FOSTER WHOLE SYSTEMS CHANGE WITH STRATEGIC CONVERSATIONS
A lack of strategic thinking and planning in organizations is costly. The greatest expense is the investment of time and resources into activities that do not support company goals or the mission. In addition, employees show up, do their work, and go home. This results in missed opportunities. Without a context for their work, employees are not inspired to think or plan creatively about process improvement, innovation, or cost savings. And anyone who has tried knows, it can be a struggle to get teams to buy-in to strategic goals, much less think and work in alignment with those goals.
BOOTCAMP OVERVIEW:
Develop your capacity to foster whole system strategic planning, thinking, and leading with Strategic Conversations. Organizations poised for growth and success have leaders who are adopting strategic thinking as an on-going way of doing business and strategic planning that engages employees across the whole organization as well as external stakeholders. They engage everyone in developing agile plans, cycles of experimentation and learning, innovation, and measuring actions against relevant metrics.
Strategic Conversations Bootcamp will teach you how to incorporate two powerful methodologies – SOAR and the Appreciative Inquiry 5-D Cycle – to support and develop your capacity to have strategic conversations at the level of the individual, team, division, and the whole organization or community.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
This bootcamp will prepare you to engage your teams in strategic conversations that can:
- Increase productivity, engagements, and organizational effectiveness;
- Reduce costs, misalignment, and conflicts;
- Improve customer service levels;
- Innovate in the face of challenges;
- Make a positive contribution to the bottom line.
Using two very powerful methodologies (SOAR and the Appreciative Inquiry 5-D Cycle), you will have the tools to engage teams from a whole system perspective in conversations to:
- Address short- and long-term challenges, systems, and innovation;
- Explore strengths, dynamic capabilities, and opportunities;
- Develop or re-evaluate organization’s values, vision, and mission statements;
- Set goals, objectives, strategies, and action plans;
- Clarify roles, relationships, and expectations;
- Track progress through regular cycles of action learning.
BOOTCAMP MODULES:
The Strategic Conversations Bootcamp consists of four (4) modules. Click on any of the module titles below to display the purpose and learning objectives for each session.
PURPOSE: Appreciate the value of strategic thinking and adopt an appreciative framework for strategic conversations.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Understand the importance of strategic conversations and the role generative questions and positive framing play.
- Practice framing and asking generative questions for simple strategic conversations.
- Recognize the 3 key factors of strategic conversations and the basic principles for leading them.
- Adopt an Appreciative Inquiry framework for strategic thinking.
PURPOSE: Learn how to use SOAR to frame strategic conversations.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Understand the SOAR Framework for strategic thinking.
- Experience SOAR as a positive approach for strategic conversations.
- Practice positive framing and generative questions using SOAR at various levels in the organization.
PURPOSE: Entertain strategic conversations at scale, e.g., strategic planning or whole system change, using the Appreciative Inquiry 5-D Cycle.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Learn how you engage whole systems in strategic conversations.
- Use the two Appreciative Inquiry practices – positive framing and generative questions – to frame a topic and craft an inquiry.
- Identify opportunities to facilitate whole system conversations.
PURPOSE: Build capacity for practical application of SOAR and the Appreciative Inquiry 5-D Cycle.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Deepen your capacity to foster strategic conversations.
- Design and share a prototype for a strategic conversation.
- Practice giving and receiving feedforward.
ADDITIONAL BOOTCAMP INFORMATION:
SUGGESTED READING
The Conversations Worth Having (CWH) Bootcamps are built upon the book, Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement (2nd Edition) written by Jackie Stavros and Cheri Torres.
This book demonstrates how Appreciative Inquiry (AI) – one of the most widely used approaches for fostering positive change for individuals, groups, organizations, and communities – can help everyone communicate better and flourish in all areas of their lives.
METHOD OF DELIVERY
To maximize flexibility, accessibility, and engagement, The Conversations Worth Having bootcamps can be delivered in various modalities. All participants will achieve the same learning outcomes no matter which learning option they choose.
IN-PERSON
One-day, on-site training covering the 4 Strategic Conversation Bootcamp modules, plus applied learning and practice.
VIRTUAL
Participate in two 2.5 hour LIVE webinars that cover the 4 Strategic Conversation Bootcamp modules with applied learning and practice.
HYBRID
Blends in-person and online learning to meet your needs & learning outcomes. Online learning can consist of virtual or on-demand.
ON-DEMAND
Enjoy the flexibility of completing the Strategic Conversation Bootcamp online at your own time and pace.
PROGRAM OFFERED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
WANT TO TRAIN YOUR TEAM?
Private training sessions are available for groups and organizations who wish to train a large number of individuals in Conversations Worth Having. CWH can be delivered in-person or virtually. Complete the CONTACT US form to receive more information about hosting a private CWH for your group.
QUESTIONS?
Do you have questions about this training? Please email your questions to Kelly Stewart at Kelly@CenterForAppreciativeInquiry.net.
