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Course Description

Most leaders excel at managing disruptions but struggle when those disruptions keep recurring. In this course, you will develop the critical ability to see beyond symptoms and identify the underlying structures, relationships, and patterns that actually drive outcomes over time. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as your primary case study, you'll discover how what appeared to be a health crisis was actually a complex systems event involving interconnected failures across multiple domains.

Working with Professor Isaiah Wilson, a preeminent authority in compound security and systems leadership, you will use proprietary analytical frameworks to map system boundaries, trace hidden dependencies, and recognize patterns most leaders miss. Your individual assignments build toward a comprehensive system diagnosis brief of a real-world organizational challenge.

Faculty Author

Isaiah Wilson

Benefits to the Learner

  • Identify system types, actors, boundaries, and flows
  • Map stakeholder ecosystems and reveal hidden dependencies that create vulnerabilities and opportunities
  • Recognize recurring patterns and distinguish between visible events and structural drivers
  • Synthesize system observations into comprehensive diagnoses

Target Audience

  • Senior executives and C-suite leaders managing complexity across industries
  • Program managers and mid-level leaders overseeing large-scale initiatives
  • Strategy, risk, and transformation leaders driving organizational change
  • Public sector professionals working in national security and public affairs
  • Leaders navigating significant disruption, systemic change, or organizational uncertainty
  • Consultants and strategy advisors guiding organizations through complex challenges

Applies Towards the Following Certificates

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Enroll Now - Select a section to enroll in

Type
2 week
Dates
Oct 14, 2026 to Oct 27, 2026
Total Number of Hours
12.0
Course Fee(s)
Regular Price $999.00

Section Notes

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:

This certificate includes two years of free access to Symposium! These events feature live, highly participatory virtual Zoom sessions with Cornell faculty and experts to explore today’s most pressing topics. Throughout the year, you may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending a Symposium is not required to successfully complete the certificate program.

Type
2 week
Dates
Nov 11, 2026 to Nov 24, 2026
Total Number of Hours
12.0
Course Fee(s)
Regular Price $999.00

Section Notes

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:

This certificate includes two years of free access to Symposium! These events feature live, highly participatory virtual Zoom sessions with Cornell faculty and experts to explore today’s most pressing topics. Throughout the year, you may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending a Symposium is not required to successfully complete the certificate program.

Type
2 week
Dates
Dec 09, 2026 to Dec 22, 2026
Total Number of Hours
12.0
Course Fee(s)
Regular Price $999.00

Section Notes

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:

This certificate includes two years of free access to Symposium! These events feature live, highly participatory virtual Zoom sessions with Cornell faculty and experts to explore today’s most pressing topics. Throughout the year, you may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending a Symposium is not required to successfully complete the certificate program.

Type
2 week
Dates
Jan 06, 2027 to Jan 19, 2027
Total Number of Hours
12.0
Course Fee(s)
Regular Price $999.00

Section Notes

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:

This certificate includes two years of free access to Symposium! These events feature live, highly participatory virtual Zoom sessions with Cornell faculty and experts to explore today’s most pressing topics. Throughout the year, you may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending a Symposium is not required to successfully complete the certificate program.

Type
2 week
Dates
Jul 21, 2027 to Aug 03, 2027
Total Number of Hours
12.0
Course Fee(s)
Regular Price $999.00

Section Notes

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:

This certificate includes two years of free access to Symposium! These events feature live, highly participatory virtual Zoom sessions with Cornell faculty and experts to explore today’s most pressing topics. Throughout the year, you may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending a Symposium is not required to successfully complete the certificate program.

Type
2 week
Dates
Aug 18, 2027 to Aug 31, 2027
Total Number of Hours
12.0
Course Fee(s)
Regular Price $999.00

Section Notes

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:

This certificate includes two years of free access to Symposium! These events feature live, highly participatory virtual Zoom sessions with Cornell faculty and experts to explore today’s most pressing topics. Throughout the year, you may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending a Symposium is not required to successfully complete the certificate program.

Type
2 week
Dates
Sep 15, 2027 to Sep 28, 2027
Total Number of Hours
12.0
Course Fee(s)
Regular Price $999.00

Section Notes

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:

This certificate includes two years of free access to Symposium! These events feature live, highly participatory virtual Zoom sessions with Cornell faculty and experts to explore today’s most pressing topics. Throughout the year, you may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending a Symposium is not required to successfully complete the certificate program.

Type
2 week
Dates
Oct 13, 2027 to Oct 26, 2027
Total Number of Hours
12.0
Course Fee(s)
Regular Price $999.00

Section Notes

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:

This certificate includes two years of free access to Symposium! These events feature live, highly participatory virtual Zoom sessions with Cornell faculty and experts to explore today’s most pressing topics. Throughout the year, you may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending a Symposium is not required to successfully complete the certificate program.

Type
2 week
Dates
Nov 10, 2027 to Nov 23, 2027
Total Number of Hours
12.0
Course Fee(s)
Regular Price $999.00

Section Notes

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:

This certificate includes two years of free access to Symposium! These events feature live, highly participatory virtual Zoom sessions with Cornell faculty and experts to explore today’s most pressing topics. Throughout the year, you may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending a Symposium is not required to successfully complete the certificate program.

Type
2 week
Dates
Dec 08, 2027 to Dec 21, 2027
Total Number of Hours
12.0
Course Fee(s)
Regular Price $999.00

Section Notes

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:

This certificate includes two years of free access to Symposium! These events feature live, highly participatory virtual Zoom sessions with Cornell faculty and experts to explore today’s most pressing topics. Throughout the year, you may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending a Symposium is not required to successfully complete the certificate program.

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