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High Stakes Leadership: Leading in Times of Crisis
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 33 hours
  • Course by University of Michigan
  • Offered by

About

This course has been designed to help leaders, like you, learn how to effectively navigate the challenges of significant organizational disruptions. As a participant in this course, you’ll discover why an understanding of various stakeholder perspectives can inform and dramatically improve a leader’s response to events that threaten an organization’s very survival. This course is also about understanding and developing individual and organizational resilience—the ability to anticipate potential threats; to cope effectively with adverse events when they occur; and to adapt to changing conditions, ensuring a viable path forward for yourself, your team, and your organization. These topics are particularly relevant in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Many course examples will reference lessons leaders around the world have learned during this far-reaching healthcare crisis. During the eight course modules, which are distributed over four weeks, participants will explore topics such as: Why the VUCA world is making crises more common; Characteristics of resilient organizations and ways to increase resilience; Stakeholder value propositions and how these are threatened during a crisis; Organizing frameworks for estimating the types of crises an organization might encounter; the Unique and challenging nature of the crisis environment; the Fundamentals of crisis leadership; and Building a plan to prepare yourself, your team, and your organization for your next major crisis—which, in today’s world, is not so much an “if”, as a “when”. Professor Mike Barger, your faculty member for this course, has served as a TOPGUN instructor in the United States Navy and as a founder and executive at JetBlue Airways. His professional experience has helped him learn a great deal about crisis leadership and to gain a true sense of what it means to be resilient. Throughout the course, Professor Barger will draw upon many practical examples that will make the content of this course easy to appreciate, understand, and translate into practical lessons that you will be able to apply immediately at your organization. Crisis leadership is a topic that’s exciting, daunting, and almost impossible to master. With some time and effort over the four weeks of the course, however, you can develop an exceptional set of crisis-leadership tools that will serve you well throughout your professional career.

Modules

Module 1: In Our Increasingly VUCA Business Environment, Major Disruptions Will Happen

    • 6 Videos
    • 7 Readings
    • 2 Discussion
    • 1 ExternalTool
Show info about module content

1 External Tool

  • Set Personal Goals for the Course

2 Discussions

  • COVID-19 Examples of Exceptional Leadership
  • Universal Truths About Stakeholder Expectations During Crises

6 Videos

  • Faculty Introduction
  • COVID-19 and Implications in this Course
  • Deepwater Horizon: Setting the Stage
  • Perspective Matters and Informs Our Priorities!
  • Crisis Happens! It’s Not “if” but “when”
  • Module 1 Summary

7 Readings

  • Help Us Learn More About You!
  • Welcome to High Stakes Leadership: Leading in Times of Crisis
  • The VUCA Environment
  • Crisis Definition and Expectation Management
  • Case Examples Where Perspective Matters
  • Course Organization, Objectives, Outcomes
  • Course Syllabus

Module 2: Crisis Leadership Demands a Focus on Stakeholders

    • 7 Videos
    • 9 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 3 ExternalTool
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • End of Module 2 Knowledge Validation

3 External Tool

  • Identify Key Stakeholders
  • Your Key Stakeholders and Value Proposition Threats
  • Stakeholder Engagement Manifesto – “My Commitment to Stakeholders”

1 Discussions

  • Personal Experience During a Major Disruption

7 Videos

  • Module 2 Introduction. Who Are Your Stakeholders?
  • Crisis Threatens Stakeholder Value Propositions
  • Introducing JetBlue Airways’ Valentine’s Day Operational Crisis
  • JetBlue’s Attempt to Serve Stakeholder Interests Ahead of a Winter Storm
  • Stakeholder Engagement During a Crisis
  • “No News IS News” During a Crisis
  • Stakeholder Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic

9 Readings

  • Organizational Stakeholders and Value Propositions
  • JetBlue’s Attempt to Serve Stakeholder Interests During a Winter Storm: Introduction
  • JetBlue and the Customer Perspective
  • JetBlue and the Crewmember (a.k.a. Employee) Perspective
  • JetBlue and the Regulator Perspective
  • JetBlue and the Media Perspective
  • JetBlue and the Investor Perspective
  • JetBlue and the Competitor Perspective
  • Becoming THE Source of Facts During a Crisis – The Impact of Social Media

Module 3: Building Organizational Capacity for Resilience

    • 7 Videos
    • 4 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 2 ExternalTool
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • End of Module 3 Knowledge Validation

2 External Tool

  • Your Organization’s Resilience Practices
  • Three Actions to Improve Our Capacity for Resilience

1 Discussions

  • One Stakeholder Lesson from Your COVID-19 Experience

7 Videos

  • Module 3 Introduction. What is Organizational Resilience?
  • Organizational Resilience Capabilities Are Good For Business
  • Organizational Resilience Goal #1: Anticipating Crisis Through Stakeholder Engagement
  • Organizational Resilience Goal #2: Coping With Crisis Through Stakeholder Involvement
  • Organizational Resilience Goal #3: Developing Stronger Relationships With Stakeholders After a Crisis
  • Applying the Model to the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Resilience Increases When We Demonstrate Commitment to Our Stakeholders Before, During, and After a Crisis

4 Readings

  • A Model for Understanding Organizational Resilience
  • Key Factors for Organizational Resilience – The Anticipation Stage
  • Key Factors for Organizational Resilience – The Coping Stage
  • Key Factors for Organizational Resilience – The Adaptation Stage

Module 4: Stakeholder Reactions to Crisis

    • 7 Videos
    • 4 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 3 ExternalTool
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • End of Module 4 Knowledge Validation

3 External Tool

  • Evaluation of Current Practices
  • Three Key Opportunities to Better Understand Likely Stakeholder Reactions
  • Course Midpoint Goal Review

1 Discussions

  • Personal Experience with the Assignment of Responsibility

7 Videos

  • Module 4 Introduction. Stakeholder Value Propositions Inform Their Reactions to Crisis
  • Trigger Events and the Precipitation of Crisis
  • Stakeholder Evaluation of Trigger Events
  • Stakeholder Responses to Crises and the Outcomes They Produce
  • Applying the Model to a JetBlue Operational Crisis
  • Predicting Stakeholder Reactions Can Help Us Craft Communication Plans
  • Summarizing the Value of Predicting Stakeholder Reactions to Crises

4 Readings

  • A Model for Predicting Stakeholder Reactions to Crisis
  • Crises Are Rarely Rooted in Single, Spontaneous Causes
  • Case Study: Stakeholder Reactions to an Operational Disruption at JetBlue
  • The Proactive Development of Stakeholder Engagement Plans

⭐ Leadership Practice: Engaging with Stakeholders

    • 2 Videos
    • 7 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 2 ExternalTool
Show info about module content

2 External Tool

  • ⭐Interactive Experience: Engaging with Customers
  • ⭐Interactive Experience: Engaging with Employees

1 Discussions

  • Reflecting on Your Interactions

2 Videos

  • Takeaways: Engaging with Customers
  • Takeaways: Engaging with Employees

7 Readings

  • Introduction to the Interactive Experiences
  • Alternative Experience: Engaging with Customers
  • Alternative Experience: Engaging with Employees
  • Professor Insights: Employees Who Seem Disconnected from Organizational Purpose
  • Professor Insights: Employees Lacking Confidence in the Decision-Making of Their Leaders
  • Professor Insights: Employees Feeling Undervalued
  • Post-Experience Survey Opportunity

Module 5: Crisis Varieties and Responses

    • 7 Videos
    • 6 Readings
    • 2 ExternalTool
Show info about module content

2 External Tool

  • Crafting Your Own List
  • Reactions to the Benefits of Dimensional Typologies

7 Videos

  • Module 5 Introduction. Why Craft a Typology?
  • Categorical Lists of Crisis Types
  • Summarizing the Benefits of a Categorical List
  • COVID-19 and Where it Might Appear on a Categorical List
  • Incorporating Additional Dimensions into a Crisis Typology
  • Combining a Categorical List with Other Dimensions
  • Crafting Your Own Typology

6 Readings

  • Nine Types of Business Crisis
  • PwC’s Crisis Categories
  • A PR Perspective on Crisis Categories
  • Ten Categories of Political Risk
  • Examples of Multi-Dimensional Typologies
  • Module 5 Summary

Module 6: The Nature of the Crisis Environment

    • 7 Videos
    • 5 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 6 ExternalTool
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • End of Module 6 Knowledge Validation

6 External Tool

  • Current Level of Awareness About Potential Crisis Sources
  • The Complexity of Your Business
  • Developmental Opportunities for Self and Team #1 - Urgent Decision-Making with Limited Information
  • Developmental Opportunities for Self and Team #2 - The Demand for Effective Communication to Multiple Audiences
  • Developmental Opportunities for Self and Team #3 - Acknowledging Individual Vulnerability
  • Three Key Opportunities to Better Prepare for Crisis Leadership

1 Discussions

  • Best Practices in Any of These Areas

7 Videos

  • Module 6 Introduction. The Crisis Environment Presents Unique Challenges for Leaders
  • Observations and Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Complex Systems Make Threat Identification Difficult
  • The Need for Urgent Decision-Making with Limited Information
  • The Demand for Effective Communication to Multiple Audiences
  • The Importance of Acknowledging Individual Vulnerability
  • Being a Crisis Leader Given the Unique Crisis Environment

5 Readings

  • Crises are Typically the Result of Multiple Contributing Factors
  • The Complexity of Your Business
  • Urgency Versus the Tendency to Wait for the Facts
  • Revisiting Stakeholder Perspectives and Value Propositions
  • Leadership Forged In Crisis – Ultimately, We’re Humans Providing Leadership

Module 7: Crisis Leadership

    • 9 Videos
    • 4 Readings
    • 5 ExternalTool
Show info about module content

5 External Tool

  • Current and Desired Future Capability in These Areas
  • Readiness for Crisis Leadership - What Stakeholders Want Their Leaders to BE During a Crisis
  • Readiness for Crisis Leadership - What Stakeholders Want Their Leaders to KNOW During a Crisis
  • Readiness for Crisis Leadership #3
  • My Personal Crisis Leadership Philosophy: “I Must Be, Know, Do…”

9 Videos

  • Module 7 Introduction. What We’ve Learned So Far About the Need for Crisis Leadership
  • Considerations for Acting on These Eight Roles
  • The Eight Roles and Their Validity During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Crisis Leadership Through a Be, Know, Do Lens
  • Being a Crisis Leader
  • Crisis Leaders Must Know: Vision, Values, and Guiding Principles
  • What Crisis Leaders Must Do
  • Leadership During Challenging Times
  • Summarizing Crisis Leadership

4 Readings

  • Eight Roles Crisis Leaders Should Be Able to Assume
  • What Stakeholders Need a Crisis Leader to Be
  • What Stakeholders Need a Crisis Leader to Know
  • Introduction to Three Examples

Module 8: Crisis Preparation

    • 8 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 6 ExternalTool
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • End of Module 8 Knowledge Validation

6 External Tool

  • Revisit Your Crisis Typology
  • Exercising Your Crisis Typology with Your Organizational Stakeholders
  • Drafting Your Own Checklist
  • Action Plan: Next Steps Toward a Crisis Response Strategy
  • Action Plan: Next Steps Toward an Assessment of Readiness
  • Three Key Opportunities to Better Prepare My Organization for the Next

1 Discussions

  • Crisis Management Roles and Responsibilities Best Practices

8 Videos

  • Module 8 Introduction. Preparing for the Next Crisis
  • Airline Crisis Typologies in Action
  • Frameworks and Checklists: Organizing Your Crisis Response
  • Defining Roles and Responsibilities
  • Developing Pro-Active Crisis Response Strategies
  • Conducting a Tabletop Exercise as a Test of Readiness
  • Module Summary: Preparing for the Next Crisis
  • Course Conclusion

3 Readings

  • Sample Crisis Management Checklists
  • Tabletop Exercise to Explore Crisis Readiness
  • Course Feedback

Auto Summary

High Stakes Leadership: Leading in Times of Crisis is a four-week course focused on navigating organizational disruptions. Taught by Professor Mike Barger, a former TOPGUN instructor and JetBlue co-founder, this course covers resilience, stakeholder value propositions, and crisis leadership fundamentals. Ideal for business and management professionals, the course offers practical lessons drawn from real-world examples, particularly relevant post-COVID-19. Available through Coursera with a Starter subscription, it equips you with essential crisis-leadership tools for your career.

Mike Barger
Instructor

Mike Barger