OVERVIEW

“One of the highlights of my professional career was the opportunity to attend the SMG program. For three weeks, we were immersed in practicing negotiation, strategic thinking, interpersonal relations – every dimension of being a senior executive. We were given a unique opportunity to step outside of our daily lives to truly think about leadership and study what make leaders succeed and fail. My SMG colleagues inspired me with their intelligence and dedication; they taught me with their generosity and openness and left a lasting and valuable experience that I will not forget.”

-Peggy Philbin, Executive Director, U.S. Department of State, SMG 1998

A constantly changing world requires flexible and innovative leaders. Today’s senior managers in government face a variety of complex challenges, ranging from the effects of globalization to quantum leaps in information technology. Successful performance in this dynamic context demands skill, insight, and an ever-expanding range of talents and tools. 

The Senior Managers in Government (SMG) program provides senior executives in the federal government, other national governments, and international organizations with the cutting-edge skills necessary to thrive. Participants from across the world come together with expert Harvard faculty for intensive sessions that enhance the core leadership skills needed to address public sector concerns within large organizations.

The course focuses on the multi-dimensional issues faced by senior managers including:

• Policy development: Structuring a decision-making process that draws on knowledge from all parts of an organization and designing policies to optimize implementation.
  
• Political strategy: Mobilizing the support of key parties in an environment of shared responsibility to build support for a policy.
  
• Performance management: Defining, assessing, and improving organizational performance.
  
• Organizational design: Building authority and communication structures to optimize performance in an organization.
  
• Negotiation: Creating win-win outcomes, resolving differences, and breaking stalemates.
  
• Leadership: Evaluating and improving leadership styles, including leadership in crisis situations.