Executive Certificate in Governance and Innovation in the Age of Intangibles
A professional qualification that prepares current and future public policy, private sector, industry, and not-for-profit leaders to operate and lead in the digital world.
Commitment
5 hours a week for 5 weeks
Start Date
May 5, 2025
Registration Deadline
April 27, 2025
Cost
CAD $2,750
Cost includes a non-refundable $25 registration fee
Executive Certificate in Governance and Innovation in the Age of Intangibles
What you will learn
The Age of Intangibles signifies a profound shift in economic and societal paradigms, where value creation increasingly hinges on non-physical assets such as data, algorithms, intellectual property, and digital platforms. This transformation reshapes traditional governance models, economic activities and frameworks, financial investments, and legal norms, influencing innovation priorities, strategic leadership, productivity dynamics, resource distribution, and wealth generation.
This era presents distinct challenges, including safeguarding data privacy, protecting intellectual property rights, addressing digital inequality, and fostering global collaboration. Simultaneously, it offers opportunities to drive societal progress through innovation and efficient governance. To navigate these complexities, this executive program equips current and future leaders alike with the critical knowledge and practical skills required to lead digital transformation and effectively manage risks and opportunities in the Age of Intangibles.
Objectives
- Inspiring Transformational Leadership: Equip professionals with the tools and insights needed to lead digital transformation across public, private, and non-profit sectors.
- Harnessing Evidence-Based Insights: Provide a comprehensive understanding of emerging technologies and their societal, economic, and environmental impacts based on rigorous research and real-world examples.
- Advancing Leadership Excellence: Prepare participants to exhibit adaptability and resilience in addressing complex societal challenges and rapid technological advancements.
- Fostering Ethical Governance: Examine governance frameworks and scenarios to tackle ethical, legal, and policy issues unique to the Age of Intangibles, ensuring technological innovations align with democratic values, the rule of law, and human rights.
- Optimising Strategic Resource Allocation: Foster strategic planning to efficiently use and develop intangible assets to enhance productivity, manage wealth, and ensure equitable resource distribution.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand foundations and principles of digital governance: Learn about core characteristics, functions, and mechanisms at the intersection of governance and technology through which intangibles create value, and stabilize and reshape political systems.
- Evaluate the influence of intangible assets: Analyze the role, value and impact of data, intellectual property, and digital platforms on market productivity, business practices and competitive advantage.
- Examine how intangible assets generate value and prosperity: Analyze opportunities as well as challenges that intangible assets pose to maintaining private protection, public safety, and political stability in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
- Assess the role of public and private institutions: Learn about advancing the digital economy, national security and global stability while ensuring data privacy, intellectual property protection, and equitable digital access.
Who benefits from this program?
This executive program is designed for all levels of professionals driving digital transformation, policy-making, and governance initiatives. The course is particularly valuable for civil servants, lawmakers, civil society leaders, scholars, and graduate students committed to shaping digital governance strategies and policies. The thoughtfully crafted modules provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the unique complexities and interconnections that define the Age of Intangibles.
Considering this certificate program?
Course overview
This Executive Certificate consists of five different modules. Two modules are completed by all participants. The final three modules fall under one of two pathways: Digital Transformation or Digital Public Policy. The pathways are designed to deepen expertise in key aspects of governance and technology.
Shared Modules
Productivity and Prosperity in the Age of Intangibles
Overview: This module explores the approach to productivity and prosperity, as businesses shift from tangible assets to intangibles, such as data, intellectual property, and digital platforms.
Participant takeaway: Participants will understand the fundamental drivers behind the rise of intangible assets, how to leverage them strategically, and the challenges they pose for measurement, management, and policy.
Topics of Discussion:
- Defining productivity and prosperity in the intangibles era
- Measuring and Managing Intangible Assets in the Digital Age
- Policy Implications of an Intangible-Driven Businesses
- Impacts of Intangibles on Inequality and Wealth Distribution
- Case Studies: Successful Companies Leveraging Intangible Assets
Leadership in Digital Governance
Overview: This module provides frameworks for resilient and adaptive leadership in digital governance and how to foster ethical, accountable, and transparent decision-making in the Age of Intangibles.
Participant takeaway: Participants will gain leadership skills to navigate the challenges and complexities of digital transformation in the public and private sectors. They will learn to build teams, develop effective digital strategies, and harness the culture of innovation.
Topics of Discussion:
- Essential skills of leaders in the digital era
- Crisis management in digital governance (resilient leadership)
- Fostering resilient and innovative leadership in the digital age
- Building capacity for strategic digital communication
- Case Studies: Digital Transformation Initiatives by Visionary Leaders
Pathway 1: Digital Transformation
Pathway 1:
Digital Transformation
Building Digital Foundations
Overview: This module offers a comprehensive understanding of the foundational elements of emerging technologies that drive digital transformation in organizations. We will identify the tools and skills to build secure, efficient, and scalable digital systems while addressing critical governance considerations in the digital age.
Participant takeaway: Participants will explore the foundational elements of digital systems and the role of digital infrastructure in driving innovation and enabling organizational growth.
Topics of Discussion:
- Principles of digital infrastructure design and implementation
- Data management strategies for a secure and efficient digital ecosystem
- Governance and ethical frameworks for digital foundations
- Privacy, security, and compliance: Navigating global standards and regulations
- Building scalable and adaptable systems to future-proof digital transformation efforts
Digital Risk Management and Cybersecurity
Overview: This module addresses the essentials of digital risk management, focusing on cybersecurity and its role in public security.
Participant takeaway: Participants will learn how to identify, assess, and mitigate digital risks and align them with cybersecurity governance priorities.
Topics of Discussion:
- Frameworks for assessing digital risks in public and private sectors
- Digital risk management and cybersecurity: Best practices and incident response
- Satellites and Cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities in digital systems
- Cyber risk management frameworks: Incident response and recovery
- Role of AI and emerging technologies in cybersecurity
Digital Auditing and Accountability
Overview: The module covers the principles of digital auditing and assurance frameworks for ensuring transparency in developing and deploying emerging digital technologies, particularly intangible assets.
Participant takeaway: Participants will learn what digital auditing is and means, gain skills to implement digital auditing processes, and uphold accountable assurance in tech-driven projects.
Topics of Discussion:
- Examining digital auditing and assurance systems to detect biases and ensure accuracy and accountability
- Design and implement tools and frameworks for digital auditing of intangibles
- Accountability in using AI and automated decision-making in public
- Auditing and assurance in managing intangibles: Design and implement regulatory compliance and reporting standards for intangibles
Pathway 2: Digital Public Policy
Pathway 2:
Digital Public Policy
Digital Governance: Frameworks and Principles
Overview: This module examines frameworks and principles that lay the foundation for an effective governance of technology. The aim is to build a digital public infrastructure that supports transformation of the public and private sector as they adapt to the rapid advancements in digital technologies.
Participant takeaway: Participants will understand the key principles and frameworks that guide digital governance. They will also gain insights into designing, maintaining, and scaling digital governance infrastructure that maintains a meaningful relations between innovation, regulations compliance and societal values.
Topics of Discussion:
- Core principles of digital governance: transparency, accountability, and inclusivity
- Designing technology governance frameworks: navigating legal and ethical framework and human rights in the age of transformative technology
- Public-private partnerships in building governance frameworks: stakeholders, capitals, and capacity building
- Strengthening democratic digital governance infrastructure: a right-based and rule-based approach
Digital Policy Management
Overview: The module discusses the development, implementation, and evaluation of digital policies to govern the responsible development and use of technology in public and private sectors. It will explore how digital policies can shape innovation, protect rights, and address challenges such as data privacy, national/international security, and digital equity. The module offers the skills needed to craft and manage policies that technological advancements are aligned with ethical, social, and regulatory considerations.
Participant takeaway: Participants will understand the foundational component and processes of digital policy management. They will also learn how to plan and implement policies that promote innovation while developing strategies to evaluate policy impact and adapt to evolving technological landscapes.
Topics of Discussion:
- Foundations of digital policy: principles, processes, and best practices
- Policy frameworks for effective management of challenges, such as data privacy, public security, and digital equity
- Identifying management methods for evaluating and iterating digital policies to remain effective and relevant as technology evolves
- Active engagement of divers stakeholder in policy development by fostering collaboration and consensus
- Identifying successful digital policy management initiatives and lessons learned from existing examples and scenarios
Enhancing Organizational Efficiency
Overview: This module leverages digital tools, capacity, and strategies to enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness. It will explore how technology can streamline processes, optimize resource allocation, and improve decision-making. It fosters a culture of innovation and adaptability to meet the demands of a fast-evolving digital landscape.
Participant takeaway: Participants will understand key strategies for leveraging digital technologies to enhance operational efficiency. They will gain insights into using data and analytics for informed decision-making and resource optimization to effectively identify and resolve inefficiencies within organizational processes.
Topics of Discussion:
- Understanding the digital economy
- Regulating digitalized economy: currencies, blockchain governance, intangible assets, investments, taxation
- E-economy Policies for the future job market, employment, and skills in demand
- Digital trade and cross-border data flow regulations
Course Delivery
The course is delivered virtually through the BEI-net. Each module of the program includes:
- A total of 5 online learning hours over the course of the week, including pre-recorded sessions (3 hours) and a live case study exercise facilitated by the module leader (2 hours)
- Office hours for module instructor support
- Access to supporting material, recommended readings and interactive learning
Course Assessment
Each module includes a live case study discussion via Zoom scheduled for each Friday, 11am-1pm or 1:30-3:30pm ET. This online case study exercise brings participants together to practice critical analysis and problem solving, while also giving them the opportunity to network and discuss ideas with like-minded peers.
During this session, participants will be divided into groups to discuss the selected case study further, enriching their project-based learning experience. They will be assessed based on a one-page submission responding to a task that applies module learning objectives to the case study context, which will be due shortly after the module ends.