Strategic Planning and Organizational Management

Introduction:

This seminar is designed to equip leaders and professionals with transformational techniques and tools to unlock their own and their team’s creative potential within a strategic framework. The course begins with self-discovery, focusing on internal growth before extending to the broader business context.

Week 1: Emphasizes innovative thinking, encouraging participants to step out of their comfort zones and find new methods for creating and communicating a compelling leadership vision.

Week 2: Clarifies the often-misunderstood concept of ‘strategy,’ covering the analytical foundations necessary for a successful strategy and viewing strategic planning as a value-adding process that blends analytical skills with creative thinking to generate and implement effective ideas.

Objectives:

By the end of this course, participants will:

• Understand the linkage between operational and strategic management.
• Utilize innovative methods to harness team creativity.
• Align their roles and objectives with organizational strategy.
• Communicate their vision in engaging and impactful ways.
• Define and differentiate between ‘strategy’ and ‘strategic plans.’
• Apply visionary thinking and strategic planning to management challenges.
• Position their role within the overall corporate strategy.
• Gain confidence in contributing to strategic implementation.
• Enhance career flexibility (both vertically and horizontally).
• Accelerate problem-solving abilities and decision-making.
• Comprehend the impact of operational specialization on corporate strategy.
• Improve teamwork capabilities in solving strategic problems creatively.
• Optimize individual specializations to achieve organizational goals.

Training Methodology:

• Interactive Workshops
• Strategic Simulation Exercises
• Case Study Analysis
• Group Discussions
• Visionary Thinking Exercises
• Role-Playing Scenarios
• Analytical Tools Training
• Creative Problem-Solving Sessions
• Strategic Plan Development Drills
• Feedback and Reflection Sessions

Course Outline:

Unit 1: Creative Problem Solving

• Leadership Reality Check
• Leadership vs. Management
• Basic Understanding of Brain Function
• Creativity Myths
• Limits of Logic
• Unconventional Approaches to Problem-Solving
• Releasing Logical Thinking Processes
• Convergent & Divergent Thinking Modes

Unit 2: Overcoming Personal Blockers to Creativity

• Sigmoid Curve Lifecycle Model
• Kaizen (Continuous Improvement)
• Punctuated Equilibrium (Breakthrough Step Change)
• Self-Awareness, Ego, and Personality
• Personal Goal Alignment with Creativity
• Innovation vs. Adaptation for Meaning Making
• Attitudes to Risk-Taking
• Left Brain / Right Brain Thinking

Unit 3: Developing the Vision Creatively

• Six Thinking Hats – De Bono’s Concept
• Different Frames of Mind for Idea Generation
• JOHARI Window – Open/Blind/Hidden/Unknown
• Business Plan Process for Creating a Vision
• Harnessing Team Power
• Role of Organizational Culture in Creativity
• Letting Go of Egos
• Different Creative Styles in the Workplace

Unit 4: Communicating the Vision Creatively

• Seven Steps for Designing and Implementing Innovative Solutions
• Social Models of Communication
• Viral Visioning and Its Spread
• Authenticity and Trust in Leadership
• Creative Tools, Techniques, and Strategy Management
• Leading Without Directing

Unit 5: From Ideas to Action: Creativity and Change

• Motivation Theories – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• Breaking Barriers to Creativity and Change
• Continuous Learning Organizations
• The Role of Money as a Motivator
• Personality Profiling
• Building Creative Consensus
• Engaging Stakeholders Creatively
• Leading Change Through Influence and Persuasion

Unit 6: Strategic Thinking and Business Analysis

• Defining Strategy and Strategic Planning
• Significance of Strategy and Strategic Planning
• Conceptual Frameworks
• External Analysis: Macro-Environmental Factors, Competitive Forces, Market Dynamics
• Benchmarking and Competitor Analysis
• Customer Analysis
• Thinking Differently: Mini-Case on External Analysis

Unit 7: Internal Analysis and Fusion of Analyses into Strategic Options

• Nexus Between External and Internal Analysis
• Financial and Non-Financial Internal Analysis
• Balanced Scorecard Concept
• Diagnosis of Strategic Problems and Opportunities
• Fusion of Analyses into Strategic Choices: SWOT & Strategy Matrix
• Mini-Case on Internal Analysis

Unit 8: Strategic Plans and the Relevance of Alliances and Joint Ventures

• Reviewing Tools and Avoiding “Paralysis by Analysis”
• Compiling a Strategic Plan: Five-Page Framework
• Real-Life Examples of Business Strategies
• Alliance Strategies and Joint Ventures
• Best Practices in Alliances and Joint Ventures

Unit 9: Global Strategy, Team Building, and Internal Communication

• Understanding Globalization and Global Strategy
• Human Element in Globalization
• Team Building for Effective Decision-Making
• Communicating Strategy Across the Organization
• Ensuring Team Engagement with Strategy

Unit 10: Strategic Implementation and Getting the Value Out of Strategy

• Effective Execution of Strategic Plans
• Linking Strategy with Operational Objectives
• Practical Issues in Implementation
• Strategic Planning for Career Development
• Creating Tomorrow’s Organization from Today’s
• Enhancing Strategic Planning and Management Capabilities