Executives who sign up to learn how to lead fast-growth companies at IBM's Advanced Business Institute this winter also will get lessons in crisis management.

The two sets of skills aren't that far apart, says Beta Mannix, a professor of organizational behavior at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management, who will teach a component of the course to 30 executives from a range of organizations. "Leading Fast-Growth Companies" is the first one-week intensive at the institute to offer such skills to the general public. It is taught by faculty from Cornell's Johnson School and the IBM institute and will take place Dec. 10-14 in IBM's executive conference center in Palisades, N.Y. The focus: organizational agility in times of stress.

Mannix says the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 as well as the economic downturn have made her reconsider what she'll emphasize. "In both fast-growth and crisis environments, people need to influence, persuade and change without necessarily having the authority to do it, so established networks of colleagues can be especially valuable," she said "When it's 2 a.m. and the river's rising, its awfully hard to call someone for help unless you've already built a relationship, to borrow a phrase from [former Red Cross director] Liddy Dole," said Mannix.

Also, in both fast-growth and crisis environments "people suddenly need to take on a range of jobs. When their attention is more divided they are unable to process information well, so important messages may need to be repeated," Mannix counseled. In addition, people performing new roles "may need more reassurance than usual," she said.

Bob Keiser, a faculty member at IBM's Advanced Business Institute, said that the institute's "sense-and-respond" model for dealing with unpredictability is great training for both crisis and fast-growth management. Executives are asked to describe an unpredictable scenario that would have a profound impact on their company's health and performance. "We then teach them how to sense changes and respond to the unpredictable event earlier and better," said Keiser. Those skills will be taught at the December seminar. The course also will look at customer relations, marketing and innovation strategies, and valuation for fast-growth companies. Participants will create individual action plans and apply the seminar's lessons to a current decision in their organization.

For information contact Mike Hostetler, 607-255-6548, or visit this web site: http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/execed.html .