Strategic Decision-Making for Leaders

Organisational leaders are often called to make strategic decisions in uncertain and complex situations in which information is ambiguous, ‘unknown unknowns’ and ‘Black Swans’ are rampant, and time is of the essence. Ambiguity is exacerbated by the fact that decisions are never “objective” as described in the fact sheets – they have to reflect wishes of multiple actors and allegiances and support from parties who interact with the decision maker in relationships and cultural frames. Effective decision-making requires the adoption of decision approaches that fit the complexities of these situations, and the efficient management of decision-making processes. It also requires the ability to think strategically in highly interactive markets and acute insights into the psychology behind people’s behaviour.
Effective decision-making skills can be trained, and this programme blends theory and practice to help you become a more effective decision-maker. You will learn about the main sources of decision failures at individual level (when uncertainty overwhelms us), at the group and organisational level (where we are “biased” by social interactions and implicit cultural assumptions), and at the level of strategic decisions in a competitive marketplace (where you need to intuit and pre-empt the behaviour of competitors and customers). These three levels are guided by different sets of thinking frameworks, and you will leave the programme equipped with practical tools and techniques specifically designed to improve the quality of your decision making at each level (example tools include counterfactual reasoning, robustness thinking, the social emotions as motivation drivers, a framework of cultural filters, and judo and nudge strategies).