Lead Your City Towards a Smarter Future with Advanced Management Techniques

The Smart City Manager Diploma program is specifically designed to equip graduate professionals with the necessary skills to excel in leadership roles within the smart city industry. This comprehensive training program will provide participants with a deep understanding of the key responsibilities of a smart city manager, including defining goals and strategies for smart city development and services, making crucial procurement decisions for technology equipment and infrastructure, managing smart city projects, and coordinating collaboration between various city government departments and stakeholders. In addition, the program offers a unique opportunity to engage in exclusive real-world case studies from top German companies, providing participants with valuable insights and expertise from successful industry leaders.

By the end of the program, participants will have developed the following outcomes:

10

New Smart Cities

Number of smart cities The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MMRA) is planning to develop as a part of the Saudi Vision 2030, creating new opportunities for smart city managers and professionals.

30,453

SAR

The average base salary for a smart city project manager in Saudi Arabia, which is higher than the average salary for a project manager in Saudi Arabia (SAR 20,693 per month).

14,745.2

$ Million

The Saudi Arabia smart cities market size is projected to reach $14,745.2 million by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 19.6% from 2020 to 2027, indicating a high demand for smart city solutions, services, and professionals in the country.

Become A Partner

This course will help you understand the various aspects of leadership and how they affect organizational performance. You will learn how to lead people effectively and efficiently. You will learn about leadership skills, traits and behaviors that are essential for successful leaders. You will also learn how the digitalization era challenges and changes leadership.
Learning Objectives:
  • To highlight the difference between leadership and management.
  • To understand how personality traits influence leaders emergence and performance.
  • To learn and explain the influences leaders have on people.
  • To identify typical characteristics of successful leaders.
  • To describe different types of leadership.
  • To understand how top executives can influence organizational processes and performance.
  • To identify which new leadership competences are required in the new 4.0 environment.

The module Intercultural skills provides an overview of the importance of acquiring these skills in the time of globalization. The module provides an understanding of national cultures impact the way business rea performed. It will ensure the participant the understanding of the cultural process as well as many of the elements involved and affecting business relationships ad performance. This course aims to provide you core cultural concepts, frameworks, and tools for understanding and managing successfully cultural diversity.
Learning Objectives:
  • Identify the potential difficulties involved in international business relationships.
  • Improve your intercultural communication skills.
  • Deal with potential barriers in intercultural communication.
  • Explore tools to successfully manage cultural differences.
  • Develop further your intercultural competences and soft skills.

This module aims to provide the attendants with an overview of the concept of ambiguity tolerance, which is the capacity to deal with uncertain and complex situations. The module will cover the basic theoretical foundations and empirical evidence on ambiguity tolerance and its implications for performance and well-being in work settings. The module will also examine the variation of ambiguity tolerance across different ethnic and national cultures and the challenges of managing cultural diversity in ambiguous contexts.
Learning Objectives:
  • Define the concept of ambiguity.
  • Define the concept of ambiguity tolerance.
  • Discuss upon the distinction between ambiguity and ambiguity tolerance.
  • Investigate the nature and consequences of attitudes towards ambiguity and uncertainty at work.
  • Describe aspects of tolerance of ambiguity in organizations.
  • Describe the connections between tolerance ambiguity and cultural variability.

Professionals who understand the creative process, manage it, and foster creativity are increasingly a valuable asset for their organizations. This module examines aspects of creativity, tools, and techniques for fostering individual and group creativity, as well as methods for evaluating creative outcomes: that is, new products or services.
Learning Objectives:
  • To understand the concept of creativity and its interplay with innovation and entrepreneurship.
  • To describe the creative process and explain the value of creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship for organizations.
  • To discuss aspects of individual and group creativity.
  • To identify barriers to creativity and ways to overcome them.
  • To foster creativity and to recognize the value of having an innovation-friendly culture.

Innovative entrepreneurship is an expectation from smart cities, since new entrants and start-ups utilize smart technologies (IoT, big data, cloud computing, etc.) to develop new products and services. In this regard, skills related to Entrepreneurial Thinking are useful for all stakeholders that belong to the ecosystem of a smart city, in order to deliver smart services, infrastructure, and data in forms that can enhance the development of new companies and jobs.
Learning Objectives:
  • To recognize the role of entrepreneurship in the smart city context and understand the impact of entrepreneurship on smart city development and vice versa.
  • To learn and explain the terms of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship.
  • To identify typical characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.
  • To highlight the differences between entrepreneurial and managerial/administrative skills.
  • To describe the stages of the entrepreneurial process.
  • To consider entrepreneurship as a transversal competence based on the EntreComp framework.
  • To learn key entrepreneurial attitudes.

Teamwork is a powerful business tactic that can benefit all business sectors. Relying on the best of each team member’s skills to offset possible weaknesses of team workers is a sound strategic move to perform business processes, build competitive advantage, or address emerging business challenges successfully. Managing conflict and managing diversity in teams are two very important aspects in relation to teamwork and are addressed in this module.
Learning Objectives:
  • To understand the concept of teamwork and the conditions that promote effective collaboration.
  • To describe the different stages of progressively cohesive teamwork.
  • To discuss the fundamental concepts of team processes.
  • To discuss competition and cooperation within a group.
  • To understand how to manage conflict.
  • To describe the principles in managing diversity.

This module focuses on important social skills which, emphasizing the relational dimension and group dynamics, allow individuals to effectively manage different situations in their private and social lives. Many skills are involved, such as communication, negotiation, decision making, cooperation, problem solving, and positive and constructive conflict management. Social skills are transversal as they seem necessary in many areas and affect the quality of interventions. One of the fundamental principles of Social Skills is learning: any social behavior can be learned, enhanced, and/or modified through experience and training.
Learning Objectives:
  • To understand personal and other people’s behaviors.
  • To develop a balanced and constructive behavior to improve your sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy.
  • To communicate with others in a more competent and effective way, increasing interpersonal skills in order to obtain constructive responses in different relational and intervention contexts.
  • To understand how to make decisions.
  • To understand how to work in a team and understand the importance of disciplinary and professional interdependence.
  • To face and manage problematic and/or stressful situations.

The aim of this module is to help you develop competencies in emotional intelligence (EI), which is the ability to recognize, understand and manage your own emotions and those of others. EI is a transversal skill that can enhance your performance and well-being in any sector and situation. EI can help you to be aware of your personal feelings, to act on your intentions, and to make informed decisions.
Learning Objectives:
  • To improve the qualification of workers through the promotion of a series of transversal competences deriving from the use of Emotional Intelligence (Self‐knowledge, mood management, self‐motivation, empathy and managing relations).
  • To increase the motivation and satisfaction of the workers as they will be able to manage their work in an emotionally intelligent way.
  • To improve the quality of life for beneficiaries of the fields where this module was implemented.

This module will help you develop the knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to manage smart city projects effectively and efficiently. You will learn how to apply project management principles and practices to meet the project requirements, as defined by the Project Management Institute on their website www.pmi.org. You will also explore various knowledge areas of project management. For example, you will learn how to elicit, analyze, validate and document the needs and expectations of the stakeholders in project requirements management, how to plan, implement and control changes in the project scope, schedule, cost and quality in change management, how to estimate, budget and control the resources and expenses of the project in cost management, how to define, sequence, schedule and monitor the activities and milestones of the project in time management, how to ensure that the project deliverables meet the quality standards and criteria in quality management, how to identify, assess, prioritize and mitigate the uncertainties and threats that may affect the project outcomes in risk management, and how to plan, execute and manage the information flow among the project team and stakeholders in communication management. In addition, you will gain insights into agile methodologies for software project management, which emphasize collaboration, flexibility and customer satisfaction. You will also learn about the specific challenges and best practices of software projects, such as software life-cycle models, software estimation techniques, software quality metrics and team management. Finally, you will understand how to align your project objectives with your organization’s strategy for smart cities.
Learning Objectives:
  • To understand key principles in managing software projects.
  • To understand the strategic character of smart city development.
  • To understand that smart city development should be managed as a portfolio of projects.
  • To be familiar with the different methods and techniques used for software project management.
  • To be able to do Project Scheduling, Scope Management, Risk Management, Quality management, and Project Cost estimation using different techniques.

The current world’s environment is complex and in constant change. The race for global competition challenges the companies which are specially using traditional methods and unquestionable processes. This course will bring the learner to reflect and will present an alternative thinking and acting way to question the current status quo of companies.
Learning Objectives:
  • To understand the importance of design thinking change paradigm.
  • To identify the practical application of this competence and its impact on value creation.
  • To describe how can design principles be embedded into an organization.
  • To identify design thinking approaches as an answer to business challenges.
  • To understand how business cultures support or limit design thinking.

Nowadays, projects operate within a project environment of uncertainty and complexity due to a high degree of change. To cope with this situation, adaptive teams engage directly with stakeholders, and information is exchanged in a dynamic co-operative process that enables more stakeholder engagement.
Learning Objectives:
  • Define key principles in stakeholder management.
  • Identify stakeholder management processes.
  • Describe aspects of the stakeholder identification and prioritization process.
  • Describe stakeholder identification and prioritization methods.
  • Describe aspects of the stakeholder negotiation and influence process.
  • Identify stakeholder negotiation practices and phases.
  • Identify communication aspects related to stakeholder management.
  • Describe aspects of the stakeholder engagement and expectation management process.
  • Identify methods of stakeholder engagement and expectation management.

In this module, learners will understand what Artificial Intelligence (AI) is and understand its applications and use cases and how they transformed our lives. AI concepts including machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks as well as use cases and applications of AI will be explored. Learners will also deal with concerns surrounding AI such as ethics, bias, jobs and the impacts on society. This module does not require any programming or computer science expertise and is designed to introduce the basics of AI to anyone whether you have a technical background or not.
Learning Objectives:
  • To become familiar with the fundamentals of AI principles.
  • To understand the basic rules between AI and problem solving.
  • To understand the contribution of AI in real-life conditions.
  • To understand the most popular machine learning models.
  • To explore the potential, limitations, and implications of AI systems.

This module facilitates attendants to learn how to enhance the collaboration and communication with citizens in the smart cities. It presents strategies and techniques for engaging citizens, how to develop and implement communication strategies with them, and how to set up and run information systems that record citizens’ behavior and satisfaction. Last, it introduces the attendant to the concepts of Communities of Practice and Communities of Interest
Learning Objectives:
  • Define citizen engagement and describe main strategies and techniques to engage citizens of smart cities.
  • Develop and implement a communication strategy with smart cities citizens.
  • Outline the principles of Organizational Citizenship Behavior and identify factors affecting smart cities citizens’ behaviorand saisfaction.
  • Initiate and run communities of practice.

The module Urban Management provides an overview of the key knowledge domains and competences required for effectively managing smart cities characterized by rapid urbanization triggering the need to cope with increased complexity. In addition, the implications of metropolisation for the city- regions relationship and recommendations for a balanced perspective in this context are given.  This course presents developments, frameworks, and tools for understanding and managing the complex eco-system of a smart city.
Learning Objectives:
  • Reflect on and understand the development of diverse perspectives of urban management.
  • Identify the necessity for integrating multidisciplinary concepts and competences to coordinate and lead diverse Smart City eco-system stakeholders.
  • Understand and use the role of the data landscape and technology as driving forces for urban management.
  • Understand the effects of urbanization on the regions and develop competences to create a mutually supportive co-existence.

At the end of the twentieth century, the “green movement” gained popularity and influenced urban development. More and more countries are now attaching importance to planning for ecological and livable cities. Under the vision of the “green movement,” concepts such as sustainable development, environmental coexistence, sustainable cities, compact cities, healthy cities, quality of life, eco-cities, and green cities are being discussed. The aim is to achieve an ideal green city through vision, strategy, and planning, based on an ecological environment approach. In this module, the concept of the green city and theories of developmental strategies are discussed, technologies and approaches are depicted, and the corresponding ranking is explored.
Learning Objectives:
  • To provide a brief introduction to the green city concept.
  • To outline the green city development strategies.
  • To provide examples that apply the green city concept.
  • To compare alternative green city approaches.
  • To introduce green city solutions.
  • To introduce green city evaluation frameworks.
  • To present the concept of the European Green capital.
  • To provide a comparison of green city rankings in Europe and the US.

This module explores the topic of sustainability applied to smart cities. Sustainability is defined as the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Learning Objectives:
  • Understanding of equality and diversity, inclusivity and social cohesion.
  • Developing trust and sense of community.
  • Developing responsible citizens.
  • Understanding and practicing group decision making.
  • Ability to see the “bigger picture”.
  • Commitment in developing sustainable picture.
  • Knowledge of ecological and circular economy approaches.

This module explores the role of technology and data in cities, and learn how you can participate in the creation of smart cities.
Learning Objectives:
  • Define what makes a City a Smart City.
  • Identify the domains of a Smart City.
  • Identify the three layers of “smartness” of a Smart City.
  • Know some examples of Smart Cities.

Cities are faced with increasing populations and need to implement smart solutions to become more resilient to economic, environmental, and social challenges. This module examines the innovative business models in the context of smart cities and analyzes the most important existing business models as well as the emerging ones for smart cities.
Learning Objectives:
  • To define a framework for understanding and describing innovative business models.
  • To recognize the different types of companies in the smart city ecosystem.
  • To select a smart city business model.
  • To explain what smart cities are, explore the contrasting visions of how they will transform our urban environments and lives, and consider whether smart cities can be sustainable.
  • To identify the role of people in smart cities and the different approaches cities are taking, from city-led roadmaps to smart business services, and co-designed solutions with citizens through living labs.
  • To understand the role that technology, data, and urban analytics can play in transforming cities and consider challenges and best practices to overcome issues such as data ownership, privacy, and ethics.
  • To define a methodological approach to analyze business models.

This module explores the topic of resilience by providing the tools to make smart cities ready to adapt to crises and changes. Planning the resilience of a city also allows to seize the opportunities that can arise from negative events.
Learning Objectives:
  • Identify the indicators capable to define the degree of resilience of a city.
  • Develop a monitoring plan for these indicators.
  • Define a plan to improve the resilience of a city.

Instructors

Prof. Dr. Dolores Sanchez Bengoa

Vice-president for International Relations & Professor for International Business.
A graduate from Leeds Metropolitan University (United Kingdom), Prof. Dr. Bengoa is now Vice-president at the University of Applied Management Studies, Germany. She has extensive intercultural experience and has been a board member of the European Association for Professional Education since 2021. Her teaching emphasizes the practical application of theory in intercultural management and communication.

Prof. Dr. Hans Ruediger Kaufmann

Professor of International Sales Management, Specialized in Marketing and Entrepreneurship.
With decades of experience spanning across continents, Professor Kaufmann brings to the table a rich blend of academic and professional expertise. He has held multiple leadership positions, contributed significantly to various research areas like International Consumer Behavior and SME Internationalization, and has been recognized for his work, notably the 2017 Emerald Literati Network Award.  

Prof. Dr. Christoph Sandbrink

Professor of Digital Business & Chief Digital Officer Advisor.
Prof. Dr. Sandbrink, a distinguished graduate from the University of Jena (Germany) and Hull (United Kingdom), is a Professor of Digital Business at the University of Applied Management, Mannheim, and an Executive Management Consultant at SAP SE. His career spans leadership roles at SAP and Telefónica O2, focusing on digital innovation fields like AI, Machine Learning, and Big Data.

Certificate

Obtain A Recognized Certificate

Issued by The University of Applied management studies, provided by German Sustainability Academy, recognized by Erasmus+, and transferable everywhere in the European Union.

Become A Partner
Become A Partner

Diploma by:

The University of Applied Management Studies

Laptop/PC and internet

connection required

Languages:

English, Arabic, and German

80% online

20% in-person

Lectures, quizzes,

and assignments, and student support

Prerequisites:

Bachelor’s Degree

Volume discount available

6 months

6 hours/week

Start date:

On-demand

Live

Customizable and flexible

Become A Partner

FAQ

Yes, our diploma programs are recognized by the European Union and offer 15 ECTS credits. We also partner with the University of Applied Management Studies in Germany to provide an accredited diploma upon completion of the program.

The Smart Cities Diploma program is designed to be completed within 6 months. The program requires a time commitment of approximately 6 hours per week, which includes attending lectures, completing assignments, and taking quizzes. However, we understand that each organization has different needs and schedules, so the program is flexible and can be customized to meet your specific requirements. On average, students need approximately 231 hours to complete the entire diploma.

A bachelor’s degree is required to take this program.

Our diploma programs offer a wide range of benefits, including building a reliable academic and practical background in smart cities, contributing to the Saudi Vision 2030, and providing valuable learning opportunities for employees. The programs are also designed to fit within your current schedule.

Interested organizations can apply online via Become A Partner page or contact us directly for more information. Our team will guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have. If you’re a student, you could join the waitlist. We will let you know when you could apply.  

The cost of our Smart Cities Diplomas varies depending on the number of programs you need. To get a personalized quote, please contact us through our website.

Please contact us directly or send an email to info@gsa-sa.com. Our team will be happy to assist you with any inquiries you may have.

Related Programs

Smart City Planner (Diploma)

The Smart City Planner Diploma program is an all-encompassing training, designed to empower professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead the development and implementation of digital transformation processes in smart cities.

Learn More

Smart City IT Officer (Diploma)

The Smart City IT Officer diploma program prepares students for IT careers in the growing field of smart city technology.

Learn More

Smart City IT Manager (Diploma)

The Smart City IT Manager Diploma program will help you develop the skills and knowledge needed to manage the IT department of a city administration.

Learn More
All Rights Reserved © 2024 German Sustainability Academy. |