Bryant Trustee Professor of Management Michael A. Roberto’s Mount Everest leadership simulation was Harvard Business Review’s number one bestseller in their simulation category for 2022 and his case study on growth at Trader Joe’s. was the #2 bestseller in its own category. This was the second year in a row, Professor Roberto has received those distinctions.  

An expert in decision-making and leadership, Roberto’s simulations and tutorials are informed by years of consulting and leadership training at major firms around the world — as well as his own extensive scholarship. His commitment to using immersive, real-world examples to educate the next generation of leaders ensures they’re ready to make a difference, no matter the industry they choose to enter.

Roberto's award-winning case studies range from an examination of the rise of Planet Fitness to a multimedia analysis of the 2003 Columbia space shuttle accident. The Trader Joe’s case study, co-authored by David L. Alger, examines the successful grocer’s efforts to ensure continued growth during a time of increased competition, while still maintaining its authenticity and “quirky cool.”

His multiple award-winning "Leadership and Team Simulation: Everest," developed by Roberto and co-author Harvard Business School Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management Amy Edmonson, uses the dramatic context of a Mount Everest expedition to reinforce student learning in group dynamics and leadership at 29,000 feet. It was recently recognized as the bestselling simulation ever developed and distributed by Harvard Business School.

Through their participation in the simulation, students use the lessons they’ve learned to go out into the world and lead their own teams. “They never forget it,” says Roberto.