The Strategic Leader Strategic Planning, Negotiation and Conflict Management

The Strategic Leader: Strategic Planning, Negotiation and Conflict Management

OBJECTIVES

• Understand the concepts of “strategy” and “strategic plans”, and to demystify the strategic process
• Learn the key stages in the entire process, providing a takeaway toolkit for each key stage and each delegates
• Apply to Management issues,  learn option generation, opportunity cost, choice and implementation phases of strategy
• To understand the process of change, planning, organizational strategy and change
• Get confidence in your ability and you develop a strategic process for a changing organization
• Understand the importance of negotiating in today’s business climate
• Identify the sources of conflict in the professional environment
• Gain awareness of your own style in approaching conflict and negotiation
• Practice and develop key skills in handling conflict including mediation
• Learn how to achieve true win:win results  & expand your range of negotiating skills
• Be able to use a three-step planning guide to analyse and prepare for a negotiation

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

This seminar is designed for professionals from any industry. You may find it hard to take a “bigger picture” view of business issues – both within and outside of the strategic planning process. Typically you will have some experience of planning but present and future job challenges imply that you need to step up to a new level of competence in this area, or simply in strategic thinking generally.

You will also recognize that involvement in conflict management and negotiation is an increasing part of every professional’s day to day life and a vital skill to master as you progress through your career. You will already have some experience in this area but would now wish to build on this with some formal training.

COURSE OUTLINE

Day 1 – Strategic Thinking and Analysis

• What is strategy/strategic planning?
• What forms can it take?
• Evaluating strategic options – using state of the art processes
• Case study in the car industry
• Understanding market attractiveness – “PEST” factors, growth drivers, competitive forces: with service industry case study
• Benchmarking your own strategic position/competitor analysis

Strategic Breakthroughs and Implementation

• Overview of day one
• Understanding and benchmarking customer value
• Diagnosing strategic problems
• Strategic diagnosis, option evaluation, implementation and change: case study of a strategic review in the Luxury Health Resort Industry
• Applying implementation techniques and stakeholder analysis to issues in your role: the Mini-Strategy Process

Day 2 – Scenarios and Strategic Innovation

• Review of the tools so far
• Thinking future: using scenario story telling to see around corners – at corporate, business, project, individual levels
• Case study with competitor role-playing and scenario development in the carpet cleaning industry
• Checklists for being more creative
• Applying the mini-strategy process again – value-reengineering with the Sandals’ weddings case study

Strategic Influencing and Action

• Getting buy-in organisationally to strategies
• Becoming a more effective internal strategic influencer/consultant – and also facilitating strategy/running strategic workshops
• The Innovative Loo case study?: using “rich pictures” (visual strategies) and creativity checklists to design a new product, to assess its potential, and to influence key stakeholders
• Exercise on one’s own influencing skills
• Using strategic project management to turn a strategic plan into reality

Day 3 – Getting the value out of strategy

• Business plans, business cases and putting a value on strategy – the business value system and value and cost drivers
• Exercise in the football industry to develop and put a value on options for a major football club – with simulated meeting with its Chief Executive (influencing skills practice)
• Strategic options in your own career
• Action planning: translating these ideas into future practice through projects, through everyday work, and through process handover.

Negotiation and Conflict Management in Organizations

• Identifying difficult situations where negotiation is a preferred strategy
• The sources of conflict in organizations
• How and why does conflict escalate?
• Personal style and preference in approaching conflict
• Handling conflict effectively

Day4 – Influencing and Negotiating

• Assessing personal strengths in influencing and negotiation skills
• The four styles of effective communication
• Developing style flexibility
• The core skills of questioning and listening
• Exploring the use of different styles in different situations

Planning and Preparing for an Effective Negotiation

• The four possible outcomes and results of a negotiation
• The OPEC model for managing the process of a negotiation
• Personal strengths in managing process and communication style
• Using a three step planning guide
• Negotiating from value not cost
• Wants and needs – the importance of identifying need

Day 5 –Negotiating for Win: Win

• Strategic and tactical negotiation approaches
• Identifying power balance and building up your power base
• Deciding your opening position
• Exploring options for successful exchanges
• Using negotiating tactics effectively
• Putting together a deal

Negotiating in Difficult Situations

• International and cross cultural negotiations
• Negotiating by telephone
• Working in negotiation teams
• Building resistance and dealing with tactics and ‘tricks’
• Applying learning to a range of organization situations