• Understand strategy
  • Develop scenarios
  • Strategic decision making

This two day interactive workshop provides new directors, senior executives and managers with the solid grounding in the basics of strategy and strategic decision making through practical examples. The workshop explores the operating environment through the development of simple and detailed scenarios that allow participants the confidence to influence change. Participants are able to explore the most profitable and suitable options available to their organisations and become comfortable with uncertainty and residual risk. The workshop covers the logic behind building evidence-based business cases. The workshop also facilitates participants in creating an action plan to apply their strategic objectives.

The workshop is broken into seven components:

  • A grounding in strategy
  • Using scenarios to explore the environment
  • How to influence change
  • Understanding the options
  • Identifying risk
  • Building business cases
  • Strategic action plans

Who should attend?

New directors, senior executives and managers from private, government and not-for-profit organisations who are looking to improve their individual strategic thinking ability and their organisational strategic thinking capacity.

Mode of Study

Interactive facilitated workshop

Duration and cost

14 hours, including breaks, over two days. Cost is $1500 pp

Indicative programme

  Day 1
  Registration
  Welcome and introduction
Session 1 A grounding in strategy

  • Origins of strategy
  • Understanding the difference between strategic effect and operational capability
  • The key characteristics of strategy: connecting capability with effect; planning for the long term; competition; and independent action
  Morning Tea
Session 2 Using scenarios to explore the environment: part 1

  • Overview of a contemporary, industry related scenario
  • Explore the scenario through mind maps and impact wheels
  Lunch
Session 3 Using scenarios to explore the environment: part 2

  • Identify the possible changes in the environment using simple, coarse grain methods (bi-variable scenarios and trend analysis)
  • Identify possible changes using fine-grain, multi-variable scenario analysis techniques (introduction to Field Anomaly Relaxation methods)
  Afternoon Tea
Session 4 How to influence change?

  • Understanding the impact of change through causal mapping and influence diagrams
  • Identifying key agents of change and potential levers
  Take home activity
  Day 2
  Review take home activity
Session 5 Understanding the options

  • Establishing the unconscious biases and planning assumptions
  • Identifying options available to you through the use of a two-step TOWS
  Morning Tea
Session 6 Identifying Risk

  • Becoming comfortable with risk through understanding uncertainty
  • Understanding how to build and interpret a simple and accurate risk matrix
  • Establishing the most profitable / suitable courses of action through a congruence analysis
  Lunch
Session 7 Building the business case

  • Understanding the potential resource gap
  • Identifying the investment opportunities
  • Articulating the argument through structured and logical business cases
  Afternoon Tea
Session 8 Strategic Action Plan

  • Understand the environment your organisation operates in
  • Establish broad variables that will influence the future
  • Create an action plan to deal with these opportunities and potential threats
  • Enhance your strategic decision making through a folio of established techniques and methods
  Closing remarks and evaluation