Center for Effective Organizations at USC Marshall

What Center for Effective Organizations at USC Marshall does

The Center for Effective Organizations (CEO) is a nonprofit academic research center founded in 1979 within the USC Marshall School of Business in Los Angeles, focused on evidence-based research and executive education in organizational effectiveness, design, transformation, and human capital management. Its portfolio spans four multi-month certificate programs (Strategic Organization Design, Advanced Organization Design Practitioner, HCEO, and SRG Leadership), the Enterprise Effectiveness Network peer community, the invitation-only AI Business Process Transformation Lab, custom advisory engagements, standalone workshops, and an extensive knowledge catalog of 600+ articles, 30+ books, and 727+ working papers. Its core technology is proprietary research methodology and frameworks developed over four decades, not a software platform; outputs are delivered through in-person workshops at USC, virtual sessions, and consulting. The business model is multi-stream: recurring corporate sponsorship fees from Fortune 500/500 members, certificate program tuition (ranging from $2,500 to $15,350 per participant with sponsor discounts), workshop registrations, and custom consulting engagements. CEO serves mid-to-large organizations and senior HR/OD leaders; notable named participants include PwC, Microsoft, PepsiCo/Frito-Lay, UPS, Avery Dennison, Bank of America, and Intuit, with 400+ organizations having participated in the Organization Design Certificate Program cumulatively.

Name

Center for Effective Organizations at USC Marshall

Legal name

Center for Effective Organizations

Website

https://ceo.usc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Effective Organizations is a nonprofit academic research center at USC Marshall that delivers evidence-based executive education, certificate programs, and consulting on organizational design, transformation, and human capital to Fortune 500 and mid-to-large enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting and Executive Education

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Management Consulting Services (54161), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDABAAAA

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Leadership & Management Development

SECONDARYEDAHAHAN

Executive Education & Corporate Programs (Non-degree)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Business Schools & Management Institutes

SECONDARYEDAGANAA

Corporate Leadership & Management

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Professional Development & Training Materials

Keywords

• Organizational effectiveness research
• Executive education programs
• Certificate programs
• Custom consulting services
• HR and OD advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorship: Organizations pay annual sponsorship fees to join the CEO Sponsor Network, gaining access to researchers, working groups, exclusive content, networking, and discounts on programs.
2. Certificate Programs: Revenue from certificate programs including Organization Design, HCEO, and SRG Leadership certificates. Programs have set tuition pricing with sponsor discounts.
3. Workshops and Executive Education: Individual workshop registrations for strategic organization design, transformation, and other topics. In-person workshops held at USC and select locations.
4. Custom Solutions and Consulting: Highly customized advisory services and consulting engagements scoped to each organization's unique needs. Special pricing available for sponsors.
5. Enterprise Effectiveness Network (EEN): Virtual peer-to-peer community of senior HR, OD, and business leaders with 90-minute sessions founded on research-backed insights. Includes access to dashboard and recorded sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Center for Effective Organizations (CEO) is a research center within USC Marshall School of Business that delivers evidence-based research, executive education, certificate programs, peer networking communities, and custom consulting services focused on organization design, transformation, talent management, and the future of HR/work. Offerings are built on 45+ years of research with Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies and include certificate programs (Organization Design, HCEO, SRG Leadership), workshops, the Enterprise Effectiveness Network, the AI Business Process Transformation Lab, and tailored advisory engagements.

Product overview

The Center for Effective Organizations (CEO) at USC Marshall is a research center that provides executive education and knowledge products rather than a traditional software product. The portfolio includes three main certificate programs (Strategic Organization Design Certificate, SRG Leadership Certificate, and HCEO Certificate), the Enterprise Effectiveness Network (EEN) peer community, the AI Business Process Transformation Lab, Custom Solutions/Advising services, standalone Workshops, and Research & Insights publications (books, editorials, webinars, working papers). These offerings are built on 45+ years of organizational effectiveness research and delivered through workshops, coaching, virtual sessions, and published content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Organization Design Certificate Program A foundational certificate program teaching participants core principles, frameworks, models, and tools for designing organizations. Includes workshops on Strategy to Design, Designing the Lateral Organization, Organizing Around Customer, Innovation and Agility, and Designing for Flexibility. Pricing: Non-Sponsors $12,050; Sponsors $9,800.
• Advanced Strategic Organization Design Practitioner Certificate Deeper exploration of the application of design topics, processes, and analyses for individuals who have completed the foundational Organization Design Certificate. Includes one-on-one coaching with faculty on a real design challenge. Pricing: Non-Sponsors $9,750 per person; Sponsors $8,750 per person.
• Strategic Resource Group (SRG) Leadership Certificate A nine-month professional development program designed for ERG/SRG leaders and executives to strengthen leadership skills and link resource group work to broader business impact. Participants learn through research-based instruction, hands-on projects, and peer collaboration. Pricing: Non-Sponsors $6,500; Sponsors $5,000.
• Human Capital and Effective Organizations (HCEO) Certificate An integrated curriculum program developing key competencies to form strategic HR partnerships: Organization Design, Future of HR, Adapting to Disruption, Strategic Analytics, and Leading Innovation. Designed for executives and high-potential professionals with 7-10 years experience. Pricing: Sponsor fee $2,500 + 5 discounted courses (Average cost $12,800); Non-sponsor fee $3,000 + 5 courses ($15,350).
• Enterprise Effectiveness Network (EEN) A peer-to-peer community of senior HR, OD, and business leaders led by CEO experts. Sessions are 90-minute virtual sessions founded on research-backed insights, addressing talent, organizational, and strategy execution challenges. Includes access to dashboard and recorded sessions.
• AI Business Process Transformation Lab A one-year, invitation-only consortium combining quarterly in-person labs, virtual organization-specific sessions, and research insights focused on AI-enabled business process transformation. Open to organizations only; contact for pricing.
• Custom Solutions and Advising Highly customized solutions and advisory services ranging from custom workshops to extended engagements where CEO researchers work with leadership teams on action learning projects, specifically aligned to each company's unique strategy and challenges. Special pricing available for sponsors.
• Workshops Standalone workshops offered throughout the year based on studies conducted by CEO's research scientists, presenting the latest thinking, tools, and strategic processes on managing in complex, global business environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400+ organizations have participated in Organization Design Certificate Program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PwCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with PwC on the Well-Being Learning Project investigating connections between well-being practices and business consequences such as employee retention, team effectiveness, and client relationships.
• MD AndersonminorOthersPast ERG Leadership Sponsor, participated in annual summits and research initiatives.
• Department of DefenseminorOthersPast ERG Leadership Sponsor, participated in annual summits and research initiatives on employee resource groups.
• Xcel EnergyminorOthersPast ERG Leadership Sponsor supporting strategic resource group initiatives.
• AmazonminorOthersPast ERG Leadership Sponsor, participated in summits and research on employee resource groups.
• AmgenminorOthersPast ERG Leadership Sponsor supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives through strategic resource groups.
• Bank of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic ERG Leadership Advisory Board member providing strategic perspective on ERG/SRG practices and research.
• IntuitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic ERG Leadership Advisory Board member contributing expertise on ERG management, culture, and belonging initiatives.
• PepsiCo/Frito-LaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive EEN network participant with multiple senior HR leaders benefiting from research insights and peer learning on organizational effectiveness.
• UPScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEEN network participant benefiting from latest organizational effectiveness research and peer practices from other organizations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte (Human Capital Practice): Big Four advisory with a large Human Capital practice covering organization transformation, workforce analytics, and leadership development. Overlaps with CEO's evidence-based approach at much larger scale.
• Wharton Executive Education: University-affiliated executive education provider competing for the same CHRO and senior HR leader audience, with comparable brand prestige and corporate program offerings.
• Harvard Business School Executive Education: Premier university-based executive education provider offering leadership, strategy, and organizational programs. Direct overlap with CEO on non-degree executive education offerings and academic credibility positioning.
• McKinsey & Company (Organizational Practice): Global management consulting giant whose Organization Practice addresses the same enterprise buyer on org design, transformation, and HR effectiveness. Much broader portfolio but competes for the same Fortune 500 transformation mandates.

Direct peers

• RHR International: A boutique management consulting firm specializing in executive development, leadership effectiveness, and organizational assessment. Comparable in scale and specialty focus on senior executive effectiveness research and advisory.
• Development Dimensions International (DDI): A global leadership and talent development firm offering research-backed executive education, assessment, and consulting. DDI competes head-to-head for Fortune 500 leadership development and organization design mandates.
• Egon Zehnder: A premier leadership advisory and executive search firm with practices in leadership development, organizational culture, and executive effectiveness. Comparable to CEO in serving CHRO-level needs at large enterprises.
• Korn Ferry: A major global organizational consulting firm with deep practices in organizational design, talent management, and executive coaching. Overlaps with CEO on organization design and HR effectiveness advisory engagements for large enterprises.
• Center for Creative Leadership: A longstanding nonprofit research and education center focused on leadership development. CCL is one of the closest direct peers given its similar mix of evidence-based research, executive education, custom leadership programs, and Fortune 500 client base.

Others

• Association for Talent Development (ATD): A professional membership association for the talent development field, offering education, certification, and research. Complementary rather than directly competitive, but serves the same HR/OD buyer community with credentialing and content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CEOusc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ4JJQmwWLBPJkt5hv3iKtw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ceousc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Effective Organizations at USC Marshall