AI Business Impact and Leadership Transformation Week
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Lead with Confidence in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way we lead, work, and create business value. To remain competitive, today’s decision-makers must be able to identify, prioritize, and implement AI initiatives that generate measurable impact. At the same time, they need to rethink what effective leadership means in the age of digitalization and AI.
This executive program is part of our lifelong learning offer for our Executive MBA alumni as well as senior managers outside of our business school. It combines hands-on learning, academic excellence, and practical business insights to empower leaders across industries to make AI a driver of innovation and sustainable growth. No prior technical background is required.
Key Facts
Program Structure
One on-campus module
5 days in total
Program Dates
January 26-30, 2026
Additional online kickoff: January 15, 2026, 3-4 PM CET
Location
On site, Mannheim, Germany
Language
English
Course Fee
Will be announced soon
Prerequisites
At least 5 years of work experience, good English language skills
Credits
Certificate awarded by Mannheim Business School
Reputation
Germany’s #1 Business School in Business Analytics (QS 2024/2025)
Expert Voice: How AI is Changing Business
Gain insights from Prof. Dr. Florian Stahl, Academic Director of AI and Management Analytics Programs at Mannheim Business School.
In this video, Prof. Stahl explains why understanding Artificial Intelligence is essential for every business leader today and why hands-on, on-campus learning creates deeper, more sustainable impact than purely online formats.
Learn from Prof. Dr. Stahl directly how executives can translate AI knowledge into strategic advantage and real business value during the Transformation Week.
Expert Voice: How AI is Changing Leadership
Learn from leadership expert Prof. Dr. Eric Kearney, Adjunct Faculty at Mannheim Business School.
In this segment, Prof. Kearney explores how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the nature of leadership.
Find out more about Prof. Dr. Eric Kearney below and hear directly from him about how to prepare for the evolving leadership landscape in this transformative program.
Your Benefits at a Glance
AI Literacy: Understand how AI drives innovation, efficiency, and competitive advantage.
Leadership Readiness: Learn how AI transforms the nature of leadership and decision-making.
Business Value Creation: Identify and capitalize on AI initiatives with measurable impact.
Strategic Integration: Gain actionable insights to seamlessly integrate AI solutions into your business.
Hands-on Experience: Apply insights through practical workshops and real-world business cases.
Competitive Advantage: Improve your organization's ability to navigate market disruptions and leverage AI for sustainable business growth.
Who Is this Program for?
This program is designed for senior professionals and executives with at least five years of work experience who make strategic decisions or collaborate closely with decision-makers.
It is particularly relevant for:
Senior managers with a solid foundation in management seeking to expand their leadership capabilities
Experienced professionals driving AI or digital transformation initiatives
Leaders aiming to understand the human–AI interface in management
Executive MBA alumni at Mannheim Business School
You will get a chance to connect with a diverse group of professionals and industry peers to expand your network and exchange ideas on AI innovation, strategy as well as leadership.
Participant Profile
Industry
Years of Work Experience
Perspectives
Jens Grüneklee, Head of Client Service Management at European Depository Bank SA"I joined this program at my alma mater to get valuable insights into Artificial Intelligence and its creation, use, and applications.
From research to the development of business cases and the facilitation of processes, AI will be everywhere.
It was fantastic to learn how AI can support business transformation. Discussing the strategic implications for both business and society was absolutely enriching and initiated new ideas for me."
Program Structure & Course Contents
Teaching Approach
Our teaching approach combines academic excellence with practical application. The program integrates interactive discussions, expert-led lectures, real-world business cases, guest talks from industry experts and applied workshops, ensuring that participants can translate AI concepts into actionable strategies for their leadership and organizational context.
Part 1 (2 days): Leading with AI
Current Expectations and What We Currently Know
- Has AI already influenced your experiences with leadership?
- What are your expectations in regard to how you as a leader or as a follower will be affected?
- AI demystified – what leaders need to know about AI, its current capabilities and future potential
- Overview of current research and expectations of researchers and practitioners in the fields of AI, leadership, and other disciplines on how AI will transform work and leadership
Overview of currently available tools that support leaders in their daily tasks
- Presentation of different tools that can be useful to leaders
- Discussion of the capabilities and limitations of various tools
- Practical exercises with different tools
Leadership Tasks: What role will AI play in…
- Setting goals and formulating visions
- Individual and collective decision-making
- Selecting, training, and developing employees
- Fostering motivation
- Promoting creativity, innovation, and performance
- Enhancing commitment and satisfaction
- Evaluating and rewarding people
- Promoting team dynamics
- Shaping organizational culture
What will the future bring? Will we still need a “Human Touch” in leadership?
- Can AI lead teams, larger units, and entire organizations?
- Can AI resolve conflicts and manage power dynamics and organizational politics?
- Can AI provide new narratives and visions that inspire and motivate us to go beyond where any human leader could take us?
- Can AI become the key driver of organizational culture and organizational change?
- Do people want to be lead, at least in part, by a human? Now and in the future?
Part 2 (3 days): AI Business Impact
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- Understand differences and similarities of AI technologies and their business applications.
Role of AI in Business Operations, Products, and Services
- Explore how AI is transforming traditional business operations, enhancing product development, and driving the creation of new data-driven services.
Recent AI Success Cases
- Gain insights into recent AI success stories across major industries, illustrating how AI has revolutionized business models and operations.
Identifying Transformative AI Use Cases
- Discover methods to identify innovative AI use cases that can disrupt markets and create competitive advantage. Learn how to facilitate AI ideation workshops with clients to foster innovation.
Assessing Business Value
- Understand how to define metrics and business KPIs to measure AI success and forecast its impact on business outcomes.
Prioritization of AI Use Cases
- Learn strategies to prioritize AI initiatives and select use cases for pilot projects based on strategic alignment and potential ROI.
Strategic Implementation
- Learn how to implement AI projects to drive business growth.
Presenting the AI Business Case
- Master the art of presenting AI business cases effectively to stakeholders, showcasing ROI projections, strategic alignment, and risk management strategies.
Ethical and Responsible AI
- Navigate ethical considerations for responsible AI use.
Future Trends in AI
- Explore upcoming AI trends and how they can be leveraged for business advantage.
Practical Workshops
- Develop actionable AI cases for your business and a blue print for your AI business strategy.
Lecturers
Prof. Dr. Florian Stahl
Prof. Florian Stahl is Academic Director of all Management Analytics and AI programs and initiatives at Mannheim Business School and Co-Director of Mannheim Center for Data Science. His research interests are primarily in empirical quantitative marketing, business economics and information systems research. Specifically, his research addresses business related questions of the digital economy and, in particular, of online social networks and social media. Before joining the University of Mannheim Faculty of Business Administration in 2013, Florian Stahl has held academic positions at Columbia Business School in New York, the University of St. Gallen (HSG), and University of Zurich.
Prof. Dr. Markus Strohmaier
Markus Strohmaier leads the Chair for Data-Science in the Economic and Social Sciences at University of Mannheim. He is the Scientific Coordinator for Digital Behavioral Data at GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences and an External Faculty Member at the Complexity Science Hub Vienna. From 2013-2017 he was a Professor for Web-Science at University of Koblenz-Landau and the founder and scientific director of the department for Computational Social Science at GESIS.
From 2017-2021 he held the Chair for Computational Social Science and Humanities at RWTH Aachen University. Before that he was a Post-Doc at the University of Toronto (Canada), an Assistant Professor at Graz University of Technology (Austria), a visiting scientist at (XEROX) Parc (USA), and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Stanford University (USA). He was Editor in Chief for EPJ Data-Science from 2018-2022 and a founding co-chair of the Computational Social Science section of the German Informatics Society.
Prof. Strohmaier is interested in applying and developing computational techniques to research challenges on the intersection between computer science and the economic and social sciences.
Prof. Dr. Eric Kearney
Eric Kearney has been Professor of Leadership, Organizational Behavior, and Human Resource Management at the University of Potsdam since 2014. He has taught at numerous German and international universities and business schools and regularly teaches leadership courses at Mannheim Business School. His research on leadership and teamwork has been published in leading scientific journals (e.g., Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Organizational Research Methods, Organization Science, Leadership Quarterly, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes). In his talks, keynotes, and workshops, he shows how scientific findings can be highly useful for organizations in their efforts to promote performance and satisfaction. Eric Kearney's research focuses on the leadership of individuals and teams. He is particularly interested in visionary and empowering leadership, as well as how we can leverage the potential of team diversity.
Registration and Course Fees
- Registrations are open until January 9, 2026, via an e-mail to ee@mannheim-business-school.com.
- The course fee will be announced soon.
- Alumni and participants at Mannheim Business School, their spouses and co-habiting partners, and alumni, staff and participants of the University of Mannheim are eligible for a discount. Special conditions for Executive MBA alumni taking part for the first time apply.
- Good to know: Tax offices usually recognize costs for your further education if they are job-related. Depending on your tax status in Germany, you may claim up to 50% of the tuition fee and related travel expenses on your annual tax return. Outside of Germany, please check details with a tax advisor in your country of residence. Please note: Each federal state in Germany has regulations on educational leave. Check here to see which regulations apply in your federal state and get in touch with us to discuss your individual situation.
If you have any questions about the course, our MBS Open Courses & Certificates Team will be happy to answer them.
Contact Person
Downloads
- Factsheet AI Business Impact and Leadership Transformation Week
MANNHEIM BUSINESS SCHOOL (MBS)
Located in the heart of the German and European economy, Mannheim Business School (MBS), the umbrella organization for management education at the University of Mannheim, is considered to be one of the leading institutions of its kind in Germany and is continuously ranked as Germany’s #1.
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