Berkley-Business School

Leading Through Innovation
Preparing leaders who know how to put new ideas to work is the core definition of Leading Through Innovation. Of the major learning experiences that make up Leading Through Innovation in the Berkeley MBA Program, you will encounter about half of them in the classroom, and the other half you gain in other ways through special extracurricular offerings, interactions with classmates and other people, and through your own initiatives.
Top-Caliber Students
The process actually starts with the careful selection of Berkeley MBA students, who have already demonstrated leadership and a spirit of innovation prior to their arrival. They have challenged convention, and they continually try to anticipate what’s coming next. They possess the independent, forward-looking thinking long associated with UC Berkeley. The culture of Leading Through Innovation at Haas reinforces these values, and the Bay Area’s creative, entrepreneurial energy provides unrivaled opportunities to test new ideas.
You begin in MBA orientation with an exploration of the school’s leadership approach and the innovation process. The core (required) part of the MBA curriculum covers the foundations of management and business, with an emphasis on developing leaders. A cutting-edge leadership course will develop your capacity to lead others by giving you an in-depth understanding of your own capabilities. You will also participate in experiential leadership exercises, read the latest advances in our understanding of leadership, and discuss cases offered by top leaders of organizations.
A Culture of Leadership
Learning how to lead at Haas involves more than motivational and people skills. You also learn how to set direction as a leader in your strategy course, and how to manage complex projects and enterprises in your operations course—both skills are critical to successful leadership. Finally, you are taught the lessons of "leading responsibly" through your coursework and out-of-class activities, such as the Haas-founded Global Social Venture Competition. All of this is backed by a strong school culture that actively promotes these values.
Fresh thinking and leadership is encouraged everywhere at Haas, including the classroom. For example, Haas was one of the first business schools to pioneer the cross-disciplinary study of product design via the elective Managing the New Product Development Process. This popular elective, which has been taught by Senior Lecturer Sara Beckman for more than a decade, was among similar offerings that prompted Business Week to name Haas one of the top design schools in the world. The culture of innovation is continually enriched by faculty who study at the frontiers of knowledge and bring their insights into the classroom.