Advanced Strategic Management

• Chief Executive Officers
• Directors
• Company Secretaries
• Presidential advisors
• Ministerial advisers
• Board Advisers
• Chief Financial Officers
• Board Members
• Heads of Department
• Directors of Human Resources
• Directors of Business Development
• Strategic Advisors
• Senior Managers
• Project Directors

Course objectives

• To create strategies which will enable an organisation to achieve its vision, goals and objectives
• To develop supporting systems and structures to underpin and ensure the success of all strategies
• To have relevant measures of progress to enable action to be taken to overcome any challenges to the implementation of the strategies
• To know how to generate commitment from all stakeholders to increase strength of support for the successful implementation of the strategic plan
• To identify and use the key approaches and methods of communication to ensure transparency and openness
• To appreciate how important leadership is in the management and implementation of strategies and incorporate this knowledge in future strategic planning
• To anticipate and evaluate likely and unlikely risks and incorporate this analysis into strategic management, while enabling a quick and flexible response to internal and external changes
• To identify those factors which contribute to the failure of the majority of all strategies and prevent or overcome those
• To revise, refresh and develop those key strategic management skills which enable strategic plans to be implemented effectively

Course content

Formulating Strategy to Achieve Vision

• Agree vision, mission, culture and values of organisation
• Analyse where organisation is now
• Decide where the organisation wants to be, and by when
• Selecting best strategic options to get there

Structures, Processes and Procedures

• Budget creation, monitoring and control
• Costing techniques and margin management
• Resource allocation and balancing priorities
• Creating systems to monitor effectiveness of implementation

Measurement and Reporting

• Setting long-term goals and manageable short-term targets
• Building contingencies into the strategy
• Measuring at clearly-defined milestones
• Reporting and incorporating feed-back

Stakeholder Identification

• Identify who affects or is affected by proposed strategy (stakeholders)
• Encourage stakeholder ownership through involvement in strategy creation
• Clarify benefits and implications for each group of stakeholders
• Turn resistance into support

Systematic Strategic Communication

• Two-way communication for stakeholders to inform and be informed
• Clear, concise and relevant messages from the best messenger
• Identify and use a variety of methods and channels
• Gain commitment through frequency of communication

Leadership and Strategic Decision-Making

• Importance of leadership in implementing successful strategies
• High-profile leadership which inspires and motivates
• Decisive, speedy and consistent decision-making
• Persistent follow-through on all decisions to produce results

Risk and Crisis Management

• Identify all risks, evaluate potential impact and mitigate accordingly
• Incorporate strategic flexibility to respond to internal and external changes and pressures
• Prevent issues becoming risks then turning into crises
• Create, practise and be prepared to implement crisis plans

Prevent Failure of Strategies

• Recruit and retain people with appropriate skills, experience and track record
• Clarify and communicate roles and responsibilities
• Encourage creative problem-solving and constructive conflict resolution
• Promote unity within teams and harmony between teams

Skills for Success

• Communication, including: presentations, meetings, oral, listening, body language and written
• Delegation to increase productivity
• Negotiation and influencing skills for a win-win for all
• Time management for minimum effort to produce maximum results