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Harvard Online
Harvard Online · delivered by SkillsPro360

Certificate in
Make Better Decisions

The psychology of blind spots for leaders and teams — a science-based approach to the hidden biases that shape decisions at work.
  • What you study: How cognitive biases and hidden bias distort first impressions and decisions, what the Implicit Association Test reveals, how bias shows up in workplace processes and AI tools, and evidence-based strategies to outsmart it.
  • Who it is for: Leaders, managers and team members in any organization who influence decisions and want to improve their quality and fairness.
  • Also included: Three months of Voca — AI-powered practice for interviews, presentations and CV review.
Course fee
USD 550
Single course enrollment
Duration
3 weeks
1–2 hrs/week
Certificate of Completion fromHarvard Online
Duration
3 weeks
Six topics
Effort
1–2 hrs/week
Self-paced within deadlines
Format
Cohort-based online
New cohorts start regularly
Prerequisites
None
No psychology background required
Credential
Harvard Online
Certificate of Completion
How you learn

Study with a global cohort.

Work through the Harvard Online course on your own schedule within weekly deadlines, alongside professionals from around the world, with three months of Voca practice to put what you learn into action.

A team making decisions together
What you receive

Earn a Certificate of Completion from Harvard Online.

Complete the course and Harvard Online issues your Certificate of Completion.

✓

Designed and taught by Harvard faculty

Curriculum developed and delivered by Professor Mahzarin Banaji of Harvard University, who co-developed the concept of hidden bias and co-authored Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People.

✓

A credential you can verify and share

Issued in your legal name as a Certified Electronic Credential you can add to your resume and LinkedIn profile.

✓

Voices from the workplace

Leaders from Procter & Gamble, PwC and Boston University share how they have tackled bias in their own organizations.

Sample Harvard Online Certificate of Completion
Sample certificate issued by Harvard Online. Certificate design subject to change by Harvard Online.
Course syllabus

What you study.

Six topics that use experimental psychology to reveal the hidden thoughts shaping your decisions, with leaders sharing how they outsmart bias at work.

Topics covered
  1. How the Mind Works: Cognitive Biases — the science behind cognitive biases, experienced through mind riddles, and ways to outsmart them for more accurate decisions. Voices: Max Bazerman (Harvard Business School); Shelly McNamara (Procter & Gamble)
  2. Hidden Bias: What Is It? How Does It Affect Our Judgments? — how first impressions can mislead, the role of stereotypes, and how bias can be reflected in the AI models and technologies we create. Voices: Shelly McNamara; Rob Lowe (Boston University)
  3. The Implicit Association Test — what the IAT is, how it works and what its data tell us about ourselves and society, with the option to take two tests
  4. Detecting Hidden Bias in the Workplace — how similarity shapes decisions, where bias enters workplace processes, and how it influences helping behavior. Voices: Deb Dagit, Janet Reid, Mike Fenlon (PwC), Maureen Howard (Procter & Gamble)
  5. How People and Teams Succeed at Outsmarting Bias — inattentional blindness, the decisions we trust AI to help make, the business case for diversity, and practical debiasing strategies for meetings and teams
  6. Can Bias Change? — evidence that bias is not permanent, twenty years of IAT data, and creating lasting change at individual, institutional and societal levels. Voices: Shelly McNamara, Rob Lowe, Rohini Anand
Learning outcomes

Understand bias through science

  • Achieve an understanding of bias through scientific evidence in experimental psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics and sociology

Apply strategies to reduce bias in practice

  • Recognize the influence of hidden bias in the workplace, including in the use of AI tools
  • Identify the situations in which bias arises in daily work-related processes

Create a culture of better decision-making

  • Grasp how hidden bias leads to inaccurate conclusions and decisions that work against your personal and professional goals
Format: self-paced within cohort deadlinesAssessment: six topics with quizzes

Syllabus topics are set by Harvard Online and may be revised between cohorts.

Who it is for

Built for anyone whose decisions affect others.

This course is designed for individuals and teams in any organization who want to make decisions that are more accurate and fair.

An introductory course; no psychology background required. Taught in English; participants should be 18 or over.

At work

Take hidden bias out of the decisions your team makes.

Hiring, promotion, pricing and investment choices all carry blind spots. This course shows you where they come from and what reliably reduces them.

Who teaches you

Learn from Harvard faculty.

Your coursework is designed and delivered by Professor Mahzarin Banaji, with industry experts including Shelly McNamara of Procter & Gamble, Robert Lowe of Boston University and Mike Fenlon, formerly of PwC.

Mahzarin Banaji

Mahzarin Banaji

Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics, Department of Psychology, Harvard University

An experimental psychologist who co-developed the concept of hidden bias nearly three decades ago and co-authored the best-selling Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People. A Guggenheim Fellow and member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Executive Program in Innovation Leadership

Three Harvard Online modules on innovation strategy, open innovation and adaptive leadership — with live sessions, app access and Voca practice.

★
A related Executive Program
If you lead people and change, this course sits well alongside our Executive Program in Innovation Leadership — three Harvard Online modules that add 36 hours of live sessions with industry experts, twelve months of app access and Voca practice, earning a Certificate of Specialization from Harvard Online.
Three Harvard Online modules
Innovation strategy, open innovation, adaptive leadership
36 hours of live sessions
Fortnightly, with industry experts
App access and Voca practice
Included throughout
View the Executive Program
Course fee

What is included.

One fee covering the full Harvard Online course, your Certificate of Completion, and three months of Voca practice access.

USD550
per participant · complete course
  • The complete Harvard Online course, all six topics
  • Certificate of Completion from Harvard Online
  • A Certified Electronic Credential for LinkedIn
  • Three months of Voca — AI-powered practice for interviews, presentations and CV review
  • Cohort-based study with a global peer group
  • Advisor support from enrollment to completion
Reserve your seat

Enrolling a team?

Organizations are invoiced directly, and multi-seat rates apply from ten participants.
Fees are quoted in US dollars and paid by international card or bank transfer; your bank applies its own conversion rate. We can also provide a scope document for employer-funded participants.
Request a proposal
Enrollment

From inquiry to first day.

Four steps, usually completed within a week.

Step one

Book a call

A twenty-minute conversation with an advisor to check the course fits your role and goals. No obligation.

Step two

Choose your cohort

We confirm the upcoming start dates that suit your schedule.

Step three

Reserve your seat

Confirm your place, then complete payment by international card or bank transfer.

Step four

Begin

We enroll you directly with Harvard Online. Your access details arrive by email before your start date.

Common questions

Everything you might be wondering.

Do I need a background in psychology?

No. This is an introductory course designed for professionals from any background.

What will I study in Make Better Decisions?

Six topics: how the mind works and cognitive biases; what hidden bias is and how it affects judgments; the Implicit Association Test; detecting hidden bias in the workplace; how people and teams succeed at outsmarting bias; and whether bias can change.

How much time will it take?

The course runs three weeks at roughly one to two hours a week, completed on your own schedule within weekly deadlines.

What does it cost?

USD 550 for the complete course, covering the full Harvard Online course, your Certificate of Completion and three months of Voca practice access.

Do I have to take the Implicit Association Test?

No. Taking the two Implicit Association Tests in topic three is optional, and you can reflect on the science without sharing any personal results.

What is Voca, and how do I use it?

Voca is SkillsPro360's AI-powered practice tool. You can rehearse a presentation, run a mock interview, or have your CV reviewed — privately, on demand, as many times as you like. Three months of access are included with this course.

Who awards the certificate?

Harvard Online. On successful completion you receive a Certificate of Completion issued directly by Harvard Online. SkillsPro360 is an authorized delivery partner — we are not Harvard University.

How is the course assessed?

You complete all six topics and their quizzes by the stated deadlines, answer reflective questions and take part in discussions. Grading is complete or incomplete, with no letter grades.

Make better decisions. Prove it with Harvard Online.

Reserve your seat in the next cohort, or book a call to check the course fits your role.

Reserve your seat