Adaptive thinking for complex policy development (Weeks 1-5)

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.

Foresighting skills to design and implement adaptive practices (Weeks 8-12) 

This course will present the principles and practices of system thinking and scenario planning as two key methodologies that will serve as critical decision-support tools in developing adaptive practices and inform strategy and policy development to enhance organisational performance. 

The capacity to make decisions in a rapidly changing, complex and uncertain operating landscape is becoming increasingly challenging. Much of what we witness is unpredictable and becoming increasingly difficult to manage. Leaders and managers in government and business need new frameworks and processes to better understand complexity and uncertainty. These frameworks and processes will enable them to develop and lead adaptive organisations so as to respond to the adaptive nature of business and society. 

Key topics include:

• An overview of the nature of change, complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity;
• An overview of the concepts and principles of systems thinking, complex adaptive systems; 
• An overview of foresight work and the practices of scenario planning.

Strategic thinking and planning in a complex and uncertain world (Weeks 15-19) 

How can we develop strategy in a complex and uncertain landscape? In this course, you will learn how to draw on the principles of systems thinking and complex adaptive systems to frame new approaches for planning that enable the development of outcomes, objectives and actions to be developed with sufficient flexibility that will enable change in direction to changing circumstances.

Key topics include:

• Framing strategic thinking and planning in an uncertain and complex policy environment
• Understanding the nature of change and how that influences the nature of policy and strategy development
• Understanding ambiguity and uncertainty when undertaking strategic thinking and strategic planning and how to respond to each
• Models and frameworks for strategic thinking and planning
• Principles of Systems Thinking and Complex Adaptive Systems to understand complex and uncertain business/policy landscape
• Application of models and principles for undertaking strategic thinking and planning
• Understanding and managing entrained human behaviour patterns and their impact on strategy development