The course will be 100% online.

"Strategies for Sustainability Transitions“

COURSE SCOPE & PHILOSOPHY: Organized by WU's Energy & Strategy Think Tank, this edition of the business project focuses on how incumbents can strategize for sustainability transitions. The course offers two tracks - “Impact Strategies” and “Renewal Strategies” - and a student can only be part of one track. Up to 10 students are accepted to one track (Details on how to apply are provided below). In both tracks, students will take the role of top management consultants and thus will conduct in-depth analyzes as well as develop client-specific recommendations.

COURSE PHASES: Equipped with an understanding of sustainability transitions, tools to manage consulting projects, as well as ways to conduct in-depth analyzes and to develop frameworks, students will work in and across teams over two phases. In the first phase, students will analyze organizations that participate in sustainability transitions. This phase will result in a systematic mapping of the various approaches by which organizations put their mission into practice. In the second phase, students will assess these approaches from an incumbent perspective and make recommendations.

COURSE ORGANIZATION & APPLICATION: Mirroring the approach of top management consultancies, teams will be compiled based on individual background, competence, and industry experience. To that end, each student who is registered via LPIS needs to 1) submit a CV and 2) fill out a short form. Compiled teams will be announced at the first day of class that will provide key tools and background information as well as lay the ground for successful and joyful teamwork. Each team will have a team leader who, upon successful completion of the course, will receive an individual certificate that states his/her leadership skills and tasks in the course as well as which track he/she was in and thus receive a valuable signal for the job market. As this person focuses on leadership tasks, he/she will be less involved in other tasks. Registered students can state if they want to assume the role of the team leader. More details will be provided in time to registered students.

COURSE TARGET GROUP & CAREER OPPORTUNITY: This course expects students to dedicate to constant high performance and to create excellent deliverables. In return, they will receive a hands-on training pivotal to becoming a top manager and/or top management consultant. Students from previous business projects organized by WU’s Energy & Strategy Think Tank were recruited by firms such as BCG, Novartis, and IBM.

After completing this highly interactive and practice-oriented course, students will have advanced their knowledge of and skills in…

Sustainability Management, Strategic Management, & Organization Design
- Acquire knowledge of grand challenges prompting sustainability transitions as well as strategic and organizational approaches to tackle these transitions
- Develop solutions tailored towards client needs

Top Management Consulting & Intercultural Project Management
- Successfully work in consulting projects
- Work in heterogenous and virtual teams
- Apply tools to organize and coordinate complex and demanding consulting projects
- Know how to build domain-specific knowledge

Team Management & Communication Management
- Successfully work in interdisciplinary and international teams
- Present with impact
- Communicate complex findings in a structured and easy way

Mandatory attendance of ALL students at 1) kick-off (= first two days of the course), 2) mid-term presentation, 3) final presentation

Mandatory attendance of a minimum of members per team for remaining sessions - details at kick-off

The course combines the following methods:

• Interactive theory inputs and best practice inputs from lecturers, managers, and consultants
• In-class discussions
• Intra- and inter-team work
• Team coaching
• On-on-one coaching
• Collecting and analyzing archival data
• Conducting and analyzing expert interviews

35% Project Deliverables (Group Assessment)
15% Mid-term Presentation (Group Assessment)
15% Final Presentation (Group Assessment)
20% Professional Growth (Individual Assessment)
15% In-class Discussions and Contributions (Individual Assessment)

Registration is necessary to apply for a track. More information on tracks will be provided to registered students via e-mail.