Agile Leadership

Any organization of the 21st century needs to thrive in an environment characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, diversity and dynamics.

In other words: any organizations needs to go agile rather sooner than later.

In this course, you acquire the needed skills to co-create an agile company, be it in an expert or managerial function.

What exactly will you be able to do?

  • You can help your organization to find out how agile they are. Often, organizations use agile values and practices without being aware of it.
  • You can analyze your team or your organization in terms of “agile readiness”. This is the first step to capitalize on the treasure of turning implicit to explicit knowledge. Only then can it be leveraged to thrive in a fast changing marketplace.
  • You can be part of a team that drives the agile transition of your organization. Members of such teams know how strategy, structure and culture have to change in order for a company to go more agile. The course provides you with that knowledge and develops your ability of systemic thinking.
  • You discover and develop your personal leadership style as an agile leader as you will get numerous impulses to raise self-awareness, e.g. question your expectations towards leadership and hone your communication skills.
  • You will discover how broad agile leadership is and how many of its tools and techniques are also very useful in private life, e.g. to make family life more harmonious.

This course opens new horizons for you. Not only will you be challenged by questioning old beliefs, but you will be able to ‘decipher’ and ‘demystify’ the agile wave and skillfully ride on it with new impulses for your personal and career advancement. 

Ana Ilie, MBA

  • CFO | Mgrup | Romania

The online program “Agile Leadership” truly expanded my horizon in terms of agile leadership and organizations. The combination of reading materials, reflective exercises, and interactive parts enabled me to reflect on my own leadership style as well as on different organizations I work with.

Structure of the program

This online program allows you to learn, experience, and try out the new input in your own pace. The 1-month learning journey is divided into four parts, each with 1-week duration. Each week you will be supplied with food for thought, to be consumed and digested within that week at your own pace.  Every program part can be worked on individually and takes approximately 6.5 hours to work on. Through instructional videos and study materials as well as a selection of podcasts and TED talks, participants learn how to develop an agile mindset and how to make their teams fit for agile working methods.

Within these 4 weeks, we offer 2 Live Sessions (via Zoom, attendance is optional):

  1. In week 1, Prof. Kathrin Köster gives an inspiring input about VUCADD Leadership.
  2. In the last week you have the opportunity to present a mini-pilot project. How would you try to implement more Agile processes/structures or an Agile mindset in your department or company? Get input from Prof. Kathrin Köster and interact with the other participants: ask each other questions, share experiences and talk about the challenges you have faced..

Please note that the program was designed so that participants can go through all the content and complete the mandatory tasks in 4 weeks. However, the participants will have access to the learning platform and all the materials for 6 months.

[Translate to English:] Kathrin Köster - Faculty Agile Leadership Program

Kathrin Köster

  • Faculty Member | Agile Leadership Program

What we aim to do is give participants, in a minimum of time, a solid grounding in agile leadership and, even more importantly, a set of practical tools they can use right away.

Fostering co-creation by providing impetus and opportunities for interaction

The “Got it?” feature gives participants a change to test what they have learned so far. Pieces of textual input known as “shifts” provide them with valuable impetus for reflecting on their current ways of thinking and working, and help them deepen their insight and understanding. In “spotlight videos”, Kathrin Köster explains, among other things, what agility is and what it is not. Under the heading “Connected”, participants can raise job-related issues and ask colleagues, friends and family members for their input on them. So-called “anchors” give participants and teams that take part in the program as a group an opportunity to openly exchange views and opinions with one another.

Agile_Leadership.jpg
Agile Leadership - Learning Journey
    • Week 1: Why Go Agile?

      In the first part, you will tackle the following questions:

      • Why agility?
      • Where does it come from?
      • What is the context?
      • What are the main elements?
      • What are the benefits and constraints?
    • Week 2: The Agile Mindset

      In the second week and therefore the second part, you will have the opportunity to answer for yourself the following questions:

      • What basic attitude comes with agility?
      • What is the mindset of an agile leader?
      • What is the culture of an agile organization? 
    • Week 3: Designing Agile for Organizations

      The third part deals with the following aspects:

      • What are new approaches towards organizational flexibility in terms of structure and processes?
      • How can organizational transparency and velocity be increased?
      • What is self-management about, and how is it linked to agility?
    • Week 4: Implementing Agility

      In the last part you will get answers to the following questions:

      • How do we strategize for agility?
      • What are critical success factors for going agile?
      • How does ‘Agile’ look in selected organizations?
    • Schedule

      The online course is divided into 4 parts. Each part is approximately 1 week (6,5 hours) of workload. Within every week, you can work individually in your own pace on every task.

      We offer 1 run for the Agile Leadership - Online Program in 2022 (the Live Sessions take place via Zoom, attendance is optional):

      • October 2 - 29 / Live Session dates: October 4 and October 25

      The live sessions in each run take place from 4:30 to 6:00 pm Central European Time (CET).

    • Target group

      The online course is for leaders from all spheres of society with all levels of managerial experience who are self-responsible, curious, and open-minded, and who strive to shape the 21st century: corporations, NGOs, social businesses, governmental organizations. Participants of the online program get a first insight into the fundamentals of agility. Therefore, previous knowledge is not necessary.

      The online course is also for individuals who want to gain insights in the field of agility.

    • Online course

      You will need about 6.5 hours per week/part (~26 hours in total)

    • Certificate

      Upon successful completion of all mandatory tasks, you will obtain a certificate “Agile Leadership” from WU Executive Academy with the course details.

      Mandatory Tasks:

      • Key Reading
      • Got it?
      • Key Video
      • Shift
      • Connected
      • Spotlights

Faculty

Kathrin Köster

Professor | Faculty Member | WU Executive Academy | Austria

- Transformational leadership
- Awareness-based learning
- Diversity management

"Digi-Winner" Grant

Digi-Winner Logo

Did you know that you can receive the "Digi-Winner" grant up to € 5,000 for this program? The "Wiener Arbeitnehmer*innen Förderungsfonds (Waff)" is subsidizing this program. More information and conditions on the grant.

Financing your studies

Scholarship and advice to help you achieve your goals.

8 reasons for the WU Executive Academy

8 reasons for the WU Executive Academy

International accreditations, world-class faculty, real-time issues

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