Leadership and Communication

Date

17-19 Nov 2026
Duration

3 days
Fee

€3,750
Language

English
Format

In-person

Develop the general management perspective to advise leaders, define the real issue and lead communication with greater strategic impact.

Communication professionals need to understand what managers and directors are trying to achieve before they can advise effectively and communicate with influence across the organisation. This requires a broader understanding of general management: how different functions define problems, make decisions and contribute to organisational goals.

Through detailed analysis of business cases, each focused on a different functional area of management, you will strengthen your ability to identify the real issue behind complex organisational challenges. This perspective is particularly valuable when leading a communication function or department, where different priorities and sometimes conflicting views need to be connected with the overall needs of the enterprise.

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General management

The general manager is responsible for the management of the function or department. He or she is ultimately responsible for the success or failure of the area of the organisation—whether it is for-profit or not, whether it is domestic or international, whether it is small or large. Thus, general managers throughout the organisation can include CEOs, entrepreneurs in start-ups, leaders of business units in larger companies, executive directors of charitable organisations, presidents and prime ministers of countries, and, for the purposes of this course, heads of corporate communication departments or functions. General managers are also leaders—the people who set the organisational purpose and create an environment where success happens.

The job of the general manager as leader requires proficiency in three important and distinct areas:

a) Critical thinking (about various strategies and business models);

b) Innovation and creativity (by exploring opportunities, understanding discontinuities, and crafting strategy);

c) Intuition.

Although we rely on frameworks to guide our thinking wherever possible, there is a certain "messiness" in the general manager’s job that cannot be ignored.

The complexity and responsibility of the general manager’s job make it one of the most important in an organisation. Accordingly, many, perhaps most, students will aspire to such positions at some point in their career. This course will lay a foundation about the general manager’s job that can be built on throughout the rest of your career.

The following topics will be addressed in this course

Critical thinking

Yellowtail Marine case 1
Yellowtail Marine case 2
The joy of leadership in communication

Day 1

Innovation and creativity

Nike
The Atchinson Corporation

Day 2

Intuition

The Body Shop
Duplitrace
Role play

Day 3

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For whom

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This course is designed for experienced professionals who want to strengthen their strategic perspective and leadership impact in communication.

It is particularly relevant for senior communication managers, corporate affairs professionals, public policy advisors, consultants, advisers and managers moving into broader leadership roles. You will learn alongside peers who bring diverse professional experience to the classroom, creating a collaborative environment for reflection, case-based learning and practical business problem-solving.

Participants should have at least three years of work experience and a bachelor degree.

Testimonials

Read what previous participants say about this course

In this course we dealt with real cases of various types in small groups that changed daily. The structure of the masterclass with video lectures, group work, presentations and discussions was challenging, entertaining and always enlightening. The degree of interaction with fellow students was high, giving the masterclass quite a live character.

Sigvard Wohlwend, Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing - Bank Frick & Co. AG, Liechtenstein

The course by professor Argenti offers the perfect combination between theory and practice. Through cases about companies you learn to translate and apply theory. The given theory helps me to develop analytical skills for effective problem solving and opportunity identification. I use what I have learned during the course in my daily work as a manager.

Yasmine Farissi – Retail store manager – Albert Heijn

Faculty

Prof. Paul Argenti

Professor Paul Argenti is a world-renowned expert in corporate communication, reputation, and leadership. A faculty member at the Tuck School of Business since 1981, he has also taught at Harvard, Columbia, and leading institutions worldwide. His influential books, including Corporate Communication and Corporate Responsibility, shape the field, while his insights appear in Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. A sought-after consultant and speaker, he advises top global companies and frequently appears on CNBC, offering expert analysis on corporate reputation crisis, and strategy.

Professor Paul Argenti has taught management, corporate responsibility, and corporate communication starting in 1977 at the Harvard Business School, from 1979 to 1981 at the Columbia Business School, and since 1981 as a faculty member at the Tuck School. He has also taught as a visiting professor at the International University of Japan, Helsinki School of Economics, Erasmus University in the Netherlands, London Business School, and Singapore Management University. He currently serves as Faculty Director for Tuck’s Leadership and Strategic Impact and Brand and Reputation programs, as well as Tuck’s custom programs for Novartis and Hitachi Data Systems.

Professor Argenti’s textbook, Corporate Communication is now in its seventh edition and is published through McGraw-Hill Irwin. His seminal work entitled Corporate Responsibility (McGraw-Hill, 2015) focuses on corporate values, shared value, corporate character, and the purpose of the corporation in modern society. Professor Argenti co-authored (with Courtney Barnes) Digital Strategies for Powerful Corporate Communication (2009, McGraw-Hill). Some of his other books include Strategic Corporate Communication (2007, McGraw-Hill), The Power of Corporate Communication (co-authored with UCLA’s Janis Forman, published by McGraw-Hill), and The Fast Forward MBA Pocket Reference (several editions), released through Wiley.

Professor Argenti has written and edited numerous articles for academic publications and practitioner journals such as Harvard Business Review, California Management Review, and MIT Sloan Management Review. He also blogs regularly for Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post, and U.S. News & World Report and appears frequently on radio (NPR) and television (CNBC) commenting on topics related to communications, reputation, and corporate responsibility.

Professor Argenti is a Fulbright Scholar and a winner of the Pathfinder Award in 2007 from the Institute for Public Relations for the excellence of his research over a long career. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Arthur W. Page Society and the Ethisphere Institute. He also serves on advisory boards to CEOs for a variety of global companies. Finally, he has consulted and run training programmes for hundreds of companies including General Electric, ING, Mitsui, Novartis, and Goldman Sachs.

Practical information

Dates and time

17-19 Nov 2026

Fee

€ 3,750 including tuition, course material, lunches and refreshments. This fee does not include hotel accommodation.

Location

The programme takes place in the Bayle building on the Woudestein Campus of Erasmus University Rotterdam.

General terms and conditions

Our general terms and conditions apply when you register for an open programme. Please review them to learn more about our policies for cancellation, deferral and substitution.

Review terms & conditions