Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Program

The Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Program is tailored for leaders seeking to step into the CHRO role and drive value for their organizations. You will learn to understand the business, its goals, and how to help achieve them by designing and leading a future-focused, innovative HR function.

You’ll also learn how work and the HR function are evolving and what you need to do to keep your organization ahead of the curve. Discover how to transform the HR function, plan for the workforce you need, and lead transformation initiatives that advance your organization’s business goals. Learn to take a data-driven approach that leverages analytics, AI, and other technologies to establish goals, measure progress, and advance your initiatives.

Once you complete this program, you will be ready to become a CHRO who is not only an HR leader, but a catalyst for business value.

Key Program Learning Benefits

• Develop actionable points of view about the future of work within your industry and organization
• Design an HR strategy that aligns with the goals and strategy of the business
• Plan an ecosystem for HR data and technology that allows you to measure progress and advance your initiatives
• Formulate an innovative human capital strategy for your organization and a plan to activate it
• Apply the interpersonal skills that you will need as CHRO, such as coaching other members of the C-suite
• Cultivate strategic relationships with other members of the C-suite, influence decision-making, and guide organizational vision

This program will benefit executives who are:

• Senior directors and heads of HR who would like to transition to a C-suite position
• Leaders in recruitment, talent acquisition, and talent management 
• Heads of people and culture and/or people and talent business partners
• Sitting CHROs, chief people officers, chief talent officers, and COOs

Please note that guest speakers and instructors are representative and subject to change.

Course 1: Work in the Next-Generation Enterprise
Organizations of all kinds rely on the ability attract and develop people, to build high functioning groups and units, and to create and sustain engaging work cultures, all core aspects of human resources work. The very success of organizations, then, relies on the ability of Human Resources professionals to assume roles as enterprise leaders and strategic partners in all of these aspects. While it will be the work of this entire program and sequences of classes to impart ideas and skills that support you in assuming that role, this course represents a critical starting point: engaging in the habits of critical thinking and forming your own strategic point of view.

Moving from a functional manager to an enterprise leader involves acting and thinking in new ways. At the heart of this process is the effort to organize your own point of view concerning human resources and your organization. We will introduce a simple but robust method for working on your strategic point of view. We will begin by introducing questions to frame your point of view, then hear from expert perspectives to sharpen and refine it, and finally learn methods for assessing the perspectives of other stakeholders within your current organization. At the conclusion of this class, you will be on your way to bringing a more a cohesive and well-informed strategic point of view to your role as an enterprise leader.

Course 2: HR Strategy in the C-Suite
In this course, students learn to align the people strategy and the HR function with business strategy. As CHROs, they will need not only to operate an HR function that runs smoothly—they need to develop a people strategy that creates value for the business. In this course, students will develop better understandings of how their business works, its competitive advantages, and its strategy and goals. Then, they explore the role of HR in the context of the business: how business considerations shape the HR function, how to partner with other key areas of the business, such as finance, to align your goals and strategies. Ultimately, the goal will be to learn to create a people strategy that aligns with and advances the strategy of the business.

Course 3: Data, Analytics, and Technology for HR
In this course, students will learn to create a data and technology ecosystem that enables, augments, and automates activities within the HR function. They learn to gather and interpret data around performance, productivity, innovation, talent acquisition, compensation, and other key metrics, as well as how to connect these metrics to the business strategy. They also learn where there are (and are not) opportunities to use predictive analytics and AI to automate or guide decisioning, such as in talent acquisition. Finally, they learn about how to identify and adopt technologies into their technology ecosystem, including how to determine whether building or buying a solution is appropriate, and, if buying, how to evaluate solutions and their vendors. A core part of this course is learning how to make your HR function, and ultimately your business, data-driven and how to leverage technology to drive better outcomes.

Course 4: Human Capital Strategy
Plan your workforce and develop innovative strategies to find and develop the talent that your organization needs to achieve its goals.

Course 5: Organizational Development and Change Management
Develop a plan for and lead organizational change that sticks and achieves your desired results as an HR leader.

Course 6: Interpersonal Tactics
Develop the interpersonal skills to coach, collaborate, and navigate complex workplace dynamics.

Course 7: Leadership within the C-Suite
Learn how to work effectively with others in the C-suite, boards of directors, and other stakeholders as CHRO.

Flexible Learning for Your Schedule: Combine self-paced, asynchronous activities with live-online sessions to master concepts at your own pace while engaging with faculty and peers in real time.

Capstone Project for Practical Impact: Apply your knowledge to a culminating project that bridges theory and practice, showcasing your ability to solve real-world challenges.

In-Person Experience for Deeper Connection: Solidify your learning journey with an immersive in-person event, fostering further collaboration, networking, and meaningful connections.