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Course Description

Success can become your greatest vulnerability. Organizations that achieve extraordinary performance often become trapped by the very systems that created their advantage, unable to adapt when conditions change. This course examines how leaders can build and maintain adaptive capacity within their organizations while navigating both internal transformation needs and external disruptions. Southwest Airlines provides a compelling case study of how a revolutionary company lost its adaptive edge and suffered cascading system failures during the 2022 holiday crisis.

Professor Isaiah Wilson reveals the hidden dynamics that cause successful systems to become rigid and fragile over time. You will apply diagnostic tools to identify adaptation gaps, assess organizational vulnerabilities, and design leadership approaches that maintain resilience without sacrificing performance. Through your assignments, you'll analyze institutional blind spots, map compound risk scenarios, and develop comprehensive strategies for continuous organizational renewal, producing an executive resilience campaign tailored to your leadership context.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

  • Seeing Beyond Symptoms: Identifying System Drivers
  • Mapping Feedback Loops and Cascading Risks
  • Reframing Strategic Dilemmas in Complex Systems
  • Building Adaptive Strategies Across Stakeholder Systems

Faculty Author

Isaiah Wilson

Benefits to the Learner

  • Identify adaptation lag and diagnose how organizational success can create dangerous blind spots
  • Distinguish between efficiency optimization and adaptive capacity
  • Analyze compound crisis dynamics and map how multiple disruptions can overwhelm systems
  • Design continuous adaptation strategies that sustain organizations through constant change

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
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
Feb 03, 2027 to Feb 16, 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
Mar 03, 2027 to Mar 16, 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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