140 likes | 313 Views
Illawarra TAFE. Leadership Development Program Workshop One September 2008. Strategic Thinking ……. In your groups ….. H ow would you define strategic thinking? Why is it a critical leadership capability?. Activity….
E N D
Illawarra TAFE Leadership Development Program Workshop One September 2008
Strategic Thinking…… • In your groups….. • How would you define strategic thinking? • Why is it a critical leadership capability?
Activity…. • List all of the business opportunities for Illawarra TAFE that you think could be explored and exploited in the next 3 years
A little about Cognitive Edge • Origins in IBM and Knowledge Management • Became independent 2003; based in Singapore • Focus on developing tools and methods to ‘make sense’ of complex issues • Sensemaking/decision support not categorisation/decision making
The Cynefin Model • Developed by Dave Snowden • Based on relationship between cause and effect • Understanding the nature of the system we wish to influence determines the nature of appropriate decisions & interventions
The Cynefin Framework Complex unorder Multiple possibilities and options ‘Safe fail’ probes and experiments Context dependent Emergent ‘solutions’ Probe-Sense-Respond EMERGENT PRACTICE Complicated Order – Relationship between cause and effect can be uncovered Groups of experts research, analyse and agree on the best way Sense-Analyse-Respond GOOD PRACTICE Disorder: cannot agree Chaotic Unorder Issues that are sufficiently critical that there is no time for research, consultation or experiments. Someone must take charge and ACT Act-Sense-Respond NOVEL PRACTICE Simple Order Obvious direct relationship between cause and effect Standardised rules, policies, regulations, procedures, legislation Sense -Categorise-Respond BEST PRACTICE
Intervening in complex Issues • Leaders… • Manage the boundaries • Change the ‘starting’ conditions • Monitor for changes • Move quickly to • Modify, shut down, embed as good practice
Tackling a complex issue… • Agree on a complex leadership issue that you wish to be difference • Write a statement indicating what will be different • List all of the tangible things (modulators) that make the current situation the way it is • May be a positive, negative or neutral influence • Must be things that someone can DO something about ( eg rules, systems not ‘attitude’ )
Step Two….Developing Probes • Choose those elements that you are going to change – develop multiple experiments/ probes • To be assessed within 3 months • It is‘safe to fail’ • That will be monitored • DO NOT EVALUATE BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION !!!!!
Step Three – Implementation • Risk management approach – how controlled should the experiment be, or how much diversity ( there is a trade off between resilience and control the less control the greater the opportunity for new insights and novel approaches to emerge ) • What is the worst headline you can imagine on the front page of the newspaper? How can you mitigate this possibility?
Step Four -Final planning…. • How will you monitor what happens – and what will be the basis of evaluation • If it had to be closed down, what would be the ‘exit strategy’? • If it works well, how would you migrate it from an experiment to being embedded in ‘the way we do things around here’? • What marketing/communication strategy will you use ? • What elements in the environment do you need to take into account?
Ritual Dissent • Process for developing robust proposals • Same ritual is applied to everyone • Focus is on listening… privilege of hearing criticisms and negative responses in safe environment.. Testing ideas
Process…. • Each team nominates a spokeperson • Presentation to another group – 3 minutes, others listen in silence • At the end of 3 minutes, the spokeperson turns his back to the group and listens to the critcism • At the end of 5 minutes, back to original group and refine proposals based on feedback • Process can be repeated to a number of groups
Reference Material • Cognitive Edge… www.cognitive-edge.com • Chris Fletcher • chris@emergingoptions.com.au • 0402 308 403 • Viv Read • viv@emergingoptions.com.au • 0414 294 339