Optimize performance

The Duke Management Program is your gateway to becoming a more effective and influential leader. Tailored for managers and professionals on the rise, this program offers you the tools to sharpen your strategic thinking, enhance decision-making, and lead high-performing teams with confidence. Through immersive learning and expert guidance, you'll gain the insights needed to navigate complex challenges and drive meaningful change within your organization. Whether you're looking to refine your leadership style or prepare for greater responsibilities, this program will empower you to achieve your career goals and make a lasting impact.

"The program was an extraordinary experience. I have a new outlook on the way I look at things within our company, such how to present new ideas to my management team. I grew personally and professionally and acquired skills that will enable me to be more effective in my current leadership role."
—Becky Martin, IT Director, Mid Atlantic Broadband

ROI for Participants

Enhanced Decision-Making Capabilities: Improve your ability to make sound strategic decisions by learning to identify and avoid common decision-making pitfalls, leading to more effective and successful planning within your organization.

Increased Employee Motivation and Engagement: Apply advanced motivational strategies tailored to different employee needs, resulting in higher levels of engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction across your teams.

Strengthened Leadership Influence: Leverage your personal and positional power effectively to drive positive organizational change, optimizing resource allocation and achieving targeted business outcomes.

Improved Negotiation Outcomes: Master negotiation techniques that emphasize problem-solving and relationship-building, enabling you to secure better agreements that align with your interests and foster long-term partnerships.

Optimized Organizational Alignment: Gain the expertise to assess and align organizational structures, processes, and culture, leading to a more cohesive and efficient organization where employees can thrive and contribute to overall success.

Who Should Attend?

This program is designed for emerging leaders and mid-level managers seeking to enhance their leadership skills and strategic thinking. Ideal participants include those who are ready to take on greater responsibilities, lead teams, and drive organizational change.

More About the Program

Drawing insights from science to enhance practice, the program dives into multiple aspects of effective management informed by the latest research in behavioral economics, decision analysis, motivation, social networks, teams, negotiations, power and politics, and ethics.

Discussion Topics

  1. Advanced Decision-Making Techniques
    • Identifying and avoiding decision traps
    • Strategic planning and effective decision frameworks
  2. Employee Motivation and Engagement
    • Analyzing motivators and demotivators
    • Strategies for enhancing employee motivation
    • The role of fairness in motivation and feedback
  3. Power and Influence in Leadership
    • Understanding personal and hierarchical power dynamics
    • Leveraging power for resource development and organizational success
  4. Effective Negotiation Strategies
    • Problem-solving approaches in negotiations
    • Building relationships through effective negotiation practices
  5. Team Dynamics and Management
    • Fostering creativity and commitment within teams
    • Implementing processes that support positive team dynamics
  6. Organizational Structure and Culture
    • Viewing the organization as an interconnected system
    • Aligning structures, procedures, and culture for employee and organizational success

At the conclusion of the program you’ll be able to:

  • Evaluate Decision-Making Processes
    Critically evaluate and refine decision-making processes by identifying and mitigating common decision traps, thereby enhancing strategic planning and organizational outcomes.
  • Analyze and Design Motivation Strategies
    Analyze the underlying factors that influence employee motivation and demotivation, and design tailored strategies that effectively enhance motivation and performance across diverse teams.
  • Assess and Apply Fairness Principles
    Assess the impact of fairness in motivation and feedback mechanisms, and apply these principles to create an equitable and motivating work environment.
  • Leverage Power for Organizational Success
    Synthesize knowledge of personal and hierarchical power dynamics to strategically develop and allocate resources that drive productive outcomes within the organization.
  • Integrate Problem-Solving in Negotiations
    Formulate and implement negotiation strategies that prioritize problem-solving, fostering both the achievement of organizational goals and the strengthening of professional relationships.
  • Facilitate Team Dynamics and Processes
    Design and implement management practices that promote positive team dynamics, creativity, and commitment, ensuring successful project execution and organizational growth.
  • Systematically Align Organizational Elements
    Critically assess the organization as an interconnected system of structures, procedures, and culture, and develop strategies to align these elements to support employee success and overall organizational effectiveness.

The in-person Duke Management Program offers a dynamic, immersive learning experience designed to transform your leadership skills. Conducted on Duke University's campus over 3 days, the program fosters deep engagement through case study, group discussions, and real-world simulations. Participants collaborate with peers and faculty, allowing for rich exchanges of ideas and perspectives. The format emphasizes hands-on learning, where you’ll tackle complex challenges, apply strategic frameworks, and receive personalized feedback. This face-to-face environment not only enhances your ability to absorb and apply new concepts but also helps you build lasting professional relationships with a network of fellow leaders.

Sample Schedule

Arrival

Check-in Available
3:00 PM

Welcome Dinner
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Day 1

Breakfast
7:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Managing People & Performance
Designing Incentives & Fostering Motivation
9:00 AM -12:30 PM

Lunch
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Managing Choice:
Decision Traps & Decision Tools
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Optional Cameron Indoor Stadium Tour
5:20 PM - 6:30 PM

Dinner
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Day 2

Breakfast
7:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Managing Conflict:
Effective Teams I
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Lunch
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Managing Power:
Design & Culture
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Dinner
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Day 3

Breakfast
7:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Managing Systems:
Effective Teams II
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Evaluations & Program Close
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

Lunch
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Hotel Check-out: NOON

Program Registration Calendar

Registration Cost
$6900
Registration deadline
May 11, 2025
Advanced Registration
$4485
Advanced Registration Price available through March 11, 2025
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Program Location and Accommodations

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During your time at Duke, you’ll learn in the Thomas Executive Conference Center adjoined to The Fuqua School of Business. For those that need accommodation, you will be lodged at one of our select campus or campus-adjacent hotels based on availability.
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Faculty

Aaron C. Kay

Aaron C. Kay

Aaron C. Kay is a Professor of Management at Fuqua, and a Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University. His research focuses on the relation between motivation, implicit social cognition, and social issues and has received numerous awards. Professor Kay has been named a Fellow of the American Psychological Society as well as the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and his research is widely covered in national and international news and media outlets. 

Jack B. Soll is the Gregory Mario & Jeremy Mario Distinguished Professor of management and organizations at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

Jack B. Soll

Jack B. Soll is the Gregory Mario & Jeremy Mario Distinguished Professor of Management and Organizations at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. Professor Soll’s research focuses on the psychology of judgment and decision making. His current research interests include group decision making, and also the implications of behavioral decision research for public policy. He has published in a number of scholarly journals, including Science, Management Science, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

How to Register

For more information about how to register, please see our detailed instructions.

Registration Instructions

Frequently Asked Questions

For additional information about our Executive Education programming, please visit our FAQ page.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Certificate Requirements: Attendance to the Duke Leadership Program and three electives within a three year period. More