What you'll learn

  • Navigate complexity and change

  • Foster collaboration and empower others

  • Drive progress on stubborn challenges

Course description

Live Facilitated Sessions Now Included—November 2026 Wave Only!

Learners who enroll by October 29 at 11:59 p.m. ET will have access to new opportunities to engage with experts, connect with peers, and explore course concepts in greater depth, including:

  • Six Live Facilitated Sessions: Join an expert facilitator for interactive discussions, peer learning, and deeper exploration of Adaptive Leadership concepts.
  • Special Guest Appearances: Two sessions will feature special guests, including Harvard Kennedy School Professor Ronald Heifetz and former Vermont Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson.
  • Live Office Hours: Connect with your facilitator to ask questions, clarify concepts, and receive additional support.

One of the most popular courses at Harvard Kennedy School is now available online!

The Adaptive Leadership approach was pioneered over the course of more than 40 years by Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Ronald Heifetz and offers a proven framework for overcoming challenges and creating productive change where traditional approaches fall short.

This course goes beyond theory, exploring the real-world experiences of Heifetz’s former students who have applied Adaptive Leadership principles in their professional careers across industries and around the globe. From policy innovation and crisis response to corporate product management and health care leadership, these stories serve as living examples of the framework in action. You’ll learn to identify the core issue at the heart of your challenge, view it through a broader systems lens, and make targeted changes that drive meaningful progress—while building trust and empowering others to contribute along the way.

Through real leadership stories, interactive exercises, and insights from Heifetz and other changemakers across industries, you’ll develop a systematic approach to leadership that helps you drive progress.

Instructors

Founder, Center for Public Leadership; King Hussein Bin Talal Senior Lecturer in Public Leadership; Harvard Kennedy School

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