Course Introduction
This Strategic Thinking, Analysis and Planning: Powerful Creative Thinking & Problem Solving training course provides executives and professionals with the strategic insight, analytical tools, and creative techniques required to navigate complex business environments and develop innovative solutions to strategic challenges.
In an increasingly uncertain and competitive world, organizations require leaders who can think strategically, analyze complex situations critically, and generate innovative ideas that translate into practical solutions and sustainable competitive advantage. This course integrates the disciplines of strategic thinking, innovation management, and creative problem solving, enabling participants to move from analysis and insight to action and execution.
Participants will explore how organizations formulate and implement strategy, how leaders can encourage innovation and creative thinking, and how structured problem-solving approaches can support better decision making and improved performance.
This Strategic Thinking, Analysis and Planning: Powerful Creative Thinking & Problem Solving training course will highlight:
- Understanding the principles and frameworks of strategic thinking and strategic planning
- Developing the ability to analyze complex business environments and competitive dynamics
- Stimulating new ways of thinking and acting to generate innovative ideas and strategic options
- Applying critical thinking and structured problem-solving tools to evaluate challenges and opportunities
- Using practical creativity techniques and management tools to generate, evaluate, and select new ideas
- Encouraging productive debate, collaboration, and innovation within teams and organizations
- Strengthening leadership capabilities required to execute strategy and lead change
Objectives
By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the foundations of strategy, innovation, and creative problem solving
- Apply strategic analysis frameworks to evaluate industries, markets, and competitive environments
- Use critical thinking and analytical methods to diagnose complex business challenges
- Generate and evaluate innovative strategic options and solutions
- Apply structured problem-solving approaches to support effective decision making
- Encourage innovation, creativity, and constructive debate within teams and organizations
- Align strategy, innovation initiatives, and operational objectives to improve organizational performance
Training Methodology
This training course is designed to be interactive, practical, and highly engaging, combining conceptual frameworks with hands-on tools and real-world applications.
Participants will benefit from a blended learning approach that integrates:
- Structured course presentations
- Interactive workshops and group exercises
- Real-world case studies and strategic scenarios
- Peer learning and facilitated discussions
- Practical application of analytical, creative thinking, and problem-solving tools
Throughout the training course, participants will work on practical exercises designed to strengthen their ability to analyze strategic challenges, generate innovative ideas, and develop actionable solutions.
This blended methodology ensures that participants not only acquire new knowledge but also develop the confidence and capability to apply strategic thinking, innovation practices, and problem-solving methods effectively in their organizations.
Organisational Impact
Organizations will benefit from delegates returning from the training course with a stronger ability to think strategically, encourage innovation, and solve complex business problems effectively.
Participants will be able to:
- Apply strategic thinking frameworks to improve decision making and planning
- Identify opportunities for innovation and business model improvement
- Strengthen problem-solving capabilities across teams and projects
- Encourage constructive debate and critical thinking to improve organizational performance
- Build stronger relationships with internal and external stakeholders
- Support the development of an organizational culture that encourages innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement
Personal Impact
Participants attending this training course will gain substantial personal and professional benefits. They will be able to:
- Develop greater confidence in addressing complex strategic and operational challenges
- Apply structured approaches to problem solving and decision making
- Promote more creative thinking and innovative ideas within their teams
- Improve the effectiveness of meetings, discussions, and collaborative work
- Strengthen their ability to lead strategic initiatives and innovation efforts
- Enhance their capability to communicate ideas, influence stakeholders, and support change
Who Should Attend?
This Strategic Thinking, Analysis and Planning: Powerful Creative Thinking & Problem Solving training course is suitable for a wide range of managers, executives, and professionals who wish to strengthen their ability to think strategically, generate innovative ideas, and solve complex organizational challenges.
The Oxford Management Centre training course will be particularly beneficial for:
- Engineers, designers, and technical specialists involved in innovation and problem solving
- Marketing, communications, and business development professionals
- Project managers seeking to improve strategic thinking and project outcomes
- Senior managers responsible for strategy execution and team performance
- Change managers aiming to influence innovation and cultural transformation
- Professionals such as lawyers, accountants, and consultants involved in organizational improvement and strategic initiatives
Course Outline
Strategic Foundations and Business Models
- Corporate strategy 101
- Strategic planning
- Revisiting the business model
- Business model canvas
- The starting point:
- Customer analysis
- Financial analysis
- How well are we playing the game we have chosen?
Strategic Analysis, Problem Solving, and Critical Thinking
- Frameworks for strategic external analysis:
- Competitive analysis
- PESTLE
- Porter’s five forces
- Benchmarking
- Understanding and analyzing business attractiveness
- How attractive is the game we have chosen to play?
- Frameworks for strategic internal analysis:
- Value chain
- McKinsey 7S
- Navigating technological complexity and change
- Where we want to be?
- Strategic thinking
- Decision making
- Problem solving and creative thinking
- Brainstorming
- Design thinking
- Understanding the creative individual
- Understanding personal motivation and mindset: Encouraging flow
- Critical thinking
Strategic Choice
- Addressing heuristics and biases
- The power of critical questions
- Strategic choice
- Goal setting
- VRIO and SWOT
- Review of strategic tools
- The 5 section strategic plan framework
- Risk management
Strategy Execution and Innovation Leadership
- Communicating strategy
- Assertively giving direction to others
- How will we get there?
- Business model innovation
- Exploring innovation
- Driving innovation in established companies
- Creating and sustaining a culture if innovation
- Corporate culture
- Aligning the organization with strategy
- From planning to execution
- Aligning and linking strategy with operational objectives
- Building a strategy team
- Team dynamics and roles in creative environments
- Lean and agile tools: improving work processes and meetings
- Feedback and coaching: Promoting performance improvement
- Stakeholders management
- Gaining commitment and buy-in
- Causes of organizational conflict
- Managing conflict
Leading Strategic Change
- Understanding the dynamics of strategic change
- The need for change management
- Approaches to organizational change
- Exploring underlying drivers of resistance to change
- The psychology behavioral patterns when change occurs
- Principles for a successful change
- A practical roadmap
- Final notes on strategy and strategic planning
- Why our management style matters
- Understanding you: Your personality & your values
- Leadership development planning
Certificate
On successful completion of this training course, Oxford Management Centre Certificate with eligible Continuing Professional Education credits (CPE) from National Registry of CPE Sponsor will be awarded to the delegates
We regret to inform you that there are currently no scheduled sessions for this course, so please let us know your preferred date and location and we will contact you soon.
