Cynthia Ingols

Education

• Ed.D. Harvard University
• M.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison
• B.A. University of Georgia

Cynthia Ingols is an experienced professor, consultant and researcher, who specializes in the ways individuals lead and organizations change and negotiate with their environments. At the Simmons School of Business, she teaches in both the MBA and Executive Education programs. In the MBA program, she teaches Leading Organizational Change and Career Strategies. Ingols is the faculty director of Strategic Leadership for Women, an executive education program that strengths the leadership skills, attitudes and motivations of its participants. Earlier in her career, she taught Management Communication at the Harvard Business School and qualitative research methodology courses at other institutions.

For three decades Ingols has worked as an organization consultant. She focuses her consulting work in three areas: developing interactive executive education programs, particularly using cases and simulations; coaching managers and executives to enhance their leadership potential and careers; and conducting diagnostic work to promote change in organizations. Past clients include: The Leadership Center of the Boeing Corporation, the US Department of Defense, Harvard University, and Verizon. Recently, Ingols worked with 25 middle managers at Harvard University in a five-part practicum on how to successfully lead organizational change across the university.

Ingols' research and publications follow similar lines. Her research on executive education programs has been published in leading journals, such as Harvard Business Review, Organizational Dynamics, and Training. Her research work on creating innovative organizational structures was published in the Design Management Journal. She has published about careers in such journals as the Journal of Career Development and co-authored two books on career management. They include, Take Charge of Your Career (2005), and A Smart, Easy Guide to Interviewing (2003).

Research/Creative Activities

Creating Case Studies of Women in Business

School of Business Professor of Practice Cynthia Ingols was guest editor for a special issue of Case Research Journal. The issue, focused on women’s leadership, is part of an effort to provide teaching cases focused on women leaders. The Harvard Business School, the major producer of business school teaching cases with approximately 500 generated per year, produced about 10% of their cases with female protagonists in 2010-2014. The Dean of Harvard Business School set a goal to have 20% of their cases feature women protagonists by 2020.