2027 Emerson University

The 2027 theme

Managing the Jump — Running today’s business while building the next one.

Every major industry shift asks leaders to do two things at once: keep the current business performing while building the one that comes next. Agentic commerce, automated supply chains, and new demand channels are putting that choice in front of retailers and brands at the same time. Now in our eighth year, with more than 800 executives educated across the industry, the 2027 series focuses on “Managing the Jump” to help leaders decide when to move, what to build, buy, or partner for, and how to lead their organizations through the transition.

8thYear of the series

800+Executives educated

3Programs in 2027

1.5Days each

Program Offering

The Emerson Group will host three programs in 2027, each lasting 1.5 days. Each goes deep on one theme, and all three are connected by the same leadership problem: managing the jump.

February 17 & 18, 2027Leadership

Leading Through the Transition

Governance and people. Decision rights, new roles, workflow redesign, and leading teams of people and agents.

What do people need from their leaders when AI reshapes how work gets done? Covers authentic leadership, people-centered transformation, and leading the AI-shaped workforce — building the new beside the old, why agents replace workflows rather than tasks, and what AI literacy now means for line managers.

Take-homeDecision rights and operating cadence for human–agent teams · a people plan for the roles that change.

March 31 & April 1, 2027Agentic Commerce

Winning the Agentic Consumer

Data and consumer agents. The machine-readable brand, how agents choose, and who stays in the transaction.

What does it mean when an agent shows up as your customer? Starts with the S-curve — why agentic commerce is a new curve, not a better version of the old one — then covers how agents choose, the data foundation that makes a brand legible to AI, and the protocol contest across UCP, ACP, and the payment rails that decides who stays in the transaction.

Take-homeKeep-doing and stop-doing lists · the agentic commerce protocol stack · a 12-month data action agenda.

October 12 & 13, 2027Supply Chain 2030

Supply Chain 2030

Own or orchestrate. Autonomy from long haul to the last 100 feet, dense node networks, and automation at scale.

As physical supply gets automated, which layers do you own and which do you rent? Built on a five-pillar operating frame and two anchor cases — Amazon’s closed demand-supply-data loop and Walmart’s captive-plus-external hybrid. Covers autonomy from long haul to the last 100 feet, the shift from large regional DCs to a dense network of smaller nodes, and automation at scale.

Take-homeFive-pillar operating frame · own-vs-orchestrate spectrum · a one-page 2030 supply chain point of view.

Managing the Jump

The thread through every program: keep today’s business performing while building the next one — when to move, what to build, buy, or partner for, and how to lead the organization through the transition.

Save the dates. Seats are limited and typically fill early.

Participants will engage in:

Expert-led dialogue with HBS faculty and industry leaders from Apple, Google, OpenAI, and more.
Scenario planning to pressure-test strategy against where audiences and interfaces are moving next.
Leadership development focused on redesigning human–agent workflows.
Peer exchange with executives facing similar inflection points.

Participants will leave equipped to:

Build and lead AI-first, agentic enterprises.
Activate advanced data, content, and automation strategies.
Navigate the shift to agentic commerce.
Decide when to jump and what to build, buy, or partner for.

Strategic InsightIndustry TransformationActionable Impact

Participant Guidance

Recommended participation

Most companies send 2–4 leaders per session to balance diversity of thought with internal alignment.

Cross-functional relevance

The curriculum spans executive, commercial, and technical roles — strategy, merchandising, marketing, e-commerce/digital, data, and operations.

Experience range

Sessions convene senior leaders who shape strategy and capital and talent decisions alongside emerging and rising executives — a multi-level exchange by design.