Scenario Thinking for Strategic Planning

Strategic thinking and planning are now an essential part of a leader's daily work. In order to maintain their organization's competitive edge, leaders at all levels of an organization need to evaluate and priorities work, according to strategic goals. A successful strategic process engages everyone in the ongoing strategy of an organization, rather than leaving it up to individuals.

This programme includes a series of participative activities which will help delegates to enhance the long-term success of their organization. By the end of the course, they will have acquired the thought processes, frameworks, and analysis tools needed to engage others in the strategic thinking and planning process. They will also have identified appropriate strategic planning methods relevant to their organizational needs. They will be prepared to lead the broader strategic processes required to outperform their competitors, and reshape their organization for a successful long-term future.

Course Objectives

• To develop skills in evaluating opportunities and threats in your competitive environment
• To enhance the skills of diagnosing and managing the strengths and weaknesses within your organization
• To be able to assess current strategies within your organization and select the best model for you
• To develop creative thinking techniques to develop new ideas
• To explore new strategies and provide options for your organization
• To have confidence to adapt and adopt the tools within the strategic process, to different situations
• To understand the importance of analysing thoroughly before final planning
• To learn how to effectively lead and communicate a strategic planning effort
• To identify ways to motivate your staff in order to efficiently and effectively implement a strategic plan
• To consider the impact of social media in your strategic planning
• To analyse real life examples of strategic plans to identify best practice and areas to avoid

Course Outline

STRATEGIC PLANNING – WHAT IS IT REALLY?

This section sets the objectives of the strategic planning course, describes the background to strategic planning and sets a background for the remainder of the day.

• The business strategy playing field
• The importance of strategic thinking
• The language of strategy – definitions and misnomers

THE STRATEGIC CHAOS

This section of the strategic planning course describes the history of strategic planning in achieving the business goal of market leadership and outlines some of the lessons of history. We examine why strategy has produced different types of gurus from any other area of business.

To prepare participants for ‘The next big idea’ in their company or in business generally, we show how the strategy gurus serially got it wrong. From BCG, through Porter, Hamel, Prahalad, Mintzberg, Treacy and Wiersema, James Moore, Brandenburger, we outline some of the approaches to business strategy and strategic marketing by the great gurus and show how some companies have used these theories to steer some of the largest companies in the world.

• Fads, ideas and concepts
• Strategy and markets
• Business realities
• Modern Integrated strategies

STRATEGY AND EXECUTION

This section deals with the common myths about links between strategies, plans and execution readiness. We show participants views on how strategies and executions can be strongly linked.

• The reality of the business strategy hierarchy
• Types of thinking – linear, lateral, circular, abstract, creative
• Strategic planning and strategic thinking
• Why does my company not think strategically?
• Which companies are the world’s best strategists?

STRATEGIC THINKING – PROCESS OR MINDSET?

This section of the strategic planning course discusses how participants can question an existing strategy, produce a new one or decide if one is even necessary. It also looks at how to view an organisation from many different ways.

• Strategic planning processes
• Bandenburgers PARTS and lateral thinking
• Changing strategies
• Questioning the status quo
• Generating new ideas
• Pricing change
• Risk management – the strategist’s friend
• Changing the variables of business
• Think to act or act to think?

THE OUTCOMES OF STRATEGIC PLANNING

This section deals with how to deal with the outcomes of strategic planning and how to manage the often frustrating task of dealing with imprecise analysis.

• Tying strategy to profit
• Tying strategy to activity
• Strategy and your customers strategy
• Information about strategy
• Strategy, the undefined and human nature
• Discarding more than you acquire

EFFECTIVE MANAGERS – STRATEGIC GURUS OR SHARP OPERATORS?

This section looks at some business people and organisations and examines what elements of their strategic planning led to their success or failure. We ask the difficult questions about the influence that strategic planning has had on the most successful businessmen of out time and discuss how people can use strategic planning to get ahead in their organisation. This section is highly interactive and students will make short presentations on a particular area of their company where short term planning is at odds with strategy and how they will argue the case for a more balanced view.

• Linking today to tomorrow
• Taking your thinking to the next level
• Juggling strategy and today
• The politics of strategy
• Using strategic planning to get ahead in your organisation
• The influence of luck and how to improve your own luck
• Conclusions

## Course Methodology

A variety of methodologies will be used during the course that includes:

• (30%) Based on Case Studies
• (30%) Techniques
• (30%) Role Play
• (10%) Concepts
• Pre-test and Post-test
• Variety of Learning Methods
• Lectures
• Case Studies and Self Questionaires
• Group Work
• Discussion
• Presentation