New short course helps business leaders navigate uncertainty

The Open University (OU) has launched a new microcredential short course aimed at senior managers and leaders to equip them with the skills needed to make effective decisions and harness opportunities during periods of uncertainty.

Management of Uncertainty: Leadership, Decisions and Action will be hosted on the OU’s partner platform, FutureLearn, and opened for registration on Friday 18 December.

In the midst of the global pandemic, businesses are now more than ever before, navigating their way through unchartered territory. This microcredential has been designed by leading academics from The Open University Business School, along with expertise and insight from senior leaders from multiple disciplines and sectors who have first-hand experience in managing uncertainty.

With global application and a strong focus on real-world practice, learners will be guided through new ideas, skills and strategies that they can immediately apply to their current positions.

Lead Educator, and OUBS Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Mark Fenton O’Creevy, said:

Climate change, Covid-19, social and political change, terrorism, disruptive technologies, shifts in geopolitical power – just a few of the sources of radical uncertainty organisations around the world are facing. There is increasing awareness that agility and innovation in the face of uncertainty and the unexpected are vital capabilities for leaders and organisations.

In this course, you will hear about the latest thinking on action in the face of uncertainty, from leading academics, and from senior leaders in business the public and third sectors.

It draws on both research and practice experience. Drawing on the carefully designed course materials and in conversation with other learners you will gain new insights into the challenges you face and ways of generating effective action in the face of radical uncertainty.

Managing Director, Microcredentials, Tim Plyming said:

This course comes at a time when Management and Leadership skills are in high demand globally, yet there is a significant skills gap in this area. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown management of uncertainty into the spotlight and many leaders and managers are struggling to understand the risks and conversely, the opportunities, that uncertainty can bring.

Our experts at the OU have decades of experience in researching decision-making in real world contexts and have combined this with the expertise and experience of global leaders to produce this unmissable microcredential.

This post-graduate course will particularly benefit those in, or aspiring to, senior roles in business across any organisation or sector as well as those engaged in strategic analysis or consulting, those engaged in new product development, and those managing or commissioning large complex projects.