This transformative training course is meticulously designed to equip strategic leaders and decision-makers with the essential methodologies and practical tools for scenario planning and future forecasting. In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) global environment, traditional forecasting methods are often insufficient. The ability to systematically explore multiple plausible futures allows organizations to anticipate disruptions, identify emerging opportunities, build resilience, and formulate more robust and adaptive strategies, rather than simply reacting to change.
The course will cover a wide array of crucial topics, including understanding the critical imperative of strategic foresight in a rapidly changing world, exploring the fundamentals of futures thinking and various forecasting approaches, mastering techniques for identifying key driving forces and critical uncertainties, developing compelling and robust scenario narratives, rigorously analyzing the strategic implications of each scenario, seamlessly integrating scenarios into the core strategic planning process, building sustainable organizational foresight capabilities, leveraging emerging technologies and advanced trends analysis, effectively communicating scenarios and engaging diverse stakeholders, and finally, cultivating the skills to lead with foresight to future-proof their organizations for long-term success.
Who Should Attend the Training
- Senior Leaders and Executives
- Strategic Planners and Analysts
- Corporate Development Professionals
- Innovation and R&D Leaders
- Risk Managers
- Business Unit Heads
- Anyone responsible for long-term organizational strategy and decision-making
Objectives of the Training
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- Articulate the strategic imperative of foresight and its role in navigating uncertainty.
- Understand the fundamentals of futures thinking and various forecasting methodologies.
- Systematically identify key driving forces and critical uncertainties shaping the future.
- Develop coherent and plausible scenario narratives for strategic planning.
- Analyze the strategic implications of each scenario for their organization and industry.
- Effectively integrate scenario planning into the existing strategic planning process.
- Establish and nurture organizational foresight capabilities.
- Utilize emerging technologies and advanced trend analysis in future forecasting.
- Effectively communicate scenarios and engage stakeholders to build shared understanding.
- Lead with foresight to enhance organizational adaptability and future readiness.
Personal Benefits
- Enhanced ability to anticipate and respond to future trends and disruptions.
- Improved strategic thinking and long-term planning skills.
- Greater confidence in making decisions under uncertainty.
- Development of practical tools for exploring complex futures.
- Increased strategic value and influence within their organization.
Organizational Benefits
- More robust and adaptable strategic plans.
- Enhanced capacity to identify and capitalize on emerging opportunities.
- Improved organizational resilience and reduced vulnerability to disruptions.
- Greater alignment and shared understanding of future challenges and possibilities.
- Fostered culture of proactive thinking and innovation.
- Better resource allocation for long-term competitive advantage.
Training Methodology
The training will adopt a highly interactive and practical methodology, incorporating:
- Case studies of organizations that have successfully used scenario planning
- Hands-on workshops for identifying driving forces and building scenarios
- Group exercises in analyzing scenario implications and developing robust strategies
- Facilitated discussions on current and future trends relevant to participants’ industries
- Tools and templates for structured foresight activities
- Expert insights and peer-to-peer learning
- Real-time challenges and discussions on participants’ own strategic contexts
Trainer Experience
Our trainers are seasoned futurists, strategic consultants, and executive coaches with extensive experience in designing and facilitating scenario planning and future forecasting processes for diverse global organizations, from multinational corporations to governmental bodies. They bring a wealth of practical expertise in environmental scanning, trend analysis, and strategic foresight methodologies, ensuring participants gain profound theoretical understanding combined with actionable skills for leading with foresight.
Quality Statement
We are committed to delivering high-quality training programs that provide tangible, transformative results. Our courses are meticulously designed, continually updated with the latest advancements in foresight methodologies and strategic management, and delivered by expert practitioners to ensure participants acquire relevant, effective skills and knowledge.
Tailor-made courses
We recognize that every organization faces unique future challenges and operates within specific industry ecosystems. We offer customized training solutions that can be specifically tailored to your industry, specific strategic uncertainties, current foresight maturity, and desired future outcomes. Please contact us to discuss how we can design a bespoke program that aligns perfectly with your requirements.
Course Duration: 5 days
Training fee: USD 1300
Module 1: The Imperative of Strategic Foresight in a VUCA World
- Understanding the dynamics of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA)
- Why traditional strategic planning is insufficient in a rapidly changing world
- Defining strategic foresight and its relationship to strategy
- The benefits of futures thinking for organizational resilience and innovation
- Examples of organizations that have successfully leveraged foresight
- Practical session: Participants analyze a historical example of a major industry disruption and discuss how foresight could have changed the outcome.
Module 2: Fundamentals of Futures Thinking and Forecasting
- Distinguishing between forecasting, predicting, and scenario planning
- Different time horizons in futures thinking (short, medium, long-term)
- Key elements of the foresight process: Scanning, Forecasting, Visioning, Planning
- Introduction to various forecasting techniques (e.g., trend extrapolation, Delphi method)
- The role of assumptions in future forecasting
- Practical session: Conducting a brief environmental scan to identify emerging trends relevant to a chosen industry.
Module 3: Identifying Driving Forces and Critical Uncertainties
- Understanding “driving forces”: Macro-environmental factors shaping the future (PESTLE, STEEPV analysis)
- Identifying “critical uncertainties”: High-impact, high-uncertainty factors
- Techniques for structured brainstorming and stakeholder input
- The importance of challenging assumptions and biases
- Mapping driving forces and critical uncertainties for a specific strategic issue
- Practical session: Working in groups to identify and map the key driving forces and critical uncertainties for a given strategic challenge.
Module 4: Developing Robust Scenario Narratives
- The logic of scenario construction: Combining critical uncertainties
- Developing distinct and plausible scenario narratives
- Crafting compelling titles and storylines for each scenario
- Including implications for the organization, industry, and society within each narrative
- Ensuring internal consistency and logical flow of scenarios
- Practical session: Developing two distinct scenario narratives based on identified critical uncertainties from the previous module.
Module 5: Analyzing Scenario Implications for Strategy
- Stress-testing current strategies against each scenario
- Identifying new threats and opportunities within each future
- Assessing the resilience of current business models
- Uncovering potential “surprise” events and their impacts
- Developing strategic options that are robust across multiple futures
- Practical session: For a given current organizational strategy, participants analyze its performance under each of the developed scenarios.
Module 6: Integrating Scenarios into Strategic Planning
- How scenario planning complements traditional strategic planning
- Using scenarios to inform strategic choices and resource allocation
- Developing “no-regret” moves and contingent strategies
- Creating “signposts” and early warning indicators for each scenario
- Establishing a continuous strategic review process informed by foresight
- Practical session: Identifying “no-regret” strategic actions that would be beneficial across all developed scenarios.
Module 7: Building Organizational Foresight Capabilities
- The role of a dedicated foresight function or team
- Fostering a culture of curiosity and future orientation
- Developing foresight skills across the organization
- Leveraging external experts and foresight networks
- Establishing a regular process for foresight activities
- Practical session: Brainstorming practical steps to embed foresight capabilities within an organization.
Module 8: Emerging Technologies and Future Trends Analysis
- Leveraging big data and AI for predictive analytics
- Analyzing the impact of specific emerging technologies (e.g., AI, Quantum Computing, Biotechnology)
- Understanding societal, economic, and geopolitical megatrends
- Identifying “wild cards” and black swan events
- Tools for horizon scanning and trend analysis
- Practical session: Researching and presenting on a specific emerging technology or megatrend and its potential strategic implications.
Module 9: Communicating Scenarios and Engaging Stakeholders
- Tailoring scenario communication for different audiences (e.g., board, employees, external partners)
- Using visual aids and storytelling to bring scenarios to life
- Facilitating workshops to engage stakeholders in scenario discussions
- Building shared understanding and alignment around plausible futures
- Overcoming resistance to new ideas and challenging assumptions
- Practical session: Preparing a short presentation to communicate one of the developed scenarios to a senior leadership team.
Module 10: Leading with Foresight for Future-Proofing Organizations
- The mindset and behaviors of a foresight-driven leader
- Making decisions under deep uncertainty and ambiguity
- Fostering innovation and adaptive capacity
- Building organizational resilience through proactive foresight
- Ensuring the strategic longevity and relevance of the organization
- Practical session: Developing a personal action plan for integrating foresight practices into their leadership role.
Requirements:
· Participants should be reasonably proficient in English.
· Applicants must live up to Armstrong Global Institute admission criteria.
Terms and Conditions
1. Discounts: Organizations sponsoring Four Participants will have the 5th attend Free
2. What is catered for by the Course Fees: Fees cater for all requirements for the training – Learning materials, Lunches, Teas, Snacks and Certification. All participants will additionally cater for their travel and accommodation expenses, visa application, insurance, and other personal expenses.
3. Certificate Awarded: Participants are awarded Certificates of Participation at the end of the training.
4. The program content shown here is for guidance purposes only. Our continuous course improvement process may lead to changes in topics and course structure.
5. Approval of Course: Our Programs are NITA Approved. Participating organizations can therefore claim reimbursement on fees paid in accordance with NITA Rules.
Booking for Training
Simply send an email to the Training Officer on training@armstrongglobalinstitute.com and we will send you a registration form. We advise you to book early to avoid missing a seat to this training.
Or call us on +254720272325 / +254725012095 / +254724452588
Payment Options
We provide 3 payment options, choose one for your convenience, and kindly make payments at least 5 days before the Training start date to reserve your seat:
1. Groups of 5 People and Above – Cheque Payments to: Armstrong Global Training & Development Center Limited should be paid in advance, 5 days to the training.
2. Invoice: We can send a bill directly to you or your company.
3. Deposit directly into Bank Account (Account details provided upon request)
Cancellation Policy
1. Payment for all courses includes a registration fee, which is non-refundable, and equals 15% of the total sum of the course fee.
2. Participants may cancel attendance 14 days or more prior to the training commencement date.
3. No refunds will be made 14 days or less before the training commencement date. However, participants who are unable to attend may opt to attend a similar training course at a later date or send a substitute participant provided the participation criteria have been met.
Tailor Made Courses
This training course can also be customized for your institution upon request for a minimum of 5 participants. You can have it conducted at our Training Centre or at a convenient location. For further inquiries, please contact us on Tel: +254720272325 / +254725012095 / +254724452588 or Email training@armstrongglobalinstitute.com
Accommodation and Airport Transfer
Accommodation and Airport Transfer is arranged upon request and at extra cost. For reservations contact the Training Officer on Email: training@armstrongglobalinstitute.com or on Tel: +254720272325 / +254725012095 / +254724452588
