Strategic Leadership: Planning, Negotiation, and Conflict Resolution

Introduction:

The Strategic Leadership: Planning, Negotiation, and Conflict Resolution is designed to equip leaders with essential skills for thriving in today’s dynamic business environment. This conference will focus on the core elements of strategic planning, negotiation, and conflict management—key competencies for navigating the complexities of modern business. Participants will break down the intricate concepts of strategy into actionable steps, enhance their negotiation and conflict resolution skills, and master the art of leading organizations through competitive challenges.

Objectives:

By the end of this conference, participants will:

• Challenge existing beliefs about strategic planning, negotiation, and conflict management.
• Understand and apply strategic planning principles in a practical, actionable format.
• Implement strategic planning processes with tangible results.
• Apply win-win negotiation techniques effectively.
• Use practical tools for managing negotiation and conflict to generate value-creating solutions.
• Navigate the stages of strategic processes including option generation, opportunity cost, choice, and implementation.
• Understand organizational change and strategic planning dynamics.
• Identify and address sources of conflict in the workplace.
• Recognize personal conflict and negotiation styles and reach win-win agreements.
• Utilize a three-step guide for effective negotiation preparation and execution.
• Enhance skills and thinking processes for greater organizational impact.
• Increase behavioral and career flexibility.
• Accelerate problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
• Build confidence in influencing, managing difficult situations, and negotiating under uncertainty.

Training Methodology:

• Case Studies
• Simulation Games
• Group Workshops
• Simulation Exercises
• Negotiation Exercises
• Conflict Resolution Scenarios
• Real-World Scenario Analysis
• Peer Feedback Sessions
• Hands-On Practice Workshops
• Ongoing Assessments

Course Outline:

Unit 1: Strategic Thinking and Business Analysis

• What is strategy? And what is strategic planning?
• Why are these important?
• Key conceptual frameworks
• External analysis: Understanding business attractiveness, macroenvironmental factors, growth drivers, competitive forces, market dynamics
• Benchmarking your strategic position/competitor analysis
• Analyzing customers
• "Thinking backward from the customer"
• Mini-case on the importance of external analysis

Unit 2: Internal Analysis and Fusion of Analyses Into Strategic Options

• Interface between external and internal analysis
• Financial and non-financial internal analysis
• Balanced scorecard concept and practicalities
• Diagnosing strategic problems and opportunities
• Fusion of analyses into strategic choices: SWOT and strategy matrix
• Case examples of strategic choice making
• Mini-case on why internal analysis matters

Unit 3: Strategic Plans and the Relevance of Alliances and Joint Ventures

• Reviewing strategic tools
• Developing strategic plan content: avoiding "paralysis by analysis"
• Constructing a 5-page framework for business strategy
• Real-life examples of business strategies
• Strategies for alliances and joint ventures
• Best practices in alliances and joint ventures

Unit 4: Global Strategy, Teambuilding, and Management of Internal Communication

• Essence of globalization and global strategy
• Globalization: Strategic, organizational, and human dimensions
• Building and managing strategic planning teams
• Communicating strategy throughout organizations
• Gaining commitment and buy-in from teams

Unit 5: Strategic Implementation & Extracting Value from Strategy

• Effective execution: Converting strategic analysis and planning into action
• Linking operational objectives with strategy
• Practical implementation
• Strategic planning for career advancement
• Creating tomorrow’s organization from today’s

Unit 6: Negotiation & Conflict Management

• Negotiation theory and practice
• Sources of conflict in organizations
• Conflict escalation and prevention
• Conflict management strategies
• Two distinct approaches to negotiation
• Recognizing personal negotiation styles
• Negotiation as a mixed-motive process

Unit 7: Practical Negotiating Strategies

• Strategic vs. tactical negotiation approaches
• Value-claiming distributive negotiation strategies
• BATNA, reserve point, target point
• Opening offers, anchors, and concessions
• Value-creating integrative negotiation strategies
• Sharing information, diagnostic questions, unbundling issues
• Package deals, multiple offers, post-settlement settlements
• The four possible outcomes of a negotiation

Unit 8: Negotiation Planning, Preparing & Power

• Positional bargaining: Wants vs. needs
• Three-step model for negotiation preparation
• Assessing positions and situations
• Sources of negotiating power
• Changing power balance and body language
• Handling confrontational negotiators

Unit 9: Mediation Skills - A Powerful Negotiation Tool

• Communication and questioning
• Active listening in negotiation
• Alternative dispute resolution processes
• Mediation as a facilitated negotiation
• Techniques of mediation
• Mediation exercise

Unit 10: International and Cross-Cultural Negotiations

• International and cross-cultural negotiations
• Cultural values and negotiating norms
• Advice for cross-cultural negotiators
• Putting together a deal
• Team international negotiating exercise