HarvardX: PH211x Improving Your Business Through a Culture of Health

Overview

While the United States is one of the world’s wealthiest nations, it is far from the healthiest. Our nation’s burden of disease affects businesses every day, from sick employees and families reducing productivity and increasing costs, to product recalls and failures, to environmental scandals such as toxic chemical emissions harming communities and reputations.

This HarvardX course, presented by leading faculty from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Business School, will provide businesses with strategies, tactics, and tools to gain a competitive advantage by implementing a Culture of Health to address these issues and stay ahead. Embracing a Culture of Health can improve your employees’ well-being as well as the health of your consumers, your communities, and the environment. A Culture of Health can help you to reduce costs, increase revenues and profits, and enhance your company’s reputation. 

For example, employees who work in a healthy and safe environment spend less time away from work for health reasons, decreasing interruptions, while increasing output and employee retention. When employees and customers spend less on health care, they have more disposable income to spend on non–health care needs, boosting the economy, and benefiting your business.

Strengthening your business using the Culture of Health approach will enhance the greater good by promoting well-being—benefitting society, your business and employees, your customers and communities, and you.

What You'll Learn

Syllabus

Section 1: Introduction to the Culture of Health
Why should business care about good health? See how your business connects to health and well-being, and learn the Four Pillars framework.

Lead Faculty:
Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Member of Faculty, Harvard Kennedy School 
Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School

Guest Faculty: John Quelch, Dean of the School of Business Administration and Vice Provost for Executive Education, University of Miami

Guest Speaker: Mike Critelli, Retired Chief Executive Officer, Pitney Bowes

Case Study: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

Section 2: Pillar 1: Your Consumers’ Health
Why the health and well-being of your consumers and customers matter to the health and well-being of your business.

Lead Faculty:
John McDonough, Professor of Public Health Practice and Director of the Center for Executive and Continuing Professional Education, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Jose Alvarez, Senior Lecturer of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Guest Speaker: Troyen Brennan, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Health

Case Study: H-E-B Creating a Movement to Reduce Obesity in Texas

Section 3: Pillar 2: Your Employees’ Health
Why the health, safety, and well-being of your employees is about a lot more than just dollars and cents.

Lead Faculty:
Glorian Sorensen, Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 
Robert Huckman, Albert J. Weatherhead III Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Guest Speakers:
Mike Critelli, Retired Chief Executive Officer, Pitney Bowes 
Dave Lagerstrom, President and Chief Executive Officer, TURCK Inc. 
Nico Pronk, President, HealthPartners Institute; Chief Science Officer, HealthPartners, Inc. 
Paul Terry, President and Chief Executive Officer, Health Enhancement Research Organization

Section 4: Pillar 3: Your Community’s Health
Why caring about the well-being of your host communities is vital for your business success.

Lead Faculty:
Kasisomayajula Viswanath, Professor of Health Communication, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 
Raffaella Sadun, Thomas S. Murphy Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Guest Speakers:
David Barash, Executive Director, Global Health Portfolio; Chief Medical Officer, GE Foundation 
Lauren Smith, co-CEO, FSG 
Jonathan Isaacson, President and Chief Operating Officer, Gemline, Inc. 
Dan Rivera, Mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts

Case Study: Business and Community Partnerships for Health in Lawrence, Massachusetts

Section 5: Pillar 4: Our Environment
How addressing your environmental footprint can make or break your business.

Lead Faculty:
Gina McCarthy, Professor of the Practice of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 
Cass Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard Law School; Member of Faculty, Harvard Kennedy School

Section 6: YOU
Does any of this involve Y-O-U? As a colleague, a spouse, a parent, a neighbor, and a leader? Y-E-S!

Lead Faculty:
Elizabeth Frates, Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School

Guest Speakers:
John Ratey, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School 
Walter Willett, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Case Study: David Storto, Chief Executive Officer, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

Section 7: Measuring Your Success
How can your business measure your results in leading for better health and well-being?

Lead Faculty:
Eileen McNeely, Instructor of Exposure, Epidemiology and Risk Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 
George Serafeim, Jakurski Family Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Guest Faculty: Tyler VanderWeele, Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Case Study: Flourishing Index

Section 8: Leading for Change
Tools and examples of leading for improvement and change in your business.

Lead Faculty:
Rakesh Khurana, Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development, Harvard Business School; Professor of Sociology, Harvard University; Danoff Dean, Harvard College 
Sara Singer, Professor of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Professor of Organizational Behavior (by courtesy), Stanford Graduate School of Business

Guest Speaker: Drew Faust, President, Harvard University

Case Study: PepsiCo

Section 9: Making It Happen
Practical ways to get started and to sustain progress in your business. 

Lead Faculty:
Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Member of Faculty, Harvard Kennedy School 
Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School

Guest Faculty: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor of Business, Harvard Business School

Guest Speakers:
Byron Austin, Director, Social Impact and Responsibility North America at Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd.
Martin Lemos, Deputy Director at National Young Farmers Coalition
Mark Tulay, Director, Strategic Investor Initiative, CECP

Grading and Credential

Each section is worth 11% of your grade. There are nine sections total. The assessment in the Introductory Section is worth 1%.  

Passing Grade:
A passing grade is 70% in this course. You can find your current score on the progress page. Your score is based on the assessments in each section.

Verified Certificate:
Verified tracked learners who earn a passing grade (70% or higher) will be eligible to receive a credential.

Disclaimer

Any mention of a business, product, or service does not represent endorsement. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.

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