Executive Education Adaptive thinking for complex policy development

Frameworks and processes to understand and enable adaptive change in complex and uncertain policy environments.

How to lead and manage in a complex and uncertain business landscape.

A range of global and national forces inter-relate with each other and surge and decline at different times and at different scales to create the complexity and uncertainty that we experience on a day-to-day basis. Much of what we witness is self-organising and emergent which means that it is unpredictable. The increased level of uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity creates a highly challenging environment for policy and strategy developers.

To be able to lead and manage effectively in such a dynamic world, decision-makers in government and business need new frameworks and processes to better understand complexity and uncertainty. This course enables you to build your current and future capability and expertise to better understand complexity and uncertainty and develop programs and processes that will support adaptation within the organisation and the society that you serve.

Key topics include:

An overview of the concepts and principles of complex adaptive systems;
Application through group-work of those principles to contemporary issues identified by participants to better understand complexity and how to respond to it;
The role of institutions like the Reserve Bank of Australia.
An overview of how we can use the concepts of complex adaptive systems (CAS) to better understand human behaviour relating to decision-making, strategy and policy development and the implications for leading and managing as adaptive organisation and projects.

At a glance

Format: Online

Duration: 5 weeks (excluding orientation)

Commitment: 4-5 hours per week

Cost: $1,495 (or $1,195 for early bird registrations by 25 June)

Start/end date: 25 July - 22 August 2025 with a course orientation / meet and greet on 22 July

Group discounts available.

Testimonials

…I currently work in a strategic role to which I can immediately apply my increased understanding of how to operate in complex environments or with complex policy issues. Importantly the course equipped me with better understanding and narratives on how to support a team to navigate through and achieve results in the inherent uncertainty of complex environments.

Real-world Application

This course enables participants to build their current and future capability and expertise to better understand complexity and uncertainty and develop programs and processes that will support adaptation within the organisation and the society that they serve. The principles and practices of complex adaptive systems will be presented. Participants will use these principles to explore contemporary and emerging issues to develop adaptive responses.

Course curriculum

Module 1 Introduction
Module 2 What are complex adaptive systems?
Module 3 How people work together for strategy and policy development through the lens of CAS
Module 4 What we need to focus on in the future

Session schedule

This course will run as an online and distance program in 2025. It is scheduled to run across 5 weeks, 25 July - 22 August 2025 with a course orientation / meet and greet on 22 July. Specific dates and times to note in your diary are as follows:

10am-11am Tuesday 22 July 2025 – course introduction/meet and greet session
10am-11:30am Friday 25 July 2025
10am-11:30am Friday 1 August 2025
10am-11:30am Friday 15 August 2025
10am-11:30am Friday 22 August 2025

Note: Dates and times are in Canberra time (AEST). The calendar invite for each session should automatically adjust to your timezone when you add it to your calendar. You can check at a site like this to be sure.

Register now

Learning outcomes

Understand how to lead and manage in a complex and volatile environment
Understand how to lead and support cultural change
Apply skills and techniques that will assist adaptive policy and strategy development
Apply the principles of complex adaptive systems to better understand complex environments
Understand how people work together using the frameworks and principles of complex adaptive systems
Understand the worldview of complex adaptive systems

Who is this course for?

Managers who are required to develop strategy and policy in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous operating environment.
Project leaders who are responding to complex problems, yet do not believe nor feel that they are gaining a sense of satisfaction through their efforts.
This course is suitable for APS6 - SES, or equivalent level.

Presenter

Dr Gary Saliba

Dr Gary Saliba is the Director of Strategic Journeys, a management consulting company, which assists people in organisations in strategy development work.

The unique role of Gary and his company is the integration of systems thinking, complex adaptive systems with futures studies and strategy development. This approach has enabled him to consult extensively across a range of government and commercial enterprises to develop organisational strategy that is based on plausible futures, using the scenario development methodology.

Gary’s approach is to work with people to enhance their processes in understanding their organisation’s operating environment and their own ways of operating. This leads to more informed decision-making and improved responsiveness and flexibility in an increasingly complex environment.

Gary holds a BSc(Hons), PhD in Applied Mathematics and Dip Ed from the University of Sydney. He is a Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Online training: How it works

This is a real-time, date-specific course, in which you will join live classes, engage and connect with experts, other course participants and the Executive Education team. Here’s how it works:

Pre-course live session. This is an opportunity for you to grab a cuppa and join our meet and greet before the course commences.
Practice + Study. Set aside up to 2 hours per day – this time commitment will vary depending on how deeply you choose to engage with the material. It is up to you.
Course pack. Each participant will receive a carefully curated workbook, which includes everything you need to guide you through the course.
Live sessions with presenter. This is a specified date and time for you to come together with the presenter and other participants to consolidate your learning.
Post-course. On completion of the course, you will receive your post-course resources for your reference and further learning.

Why choose online training?

No time off work – study and practice when you can.
Busy schedule? No problem, you can go at your own pace, join just the live classes, and do the course work whenever suits you best. We know that work and family obligations can be overwhelming. Mix and match the schedule to fit your life.
No travel. This is a course right at your fingertips. With no travel expenses, this is a very affordable option for high-level training with world-leading experts.
Live interaction with world-leading experts. You’ll have direct access to all the best resources and trainers.
Working remotely? With the online and distance format, we welcome participants from around the world to join us.

FAQs

What if I can’t make a live session? No problem, we understand you are busy. Live sessions are recorded for you to catch up in your own time.

What if I’m in a different time zone? All advertised course times from 6th October 2024 to 6th April 2025 are scheduled in Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) otherwise known as GMT+11. From 6th April 2025 scheduled times are Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) or GMT+10. Convert for your time zone here.

What if I am not tech savvy? As long as you have access to a phone or computer, you will have no problems. Our online courses require a working laptop, desktop or smart device with good internet connection. Bring your headset. Join the tech-check session for support and insider tips.

I would like to purchase multiple courses, are there any discounts available? Yes, discount offers are available if you would like to book multiple courses throughout the year. You may contact us to discuss further options.

I work for a company or organisation that would like to enrol multiple employees in the same time. Is it possible? Yes, discounted rates are available for groups attending from the same organisation. Get in touch with us if you want to register as a group.

Can’t find the answers are you looking for? Contact our team for support at csee@anu.edu.au.

Related programs

Take a closer at the Graduate Certificate of Asia-Pacific Economies

Master of International Development & Economics

Take a closer look at our Master of International and Development Economics

Interested in registering?

Email us now to register

Check our FAQs

Take a look at our full course list