Are you prepared for your strategic challenges?

61% of executives feel unprepared for the strategic challenges they face. In the Goff Lab, we equip leaders to tackle complex problems, embrace ambiguity, and challenge the status quo through our innovative leadership development programs.

Recently, we facilitated a workshop on strategic mindset for 80 of CHG Healthcare’s most senior leaders for their Leadership Summit. Executive Vice President Jeff Freeman shared, "I loved the strategic mindset session! Thank you, Ruchi and Todd. I look forward to our continued partnership." Beth Wilkins, Vice President of Culture and Engagement, added, "Thank you for delivering such an engaging and helpful session! I've heard so many positive things about it. Our senior leadership team is eager to integrate what we learned into our strategic planning process."

Our Goff Lab sessions empower attendees to:

+ More confidently identify strategic problems to solve within their teams

+ Propose and produce impactful experiments to further their firm's mission

+ Cultivate a strategic mindset in all they do

Join us in the Goff Lab to upgrade your strategy and drive meaningful change in your organization. Get involved and see the difference our programs can make for you and your teams.

Goff's work is driven by groundbreaking research that is reshaping the field of strategy. Here are a few highlights of the remarkable contributions from our Goff-affiliated faculty: 

Presidential Professors of Strategic Management, Jay Barney and Todd Zenger (also Goff Academic Director), are hosting the third ever Strategy Summit. Previous summits, held in 1977 and 1990, significantly influenced how researchers and practitioners think about and discuss strategy - leading to landmark advances in the field. Goff is proud to sponsor this impactful event, which brings together world-class researchers from around the world. View the Summit’s livestream here.

Recently published in the Journal of Management, Todd Zenger’s article, “A Scientific Method for Startups,” compares the lean startup and theory-based view to accelerate startups. Read the article here to understand how to utilize both theories to guide experiments and drive innovation and success.

Jay Barney was awarded the University of Utah’s top academic honor, the 2024 Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence, recognizing his years of influential research and teaching.

In an era where everyone is talking about AI, Goff students are doing more, by driving real insights and change. We are thrilled to have our Goff students take on an AI-focused project for the Korn Ferry Institute (KFI), Korn Ferry's innovation center and research arm. The Korn Ferry Institute tasked Goff students with examining how generative AI might influence the consulting industry and Korn Ferry’s operations. The class of 28 undergraduate students conducted extensive research, identifying key impacts of AI and recommending strategic changes, including transitioning to an outcome-based business model and investing in carbon offsets to mitigate environmental impacts. After a month-long project, the Goff students presented their research and analysis to the President of the Korn Ferry Institute and KFI's Vice President of Assessment Science, as well as members of Korn Ferry’s leadership team, including the Head of AI Strategy & Transformation, the Chief Information Officer, and a Global Leader of the firm's Diversity Equity & Inclusion Consulting Practice.

“The [Goff students] provided valuable market and competitor research, demonstrated a deep understanding of our organization, and made recommendations that spanned our range of services and aligned with our core values. Every engagement with the Goff program has exceeded expectations in both administration fluidity and work caliber.” - KFI Team

Since 2020, demand for our programs has skyrocketed, increasing over 700%. We now offer opportunities for all U of U undergraduates to gain real world experiences that they can’t get anywhere else. This growth is funded by the generous support of our donors. As we strive to expand and open doors for leaders at all levels, your financial support is more critical than ever. Support our growth today!

Give to Goff

Donor Shoutout! Special thanks to For the Win 360 for supporting students this summer in accessing their first professional internships. We also extend our gratitude to recent graduate Carter McDaniels for helping his younger peers gain the same transformative experiences he had with Goff.

We are deeply grateful to our donors who make our students’ success possible.