-world applications of artificial intelligence, setting the stage for deeper exploration in later modules. You’ll examine key milestones in AI development, study transformative case examples, and critically assess how AI’s journey informs its future direction.
The goal is to help you deduce the potential trajectory of AI in your own organisation — or any organisation you choose — by learning from the successes, failures, and breakthroughs of the past.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this module, you will:
- Understand AI’s Evolution
- Trace the history from early symbolic AI to today’s deep learning revolution.
- Explore pivotal moments such as the creation of expert systems, the rise of machine learning, and the breakthrough of large language models.
- Analyse Real-World Case Studies
- Learn from companies and industries that have successfully implemented AI (e.g., healthcare diagnostics, financial fraud detection, supply chain optimisation).
- Identify patterns and decision-making strategies that led to measurable outcomes.
- Map AI’s Future Potential
- Evaluate emerging trends such as generative AI, autonomous decision-making, and ethical AI governance.
- Develop a framework for predicting how these trends could influence your organisation’s operations, customer experience, and competitive edge.
Key Topics Covered
- Historical Context of AI
Why understanding the past matters for shaping AI’s future. - AI’s Role in the Global Economy
The expanding influence of AI across industries and sectors. - Lessons from Case Examples
What we can learn from AI adoption in different organisational settings. - Strategic Forecasting for AI
How to anticipate changes and position your organisation ahead of the curve.
Why This Module Matters
Many organisations jump into AI projects without fully grasping the ecosystem they are entering. This often leads to misaligned strategies, wasted resources, and underwhelming results.
This module ensures you start with a big-picture understanding, allowing you to make informed, strategic decisions about AI adoption and integration.
Practical Outcome
You will leave Module 1 with:
- A clear map of AI’s historical trajectory and current state.
- The ability to identify opportunities and threats in your organisational context.
- A custom AI trajectory plan — a document outlining potential applications, challenges, and growth areas for AI in your chosen organisation.
2: AI and Machine Learning – Understanding the Black Box
Overview
Artificial Intelligence often feels like magic — but at its core, it’s built on clear mathematical and computational principles. This module takes you inside the “black box” of AI to understand how machines learn, make predictions, and adapt to data.
You will explore the three fundamental types of machine learning — supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning — learning not just how they work, but when and why to use each.
By the end, you’ll have demystified AI’s decision-making process and gained the knowledge to evaluate machine learning models in both technical and business contexts.
What You’ll Learn
- The Core Principles of Machine Learning
- How algorithms detect patterns, make predictions, and improve over time.
- The importance of training data, model selection, and evaluation metrics.
- Supervised Learning
- Learn how labelled data teaches machines to classify and predict outcomes.
- Applications: spam email detection, medical diagnosis, and price forecasting.
- Unsupervised Learning
- Discover how AI finds hidden patterns without labelled examples.
- Applications: customer segmentation, anomaly detection, and market basket analysis.
- Reinforcement Learning
- Understand how AI agents learn through trial and error, receiving rewards or penalties.
- Applications: autonomous driving, robotics, and game-playing AI (like AlphaGo).
- Interpreting the “Black Box”
- Explore explainable AI (XAI) and why transparency matters in decision-making.
- Learn how to balance accuracy, fairness, and interpretability.
Key Topics Covered
- How data fuels machine learning models
- The training, validation, and testing process
- Strengths and weaknesses of each learning type
- Real-world examples from business, healthcare, finance, and technology
- The role of ethics and bias in machine learning
Why This Module Matters
Many leaders know AI is powerful but can’t explain how it works — making it hard to trust or effectively deploy. By breaking down the mechanics of machine learning, this module helps you bridge the gap between technical teams and business strategy, ensuring AI solutions are transparent, ethical, and aligned with organisational goals.
Practical Outcome
By completing Module 2, you will:
- Confidently explain how supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning work.
- Identify which type of learning best fits different business problems.
- Understand how to ask the right questions when working with AI developers or vendors.
- Gain the ability to spot potential risks like data bias or overfitting early.
3: Understanding Deep Learning and Neural Networks
Overview
Deep Learning is the driving force behind today’s most advanced AI breakthroughs — from voice assistants to self-driving cars. In this module, you’ll uncover what deep learning really is, why it has transformed the AI landscape, and how neural networks mimic the way the human brain processes information.
Through real-world examples and accessible explanations, you’ll move past the buzzwords to gain a clear, practical understanding of how deep learning works and why it matters in business, science, and everyday life.
What You’ll Learn
- The Evolution from Machine Learning to Deep Learning
- How deep learning builds on traditional machine learning concepts.
- Why the explosion of big data and computing power enabled its rise.
- Neural Networks Explained Simply
- What neurons, layers, weights, and activation functions are — without heavy math.
- How information flows and transforms through a network to make decisions.
- Key Architectures of Neural Networks
- Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for image and video recognition.
- Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) and LSTMs for language, speech, and time-series data.
- Transformers for modern language models like ChatGPT.
- Training a Neural Network
- Understanding forward and backward propagation.
- The role of loss functions and optimization algorithms.
- Why Deep Learning Works So Well
- How multi-layered structures capture complex patterns in data.
- The difference between feature engineering in ML and representation learning in DL.
Key Topics Covered
- The relationship between AI, machine learning, and deep learning
- Biological inspiration vs. artificial implementation
- How neural networks handle complex unstructured data
- Overfitting, underfitting, and how to improve model performance
- Breakthrough applications: image classification, natural language processing, and generative AI
Why This Module Matters
Deep learning has become the foundation of modern AI innovation. Understanding its principles isn’t just for data scientists — it’s essential for business leaders, policy makers, and innovators who want to make informed decisions about AI adoption.
By demystifying deep learning, this module equips you to recognise what’s possible, what’s hype, and what’s next.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 3, you will:
- Explain how neural networks work in clear, non-technical language.
- Identify where deep learning is most applicable and where it may fall short.
- Understand the major architectures powering today’s AI tools.
- Be able to discuss deep learning opportunities and challenges with both technical and non-technical teams.
4: Beyond Prediction – Making the Most of Generative AI
Overview
Artificial Intelligence is no longer limited to making predictions based on past data — it’s now creating original content, solutions, and ideas through Generative AI. In this module, you’ll explore how generative models are transforming industries by producing everything from realistic images and human-like text to innovative product designs and scientific discoveries.
You’ll gain a clear understanding of what generative AI is, how it differs from predictive AI, and what its real-world applications mean for businesses and society.
What You’ll Learn
- The Shift from Predictive to Generative AI
- How traditional AI models focused on classification, forecasting, and recommendations.
- Why generative models go beyond by producing entirely new data outputs.
- Core Technologies Behind Generative AI
- Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs): How two neural networks compete to produce realistic outputs.
- Variational Autoencoders (VAEs): Creating new variations of data from learned patterns.
- Transformers: The backbone of large language models like ChatGPT, capable of text generation, summarisation, and translation.
- Real-World Applications
- Content Creation: AI-generated articles, marketing copy, and creative writing.
- Design & Innovation: Product prototypes, architectural plans, and fashion concepts.
- Media & Entertainment: Music composition, scriptwriting, and game asset generation.
- Scientific Research: Drug molecule discovery, protein structure prediction, and climate modelling.
- Business Impacts
- Accelerating creativity and reducing production time.
- Personalising customer experiences at scale.
- Automating tasks previously thought to require human originality.
- Risks and Ethical Considerations
- Intellectual property and copyright concerns.
- Bias and misinformation risks in generated content.
- The importance of transparency and human oversight.
Key Topics Covered
- Understanding the difference between predictive AI and generative AI
- The mechanics of GANs, VAEs, and transformer-based models
- How generative AI tools like Midjourney, DALL·E, and ChatGPT work
- Real-world success stories and case studies
- Mitigating risks and ensuring ethical usage in organisations
Why This Module Matters
Generative AI is not just a trend — it’s reshaping the creative and operational capabilities of organisations worldwide. From startups designing innovative products to enterprises streamlining content workflows, this technology opens up unprecedented opportunities.
This module empowers you to recognise where generative AI can give your organisation a competitive edge while understanding the limitations and responsibilities that come with it.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 4, you will:
- Clearly explain what generative AI is and how it works.
- Identify business areas where generative AI can add value.
- Understand the technologies powering generative AI models.
- Assess the benefits and risks before implementing generative solutions.
5: AI and Society
Overview
Artificial Intelligence isn’t just a technological innovation — it’s a societal transformation. From how we work to how we communicate, AI is reshaping the foundations of daily life and business. In this module, you’ll explore how AI impacts individuals, communities, and global systems, as well as the ethical, economic, and cultural challenges it presents.
By the end, you’ll understand AI’s broader role in shaping the future — and how society can adapt to ensure these advancements benefit everyone.
What You’ll Learn
- AI in Everyday Life
- How AI powers recommendations on streaming platforms, voice assistants, and smart home devices.
- The role of AI in transportation, healthcare, education, and personal finance.
- AI in the Workplace
- Automation’s impact on job roles and skill requirements.
- The rise of AI-assisted decision-making in business strategy.
- How AI is enabling remote work, global collaboration, and data-driven productivity.
- Economic and Social Impacts
- How AI drives economic growth through innovation and efficiency.
- Risks of job displacement and the importance of workforce reskilling.
- AI’s role in reducing inequality — and the danger of widening the digital divide.
- Ethics and Responsibility
- Algorithmic bias and its consequences for fairness and equality.
- Data privacy concerns in an AI-driven world.
- The importance of transparent and accountable AI systems.
- AI and Global Challenges
- AI’s role in tackling climate change through predictive analytics and smart resource management.
- Using AI for disaster response, medical research, and humanitarian aid.
- The potential of AI to address — or worsen — geopolitical tensions.
Key Topics Covered
- AI in daily consumer experiences
- Automation and the future of work
- Economic benefits vs. societal risks
- Ethical frameworks for AI development
- AI’s role in solving global problems
Why This Module Matters
Understanding AI’s social impact is essential for leaders, policymakers, and innovators who want to harness technology responsibly. This module moves beyond the “how AI works” discussion and focuses on how AI shapes our world, helping you make informed decisions that balance progress with fairness.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 5, you will be able to:
- Explain how AI affects life, work, and society at large.
- Identify both the benefits and potential drawbacks of AI adoption.
- Evaluate the ethical implications of AI-driven decisions.
- Develop strategies for responsible AI use in your organisation or community.
6: How to Drive AI in Your Business
Overview
Artificial Intelligence holds transformative potential for businesses — but unlocking its value requires more than just technology adoption. This module guides you through the strategic process of identifying and implementing AI opportunities tailored to your organisation’s unique context.
You’ll learn how to assess your business environment, spot AI use cases with the highest impact, and build a practical roadmap for AI integration that aligns with your goals.
What You’ll Learn
- Recognising AI Opportunities
- How to evaluate your organisation’s data maturity and readiness for AI.
- Spotting processes and challenges ripe for AI-driven improvement — whether in customer service, operations, marketing, or product development.
- Building a Strategic AI Roadmap
- Defining clear business objectives tied to AI initiatives.
- Prioritising projects based on feasibility, potential ROI, and risk.
- Creating phased implementation plans that balance quick wins with long-term goals.
- Overcoming Common Challenges
- Navigating organisational resistance and change management.
- Managing data quality, privacy, and governance issues.
- Aligning cross-functional teams to ensure collaboration between technical and business units.
- Measuring and Scaling Success
- Establishing KPIs to track AI impact.
- Using feedback loops to refine models and processes.
- Planning for scaling AI applications across departments or markets.
- Case Studies and Best Practices
- Learning from organisations that have successfully driven AI transformation.
- Understanding what worked, what didn’t, and key takeaways for different industries.
Key Topics Covered
- AI opportunity identification frameworks
- Aligning AI initiatives with business strategy
- Change management in AI adoption
- Data governance and ethical considerations
- Metrics and continuous improvement in AI projects
Why This Module Matters
Many organisations invest in AI technology without a clear plan, leading to wasted resources and unmet expectations. This module ensures you develop a focused, business-driven approach to AI adoption, increasing your chances of success and competitive advantage.
Understanding how to integrate AI strategically makes you a leader who not only embraces innovation but drives it with measurable business value.
Practical Outcome
By completing Module 6, you will be able to:
- Identify high-value AI use cases tailored to your organisation’s context.
- Develop a clear and actionable AI strategy roadmap.
- Address common obstacles in AI projects and foster organisational buy-in.
Measure AI outcomes and plan for sustainable growth and scaling.
7: A Primer on Innovation
Overview
Innovation is often celebrated as the key to success in today’s fast-changing world, but what does innovation really mean? This module challenges common assumptions and popular myths about innovation, helping you develop a clear understanding of its true nature.
You’ll explore different types of innovation, the language used to describe them, and the essential principles behind building a sustainable and effective innovation system within an organisation.
What You’ll Learn
- Rethinking Innovation
- Breaking down popular cultural myths and stereotypes around innovation — it’s not just about sudden breakthroughs or “eureka” moments.
- Understanding innovation as a continuous, managed process rather than isolated creativity.
- The Language of Innovation
- Defining key terms such as incremental innovation, disruptive innovation, radical innovation, and architectural innovation.
- Learning how to communicate about innovation clearly within your organisation.
- Types of Innovation
- Incremental Innovation: Small improvements to existing products, services, or processes.
- Disruptive Innovation: New technologies or business models that change market dynamics.
- Radical Innovation: Breakthrough ideas that create entirely new markets.
- Architectural Innovation: Reconfiguring existing components in novel ways to create value.
- Building an Innovation System
- Understanding the principles needed to create a culture and infrastructure that support ongoing innovation.
- How organisations can design structures, processes, and incentives to foster creativity and experimentation.
- Measuring Innovation
- Introducing metrics and KPIs to assess innovation performance beyond just financial returns.
- Evaluating both short-term successes and long-term impact.
Key Topics Covered
- Common myths vs. realities of innovation
- Clear definitions and types of innovation
- The importance of innovation culture and leadership
- Designing systems and processes for innovation
- Tools for measuring and managing innovation efforts
Why This Module Matters
Many organisations struggle with innovation because they either misunderstand what it really is or fail to create the right environment to support it. This module equips you with the knowledge to see innovation as a manageable and strategic activity, not just a buzzword.
By mastering these concepts, you’ll be better positioned to lead innovation initiatives that drive real, sustained value.
Practical Outcome
Upon completing Module 7, you will:
- Challenge your existing beliefs about innovation and adopt a more realistic, strategic view.
- Use precise language to describe and discuss different innovation types.
- Recognise the organisational elements that encourage or block innovation.
- Design or improve your own innovation system tailored to your organisation’s needs.
8: Organising for Innovation
Overview
Innovation doesn’t happen by chance — it requires deliberate organisation. In this module, you’ll dive into how companies structure themselves to make innovation a regular, sustainable part of their operations.
You’ll explore how organisational design, division of labour, and cultural factors work together to create an environment where creativity thrives, ideas are developed systematically, and innovation becomes part of everyday business.
What You’ll Learn
- Organisational Design for Innovation
- How organisational structure impacts innovation capability — from hierarchical to flat, networked, or matrix models.
- The role of cross-functional teams and collaboration in breaking down silos and accelerating idea flow.
- Division of Labour and Roles
- Understanding specialised roles such as innovation managers, intrapreneurs, and R&D teams.
- Balancing exploration (new ideas) and exploitation (refining existing processes) within the workforce.
- Structural Elements That Enable Innovation
- Setting up dedicated innovation units vs. embedding innovation across departments.
- Allocating resources, budget, and time for experimentation and prototyping.
- Flexible processes that allow quick iteration and learning from failure.
- Cultural Elements That Foster Innovation
- Building a culture of psychological safety where employees feel empowered to share and test ideas without fear.
- Encouraging curiosity, risk-taking, and continuous learning as core values.
- Leadership’s role in modelling and rewarding innovative behaviour.
- Making Innovation Routine
- Integrating innovation into daily workflows, performance metrics, and decision-making.
- Establishing feedback loops and continuous improvement cycles.
- Using tools like innovation funnels, idea management systems, and agile methodologies.
Key Topics Covered
- Organisational structures that support innovation
- Role clarity and collaboration across teams
- Resource allocation and innovation budgeting
- Cultivating innovation-friendly culture
- Systems and processes for sustainable innovation
Why This Module Matters
Even the best ideas can fail if the organisation isn’t designed to support them. This module teaches you how to create the right organisational environment where innovation isn’t just an occasional effort but a routine, embedded practice.
By understanding these dynamics, you’ll be able to transform your organisation into an innovation powerhouse, able to adapt and thrive in a competitive landscape.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 8, you will:
- Evaluate your organisation’s current design and culture for innovation readiness.
- Identify structural changes to better support creative processes.
- Develop strategies to build a culture that embraces experimentation and learning.
- Implement systems that make innovation a consistent and measurable function.
9: Drivers of Innovation — Technology and Beyond
Overview
Innovation is often linked solely to new technologies or disruptive breakthroughs, but the reality is much broader and richer. In this module, you will explore the diverse drivers of innovation, including not just technology, but market dynamics, organisational capabilities, and ecosystem factors.
By understanding these interrelated forces, you’ll gain a holistic perspective on how innovation emerges, evolves, and sustains competitive advantage.
What You’ll Learn
- Beyond Technology: Broader Innovation Drivers
- Why innovation is not just about inventing new technologies but also about adapting to changing markets and leveraging organisational strengths.
- Understanding social, regulatory, and economic influences as critical innovation catalysts.
- Models of Innovation
- Exploring different frameworks like the Open Innovation Model, Innovation Ecosystems, and the Dynamic Capabilities Framework.
- How firms innovate by collaborating with partners, customers, and even competitors.
- Interplay Between Technology and Market Dynamics
- How shifting customer needs, competitive pressures, and emerging market trends push organisations to innovate.
- The role of technology as an enabler rather than the sole driver.
- Firm Capabilities and Innovation
- Assessing internal capabilities such as talent, culture, leadership, and processes that support or hinder innovation.
- Building organisational agility and learning capacity to respond to external changes.
- Case Studies
- Examples from diverse industries illustrating how technology, market forces, and firm capabilities converge to drive innovation.
- Lessons learned from companies that successfully navigated complex innovation landscapes.
Key Topics Covered
- Rethinking innovation drivers beyond technology alone
- Innovation ecosystems and collaborative models
- Market-driven innovation and customer-centric approaches
- Developing dynamic capabilities within organisations
- Integrating technological advances with strategic agility
Why This Module Matters
Focusing solely on technology risks missing the bigger picture of what truly drives innovation. This module equips you to think strategically about multiple innovation drivers and how they interact, preparing you to lead innovation initiatives that are robust, adaptive, and aligned with real-world business environments.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 9, you will:
- Identify and evaluate multiple drivers of innovation beyond technology.
- Understand the value of open innovation and collaborative networks.
- Assess your organisation’s capabilities and market position to inform innovation strategy.
- Apply models and frameworks to design more effective innovation initiatives.
10: 4IR Technology — Ethics and Governance
Overview
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is redefining how technology integrates digital, physical, and biological systems, creating unprecedented opportunities and challenges. This module focuses on the critical ethical and governance issues emerging alongside these powerful technologies.
You’ll explore how to responsibly manage risks, ensure fairness, and build trust in AI, robotics, biotechnology, and other cutting-edge innovations, balancing progress with societal values.
What You’ll Learn
- Understanding 4IR Technologies
- Overview of key technologies driving 4IR: AI, IoT, robotics, gene editing, and more.
- How these technologies converge to create complex, interconnected systems.
- Ethical Challenges in 4IR
- Addressing concerns such as privacy, bias, transparency, and accountability.
- The impact of automation on jobs, inequality, and human dignity.
- Navigating dual-use dilemmas where technologies can benefit or harm society.
- Governance Frameworks
- Designing policies, regulations, and standards to guide responsible technology use.
- The role of governments, organisations, and international bodies in setting ethical norms.
- Balancing innovation with precaution to avoid stifling progress.
- Building Trustworthy AI and Systems
- Principles for developing AI that is explainable, fair, and reliable.
- Strategies for stakeholder engagement and public dialogue to increase transparency.
- Global Perspectives and Case Studies
- Examining how different cultures and countries approach ethics and governance in 4IR.
- Lessons from real-world incidents involving ethical lapses or governance failures.
Key Topics Covered
- Core technologies and their societal implications
- Ethical frameworks for emerging technologies
- Governance models and regulatory approaches
- Responsible innovation and risk management
- International cooperation and standards setting
Why This Module Matters
As 4IR technologies reshape our world, ethical missteps or weak governance can have profound consequences — from loss of public trust to systemic harms. This module prepares you to navigate these complexities thoughtfully, ensuring that innovation benefits society while minimizing risks.
You’ll gain the mindset and tools to lead ethical technology deployment that aligns with your organisation’s values and societal expectations.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 10, you will:
- Understand the ethical dilemmas posed by 4IR technologies.
- Identify governance challenges and design effective oversight mechanisms.
- Advocate for responsible AI and technology practices within your organisation.
- Engage diverse stakeholders in shaping trustworthy innovation policies.
11: Corporate Innovation Strategies and Platforms
Overview
In today’s fast-evolving business world, innovation isn’t just about ideas—it’s about strategy and ecosystem management. This module dives deep into how corporations design innovation strategies and leverage platforms to compete, collaborate, and lead market transformations.
You’ll explore the role of digital platforms in shaping competition and innovation dynamics, and how strategic decisions influence a company’s ability to innovate sustainably and at scale.
What You’ll Learn
- The Corporate Innovation Landscape
- Understanding how large organisations approach innovation — balancing internal R&D, partnerships, and acquisitions.
- Exploring different innovation strategies: incremental vs. breakthrough, offensive vs. defensive.
- The Power of Platforms in Innovation
- What are platforms? Digital ecosystems that connect multiple users and producers (think Apple’s App Store or Amazon’s Marketplace).
- How platforms enable network effects, fostering innovation by facilitating collaboration and competition.
- Platform Strategy and Market Competition
- How platforms shape market dynamics by setting standards, controlling access, and managing value creation.
- The interplay between platform owners, third-party innovators, and customers.
- Corporate Strategies for Platform Innovation
- Building and scaling platforms within or alongside existing business models.
- Leveraging data, user engagement, and ecosystem partnerships to drive innovation.
- Balancing openness and control to sustain innovation momentum.
- Case Studies of Platform-Driven Innovation
- Examining successful corporate platform strategies across industries like technology, finance, retail, and manufacturing.
- Lessons learned from both platform successes and failures.
Key Topics Covered
- Corporate innovation approaches and frameworks
- Understanding platform business models and ecosystems
- Network effects and their role in innovation
- Managing platform governance and participation
- Strategic partnerships and co-innovation on platforms
Why This Module Matters
Platforms are reshaping industries by changing how innovation happens and who controls it. For corporate leaders and strategists, mastering platform-based innovation is essential to staying competitive and relevant.
This module empowers you to develop innovation strategies that leverage platforms effectively, unlocking new growth opportunities and fostering dynamic market leadership.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 11, you will:
- Understand the corporate innovation landscape and various strategic approaches.
- Recognize the role of platforms in shaping innovation and competition.
- Develop strategies to build or participate in innovation platforms.
- Apply lessons from real-world cases to your organisation’s innovation initiatives.
12: Innovation in Practice
Overview
Innovation is more than ideas—it’s about effective execution. In this module, you’ll develop practical skills to lead innovation initiatives successfully, applying the concepts, strategies, and frameworks you’ve learned throughout the programme.
You’ll explore how to implement innovation in real-world organisational contexts, navigate challenges, and anticipate future trends to keep your organisation ahead in a constantly evolving landscape.
What You’ll Learn
- Leadership for Innovation
- Key qualities and mindsets of successful innovation leaders.
- Building and motivating teams that embrace creativity and change.
- Influencing organisational culture to support risk-taking and experimentation.
- Implementing Innovation Initiatives
- Translating strategy into actionable projects and programs.
- Managing resources, timelines, and stakeholder expectations effectively.
- Overcoming common barriers to innovation such as resistance to change or resource constraints.
- Contextualising Innovation
- Tailoring innovation approaches to different organisational types, industries, and market conditions.
- Understanding how internal and external factors influence innovation success.
- Future Trends in Innovation
- Emerging technologies and new business models shaping the innovation landscape.
- Preparing your organisation for continuous adaptation and transformation.
- The growing importance of sustainability and social responsibility in innovation.
- Measuring Innovation Impact
- Defining metrics to evaluate both tangible and intangible outcomes.
- Using feedback and learning loops to improve ongoing and future innovation efforts.
Key Topics Covered
- Innovation leadership and team dynamics
- Project and program management for innovation
- Customising innovation to organisational context
- Anticipating and shaping future innovation trends
- Innovation performance measurement and continuous improvement
Why This Module Matters
Great ideas alone don’t guarantee success. This module equips you with the practical tools and leadership skills needed to bring innovation to life within your organisation, ensuring your efforts deliver meaningful and sustainable results.
By mastering innovation in practice, you’ll be prepared to lead confidently and strategically in a rapidly changing world.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 12, you will:
- Lead innovation initiatives with clarity and confidence.
- Translate strategic innovation goals into operational plans.
- Adapt innovation practices to suit your organisation’s unique environment.
- Stay ahead of future trends to foster ongoing innovation.
- Measure and enhance the impact of innovation projects.
13: Unlocking Strategy – The Oxford View
Overview
Strategy is the cornerstone of organisational success, but unlocking its full potential requires fresh perspectives. In this module, you’ll explore the Oxford view of strategy, a comprehensive approach developed by leading scholars that helps organisations identify and leverage their unique strengths in a complex and dynamic environment.
You’ll learn how to think strategically beyond conventional frameworks, uncover hidden opportunities, and design actions that create lasting value.
What You’ll Learn
- The Oxford View Explained
- Understanding strategy as a dynamic, multifaceted process rather than a fixed plan.
- Emphasising the interplay of internal capabilities, external environment, and stakeholder relationships.
- Assessing Organisational Potential
- Identifying core competencies and competitive advantages.
- Mapping external trends, risks, and opportunities affecting your organisation.
- Strategic Choices and Trade-offs
- Exploring how to make informed decisions that balance competing priorities.
- Navigating uncertainty and ambiguity with strategic flexibility.
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Recognising the importance of multiple stakeholders in shaping strategy.
- Techniques for involving internal and external parties in strategic dialogue.
- Translating Strategy into Action
- Developing clear, actionable strategic objectives.
- Aligning organisational structure and resources with strategic goals.
Key Topics Covered
- Dynamic and systemic views of strategy
- Internal and external strategic analysis
- Decision-making under uncertainty
- Stakeholder management and engagement
- Strategic implementation and alignment
Why This Module Matters
Many organisations struggle with strategy because they view it as a static plan. The Oxford view encourages a more nuanced, flexible approach, helping you unlock hidden potential and respond effectively to changing circumstances.
By mastering this perspective, you’ll be able to craft strategies that are both robust and adaptable, positioning your organisation for long-term success.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 13, you will:
- Apply the Oxford view to assess your organisation’s strategic landscape.
- Identify key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats with greater insight.
- Make strategic choices that balance complexity and uncertainty.
- Engage stakeholders effectively to build shared understanding and commitment.
- Translate strategic insights into concrete actions and aligned organisational efforts.
14: Working with Futures – Addressing Changing Environments
Overview
In a world marked by rapid change and uncertainty, understanding and anticipating future trends is crucial for effective strategy. This module focuses on how organisations can work with futures thinking to navigate evolving environments and build resilient strategies.
You’ll learn to look beyond the immediate horizon, explore multiple possible futures, and incorporate foresight into strategic planning to stay ahead of disruption and seize emerging opportunities.
What You’ll Learn
- The Importance of Futures Thinking
- Why traditional planning falls short in volatile, uncertain environments.
- Embracing foresight as a tool for strategic insight and risk management.
- Exploring Multiple Futures
- Techniques for imagining diverse future scenarios rather than a single forecast.
- Using scenario planning, trend analysis, and horizon scanning to identify emerging drivers of change.
- Linking Futures to Strategy
- How to translate insights from futures thinking into adaptive strategic options.
- Building flexibility into strategy to accommodate unexpected developments.
- Engaging Stakeholders in Futures Work
- Collaborative approaches to futures exploration that involve diverse perspectives.
- Enhancing organisational learning and innovation through shared foresight.
- Building Resilience and Agility
- Strategies for developing organisational capabilities to respond quickly to change.
- Integrating futures thinking into ongoing strategic review and decision-making.
Key Topics Covered
- Futures thinking and strategic foresight methods
- Scenario development and analysis
- Environmental scanning and trend identification
- Adaptive strategy formulation
- Stakeholder collaboration for futures engagement
Why This Module Matters
In an unpredictable world, organisations that can anticipate change and prepare accordingly are more likely to thrive. This module equips you with the mindset and tools to incorporate futures thinking into your strategic process, enabling your organisation to navigate complexity and uncertainty with confidence.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 14, you will:
- Understand the value of multiple futures in strategic planning.
- Apply tools like scenario planning to explore and prepare for different possibilities.
- Develop adaptive strategies that remain effective amid change.
- Foster stakeholder engagement in futures-oriented discussions.
- Build organisational resilience to future shocks and disruptions.
15: Making Strategy Purposeful – Managing Plurality
Overview
Organisational strategy is rarely driven by a single, clear-cut purpose. Instead, it often reflects a plurality of purposes—a complex mix of goals, values, and stakeholder interests that must be balanced to achieve sustainable success.
This module helps you understand and manage this diversity of purposes, enabling you to create strategies that are not only effective but also meaningful and aligned with the broader expectations of your organisation and its environment.
What You’ll Learn
- Understanding Plurality in Strategy
- Recognising that organisations serve multiple stakeholders, each with different needs and priorities.
- Exploring how economic, social, environmental, and ethical purposes intersect in strategy.
- Balancing Competing Goals
- Techniques for identifying and prioritising conflicting objectives.
- Navigating trade-offs and finding synergies between diverse strategic aims.
- Purpose-Driven Strategy Development
- Integrating organisational purpose into strategy formulation and communication.
- Aligning strategy with core values to foster commitment and coherence.
- Engaging Stakeholders Around Purpose
- Involving internal and external stakeholders in defining and refining strategic purposes.
- Building consensus and managing tensions constructively.
- Measuring Purposeful Strategy
- Developing metrics that capture not only financial performance but also social and environmental impact.
- Using balanced scorecards and other tools to monitor progress across multiple dimensions.
Key Topics Covered
- The concept of plurality in organisational purpose
- Stakeholder theory and strategic alignment
- Methods for prioritising and balancing diverse goals
- Communicating and embedding purpose in strategy
- Performance measurement beyond profit
Why This Module Matters
In today’s complex world, organisations that embrace and manage plurality in their strategy are better equipped to build trust, innovate responsibly, and sustain long-term success. This module equips you with the skills to make strategy more purposeful and inclusive, enhancing both organisational performance and societal value.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 15, you will:
- Identify the multiple purposes driving your organisation’s strategy.
- Balance and prioritise competing goals effectively.
- Develop and communicate a clear, purpose-driven strategy.
- Engage stakeholders in meaningful dialogue around strategy and purpose.
- Measure success across financial and non-financial dimensions.
16: Engaging Players – Developing Strategy Statements That Count
Overview
A well-crafted strategy statement is more than just words on paper — it’s a powerful tool that engages key stakeholders (“players”) and aligns them around a shared vision and purpose. This module focuses on how to develop strategy statements that truly resonate, inspire commitment, and drive collective action within and beyond your organisation.
What You’ll Learn
- Understanding the Role of Strategy Statements
- Why clear, compelling strategy statements matter for successful execution.
- How these statements serve as a communication bridge between leadership and stakeholders.
- Identifying Key Players
- Mapping out internal and external stakeholders essential to your strategy’s success.
- Understanding their interests, expectations, and influence on the strategic process.
- Crafting Strategy Statements That Count
- Principles of effective strategy statements: clarity, relevance, inspiration, and focus.
- Balancing simplicity and depth to appeal to diverse audiences.
- Engagement Techniques
- Methods for involving stakeholders in shaping and refining strategy statements.
- Using dialogue, workshops, and feedback loops to build ownership and alignment.
- Communicating and Sustaining Engagement
- Strategies for consistently reinforcing the strategy message across channels and levels.
- Monitoring engagement and adapting communication to maintain momentum.
Key Topics Covered
- Purpose and impact of strategy statements
- Stakeholder analysis and engagement planning
- Writing clear and motivating strategy statements
- Collaborative approaches to strategy development
- Communication and reinforcement strategies
Why This Module Matters
Strategy often fails not because of poor ideas but due to lack of stakeholder buy-in and unclear communication. This module empowers you to craft strategy statements that truly count—statements that galvanize support, guide decision-making, and align efforts towards common goals.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 16, you will:
- Identify and prioritise key players critical to your strategy.
- Develop strategy statements that are clear, meaningful, and actionable.
- Engage stakeholders effectively to co-create and own the strategy.
- Implement communication plans that sustain alignment and motivation.
- Measure the impact of engagement efforts on strategy execution.
17: Building Partnerships – Collaborating and Competing
Overview
In today’s interconnected business landscape, success often hinges on the ability to both collaborate and compete effectively. This module explores how organisations can build strategic partnerships while navigating competitive dynamics, creating a powerful networked strategy that drives innovation, growth, and resilience.
What You’ll Learn
- The Dual Nature of Collaboration and Competition
- Understanding the concept of “coopetition” — working with competitors to achieve mutual benefits.
- Balancing collaboration to innovate with competitive strategies to maintain advantage.
- Identifying Strategic Partners
- How to select partners whose strengths complement your organisation’s capabilities.
- Assessing potential risks and rewards in partnership choices.
- Building and Managing Effective Partnerships
- Establishing trust, clear communication, and shared goals.
- Structuring partnerships to allow flexibility, accountability, and joint value creation.
- Handling conflicts and aligning interests over time.
- Leveraging Networks for Innovation and Market Reach
- How partnerships expand access to new technologies, markets, and resources.
- Using ecosystems and platforms to amplify impact.
- Competitive Dynamics in Networked Strategy
- Managing tensions between cooperation and rivalry within industry networks.
- Strategies for protecting core assets while engaging openly with partners.
Key Topics Covered
- Coopetition and networked strategy
- Partner selection and due diligence
- Trust-building and governance in partnerships
- Ecosystems, platforms, and collaborative innovation
- Managing competitive tensions and conflicts
Why This Module Matters
No organisation operates in isolation — building the right partnerships is essential for leveraging complementary strengths and navigating competitive pressures. This module equips you with the knowledge and skills to create strategic alliances that foster innovation and sustainable growth, while effectively managing the complex balance of collaboration and competition.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 17, you will:
- Recognise when and how to collaborate with competitors and partners.
- Identify and evaluate potential strategic partners.
- Build and manage partnerships that deliver mutual value.
- Harness networks and platforms to enhance innovation and market reach.
- Navigate the challenges of coopetition with confidence.
18: Broadening Strategy Processes – Designing New Strategy Processes
Overview
Traditional strategy processes often focus on a select group of decision-makers, which can limit perspectives and reduce organisational agility. This module invites you to critically reflect on your existing strategy processes and explore how to redesign them to be more inclusive, transparent, and adaptive.
By broadening who participates and how decisions are made, organisations can harness diverse insights, foster trust, and improve strategic outcomes.
What You’ll Learn
- The Need for Broadened Strategy Processes
- Understanding the limitations of conventional top-down strategy-making.
- Recognising the benefits of inclusivity and transparency in strategic decision-making.
- Principles of Inclusive Strategy Design
- Engaging a wider range of stakeholders—from frontline employees to external partners—in the strategy process.
- Ensuring diverse voices and perspectives shape strategic choices.
- Transparency in Strategy Development
- Building open communication channels about strategy goals, challenges, and progress.
- Enhancing organisational alignment and reducing resistance by sharing information broadly.
- Tools and Methods for New Strategy Processes
- Collaborative workshops, digital platforms, and participatory decision-making techniques.
- Using data and analytics to inform and democratize strategy formulation.
- Challenges and Solutions
- Navigating potential risks such as decision paralysis or information overload.
- Balancing inclusivity with efficiency and accountability.
Key Topics Covered
- Critiquing traditional strategy processes
- Designing inclusive and transparent strategy frameworks
- Stakeholder engagement in strategy formulation
- Digital tools for collaborative strategy-making
- Managing complexity in broadened strategy processes
Why This Module Matters
In an increasingly complex and fast-changing world, strategy can no longer be confined to a narrow elite. This module empowers you to transform strategy processes to tap into the collective intelligence of your organisation and its ecosystem, leading to more robust, innovative, and widely supported strategies.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 18, you will:
- Assess the inclusiveness and transparency of your current strategy processes.
- Design and implement new processes that engage broader stakeholder groups.
- Use collaborative tools and methods to enhance strategic decision-making.
- Balance inclusivity with efficiency to maintain clear accountability.
- Foster a culture of openness and shared ownership around strategy.
19: Strategy into Practice – Assembling Your Playbook
Overview
Having developed a deep understanding of strategy through the Oxford lens, the final module focuses on turning strategic insights into practical actions. This course guides you in assembling a comprehensive “playbook” — a clear, actionable framework to implement, monitor, and adapt your organisation’s strategy effectively in the real world.
What You’ll Learn
- From Theory to Action
- Translating complex strategic concepts into operational plans that teams can execute.
- Bridging the gap between high-level strategy and day-to-day decision-making.
- Designing Your Strategy Playbook
- Structuring your playbook to include goals, initiatives, timelines, roles, and responsibilities.
- Integrating key frameworks and tools learned throughout the programme into a cohesive guide.
- Implementation Best Practices
- Prioritising strategic initiatives based on impact and feasibility.
- Managing resources, risks, and change to ensure smooth execution.
- Monitoring and Adaptation
- Establishing metrics and feedback loops to track progress and performance.
- Creating mechanisms to learn from outcomes and adapt strategy in response to evolving conditions.
- Leadership and Communication
- Engaging stakeholders continuously to maintain alignment and momentum.
- Communicating strategy clearly across organisational levels to foster ownership and accountability.
Key Topics Covered
- Strategy execution frameworks
- Playbook design and content
- Resource allocation and risk management
- Performance measurement and continuous improvement
- Leadership communication for strategy success
Why This Module Matters
A brilliant strategy means little without effective execution. This module empowers you to assemble and deploy a practical, living playbook that turns strategic vision into measurable results, ensuring your organisation not only plans well but also delivers consistently.
Practical Outcome
By the end of Module 19, you will:
- Create a comprehensive strategy playbook tailored to your organisation.
- Effectively prioritise and manage strategic initiatives.
- Monitor implementation progress with actionable metrics.
- Adapt strategy responsively based on real-world feedback.
- Lead and communicate strategy execution to engage all stakeholders.