Great leaders in engineering and technology do more than manage projects. They inspire people, build high-performing teams, and create resilient organizations that thrive in complexity.
This graduate-level course equips learners with evidence-based, practice-proven tools for leading in technical environments. Drawing on insights from Biohacking Leadership, Strategic Doing, and other research, students learn how to:
- Strengthen their leadership impact by signaling warmth, competence, and gravitas.
- Build and sustain high-performing teams through cognitive diversity and leadership biodynamics.
- Design resilient organizations and ecosystems that can adapt and succeed in fast-changing environments.
Through interactive assignments including leadership impact videos, case studies, research briefs, and a final deep-dive paper, learners move beyond theory to apply what they learn in real-world contexts.
This course is available as part o a growing number of graduate programs at Purdue including the Doctor of Technology, MS in Engineering Technology, and MS in Artificial Intelligence. It is designed for those who want to become the kind of leaders capable of guiding technical teams and organizations to meaningful outcomes..
Textbooks and Other Learning Resources
The two main text for the class are Strategic Doing: Ten Skills for Agile Leadership (Wiley 2019) and Biohacking Leadership: Leveraging the Biology of Behavior to Maximize Your Impact (Wiley, 2025). Both books are available from most online retailers including Amazon here and here. You’ll also get previews of works-in-progress on team performance and organizational resilience. In addition to these texts you’ll also get practical case studies and research briefs to assist with your learning.
About Your Instructor
This course was developed by Scott Hutcheson, PhD who also serves as instructor. For over over 30 years, Scott is a biosocial scientist and senior lecturer of engineering and technology leadership. For decades, he has one foot planted inside the university and the other outside of it. His first teaching experience came right out of college when got a gig working with a group of adult learners at the Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee. He was asked to design and teach a course that would help these engineers better communicate and collaborate with one another. He then went on to be a trainer for American Airlines IT division to do similar work. He teaches in both Purdue Polytechnic Institute, College of Engineering, and the Daniels School of Business. His work outside the university included writing for Forbes, Fast Company, and many other publications. He is an in-demand speaker at conferences and corporate events. He also leads leadership development programs for a number of organizations including Fortune 100 companies and national research labs. Over the years, Scott has worked with over 4,000 leaders from 143 different countries.
