Overview

IIM Lucknow has launched the Chief Operating and Transformation Officer (COO) Programme, positioning it as a response to the expanding scope of operations leadership in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and heightened market volatility. The press release, issued on Monday, Oct 26, 2026, frames the programme as a bridge between traditional efficiency mandates and broader enterprise transformation objectives.

Market Context

The announcement cites PwC’s 2025 Digital Trends in Operations Survey, which found that 57% of operations and supply‑chain leaders have integrated AI into selected functions or across their organisations. However, 92% of respondents identified at least one reason why technology investments had not fully delivered expected results, with integration complexity and data issues highlighted as common barriers.

Programme Curriculum

The IIM Lucknow COO Programme’s curriculum is built around several pillars:

  • Operations strategy and operating‑model design – redefining how businesses structure processes, capabilities, technology and ownership.
  • AI‑enabled operations – exploring AI not merely as an automation tool but as a decision‑making and organisational design element.
  • Value creation and resilience – focusing on long‑term value, scenario planning, continuity, inventory management, network design and sustainability.
  • Data and analytics, governance and executive leadership – ensuring data‑driven decision making and robust oversight.
  • Applied learning – case studies, simulations, practitioner perspectives and guided projects to examine interconnected decisions in realistic contexts.

Evolution of the COO Role

The release argues that the COO’s mandate has shifted from asking how a process can be made faster or cheaper to what the operating model should look like initially. Automation decisions now affect workforce design, customer experience, data governance, technology investment and accountability. Outsourcing decisions balance cost savings against increased dependency on external partners. AI is portrayed as an operating‑model decision, prompting COOs to determine which workflows to automate, where AI should augment employees, how to handle AI exceptions, and who owns outcomes.

Resilience as an Ongoing Capability

Recent disruptions have turned resilience from a contingency exercise into a continuous operating capability. COOs must now consider responsiveness, continuity, scenario planning, inventory, network design and sustainability alongside traditional efficiency metrics.

Cross‑Functional Leadership

The modern COO must collaborate closely with technology teams (architecture and AI adoption), finance (investment priorities), HR (workforce transition), commercial teams (customer requirements) and senior leadership (boards and CEOs) to ensure coherent, enterprise‑wide decision making. Stakeholder alignment, executive communication and change leadership are therefore central to the role.

Conclusion

The IIM Lucknow COO Programme encapsulates these trends by integrating AI‑enabled operations, transformation strategy, governance, value creation and change leadership into a single executive education offering. The press release notes that the content is provided under an arrangement with NRDPL and that PTI assumes no editorial responsibility.