Orientation Guide: Power and Influence for Positive Impact

Welcome to Power and Influence for Positive Impact!

Our team is delighted to welcome you to the cohort and looks forward to getting started soon! Read on or utilize the navigation buttons to view key program dates, learn details about earning the certificate, and review technology requirements and support channels to ensure your success in the program.

Accessing Your Course

You will receive an email from the HBS Online team on Wednesday, June 10 between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time with a unique link to access the course. In the week prior to the start of the program, you can expect a couple of emails from the HBS Online Engagement team with tips for getting started and planning for a successful course experience.

In Power and Influence for Positive Impact, you complete the coursework on your own time while meeting the required deadline. There is no set time to log in. All course material is delivered through our innovative online platform; there are no additional materials required. Learn more about what you can expect to see when you log in to the online platform where learning is active, social, and case-based.

Program Overview

Power and Influence for Positive Impact, taught by Professor Julie Battilana, consists of approximately 35 to 40 hours of material delivered over a period of six weeks. Within the program, you will gain a thorough understanding of how power really works and develop your own power to gain influence and make an impact—within your professional relationships, organizations, and society at large.

View Calendar

View Syllabus (PDF)

Modules: Things to Know

The course is broken down into 6 modules, all of which must be completed by 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. It is your responsibility to convert this deadline to your local time zone as needed. We recommend spending approximately 6-7 hours per module, each of which opens upon completion of the previous module.

Module 3 includes an Influence Style Exercise. To complete this exercise, you will utilize an external link, complete the survey and receive your results, and then return to the platform. There, you will be guided through a series of activities that will help you analyze your results and create an action plan for developing your influence approach. In the event that you are unable to complete the survey via the external link, you can complete an alternative set of preparatory questions designed to help you prepare for the activities that follow.

HBS Online has a process by which you may request an exception to our course policies due to extreme circumstances and life emergencies. Please see more details in our Do I qualify for an exception to your policies? section on our Support Portal.

Disability Accommodations Information

Harvard Business School Online welcomes participants of all backgrounds and abilities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), a person is considered to have a disability if that individual (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (2) has a record of having such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.

If you are looking to apply for disability accommodations for your course, please first review our Requesting a Disability Accommodations article. Active communication is essential to our accommodations process. Late notification may result in a delay or inability to fulfill a request as, generally, retroactive requests will not be approved.

Should you have questions, please contact the Accommodations Team as soon as possible and they will be happy to assist you.

Earning your Certificate

To earn the certificate, you must meet all of the following requirements, which are outlined in further detail in the Power and Influence for Positive Impact Certificate of Completion Requirements:

Timely & thoughtful completion of all coursework by the required deadline

All work in each module and all assignments must be completed by the required deadline as indicated on the course calendar.
Though we do not expect that participants will always be able to provide a correct response to every question, you are expected to answer in your own words and to the best of your ability, which is an essential component of the HBS Online learning process. Skipping questions by providing insufficient responses such as Yes, Okay, or other one-word responses is considered incomplete participation. Citations are expected to be applied to your responses whenever you include outside information that is not from your personal knowledge, such as a website or Generative AI. This includes facts, statistics, definitions, and company information such as descriptions, earnings, and accounts. Please review the HBS Citation Guide for assistance with citing your sources. Improper citations or unauthorized use of Generative AI are considered a violation of the HBS Online Honor Code and are strictly prohibited. For more information regarding responses, properly cited sources, and acceptable Generative AI use, please consult the Academic Honesty Guidelines page.

Active Engagement and Contributions

We expect you to engage with your peers to uphold the social components of the course. Comment on other participants' postings throughout Power and Influence for Positive Impact and engage with your peers' posts throughout. To foster a supportive online learning environment, you must uphold the HBS Online Community Values throughout Power and Influence for Positive Impact.

Certificate Eligibility

Certificate eligibility is determined within 30 days of the final course deadline. Certificates are available in digital and printed formats. Please visit our Certificate Guidelines page for a detailed overview of the certificate process, and our Certificates, Credentials, & Credits page to see what your certificate will look like.

For courses starting after January 1, 2026, HBS Online will provide learners with a free digital Certificate of Completion only. Learners who prefer a printed certificate will have the option to purchase one with tracked shipping via UPS through our certificate vendor, the Michael Sutter Company (MSC).

Participants who complete a credential program—including the Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy, Credential of Leadership Impact and Management in Business (CLIMB), and Credential of Readiness (CORe)—will receive a free digital credential and free printed credential shipped via first-class United States Postal Service (USPS). Those pursuing a Learning Track will also get a free digital and free printed Certificate of Specialization, but digital-only versions of each Certificate of Completion they earn. CLIMB and Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy participants also receive digital-only versions for each Certificate of Completion they earn during their programs. Your free printed certificate may take eight weeks or more to arrive, and no tracking information is available.

To note: If you started your course before January 1, 2026, you’ll still receive a free digital and free printed copy of your Certificate of Completion. For those enrolled in CLIMB, if you begin an elective before January 1, 2026, you'll receive both versions of your Certificate of Completion. If you begin it after, you will receive digital-only versions of each Certificate of Completion you earn.

Technology and Support

Supported Devices

Courses on our course platform are designed to work on an internet-connected desktop, notebook computer, or mobile device. We highly recommend a reliable internet connection for the rich media content on the platform.

Supported Browsers

Be sure to access the course using an updated version of your web browser. Please note that a broadband internet connection is highly recommended to access the rich media in the program.

Withdrawals and Refunds

You may request a withdrawal with refund up to 24 hours after the start of the program, or an enrollment deferral at any time before your program starts, and up to one week after the start of your program. For further information, please view our program policies.

View Program Policies

A Note About Faculty and Guest Experts

Our courses have been developed by some of the most renowned HBS faculty and guest business experts. While you will not have direct, real-time interactions with faculty and experts, you will hear from them throughout the course via short videos that explain key concepts and guide you through cases, exercises, and other interactive learning elements. As much as we expect you to learn from faculty and experts through this highly engaging learning environment, we expect you to learn as much (if not more) from your own thoughtful participation and from your peers. Additionally, please note that all HBS Online faculty and experts featured in our courses are not available to communicate with learners directly or participate in learner-organized events. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to beginning your program!

Take Your Learning a Step Further

Learning Tracks enable you to immerse yourself in a particular subject area and develop deeper insights and expertise to take your career to the next level. Those who successfully complete three courses from their selected Learning Track within 18 months will earn a Certificate of Specialization.

Participants who successfully earn a Certificate of Completion in Power and Influence for Positive Impact may put this coursework toward earning the following comprehensive certificates:

Certificate of Specialization in Leadership & Management
Certificate of Specialization in Business in Society

If your first course in a learning track with us is Power and Influence for Positive Impact, that means your timer to complete the Learning Track (18 months) will begin for both tracks at the same time. Are you interested in this immersive offering? Visit our FAQ page to learn more about Learning Tracks.

Are you interested in this immersive offering? Visit our FAQ page to learn more about Learning Tracks.

Still can't find what you're looking for? Please refer to the HBS Online FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), or visit the HBS Online Support Portal for any questions, comments, or concerns about your Harvard Business School Online experience.

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Power and Influence for Positive Impact