Steering Through Change: A Mini Professional Master's Program in Strategic Planning and Change Leadership (Online / Remote)
1Summary
Most strategic plans don't fail on paper — they fail in the messy process of getting an organization to actually change how it works. In an age defined by volatility, uncertainty and fast-moving technology, the ability to think strategically and lead change effectively has become one of the most valuable leadership skills there is. This program equips professionals with the knowledge and tools to build forward-looking strategy and manage change in dynamic organizational settings.
It covers the full strategic planning cycle — environmental analysis, goal-setting, implementation and monitoring — alongside the human and operational side of leading change. Participants gain practical insight into aligning organizational vision with operational capability, and learn proven models for taking people through transformation with minimal disruption and maximum buy-in, through the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy.
2Objectives and target group
Who Should Attend?
- Senior managers and executives involved in organizational strategy, and business unit leaders driving performance and innovation
- HR and OD professionals managing organizational transformation
- Project and program managers on strategic initiatives, and professionals preparing for leadership roles that require strategic foresight
What Participants Walk Away With:
- A solid grasp of the core concepts and process of strategic planning
- Practical tools for internal and external environmental analysis
- The ability to design strategies that are actually aligned with organizational goals
- Change management frameworks for leading and sustaining change
- The leadership capability to manage resistance and win stakeholder buy-in
3Course Content
Module 1: Why Change Efforts Struggle
- The types and drivers of organizational change, planned versus emergent
- How organizations typically respond to change
- Change management models — Lewin's 3-step model, Kotter's 8 steps, and an overview of ADKAR
- The psychology of change: how people react to uncertainty, and the emotional stages they move through
Module 2: Planning Change and Bringing People Along
- Setting objectives and metrics for a change initiative, and identifying change agents and teams
- Building a roadmap for the transition
- Mapping stakeholders, planning communication and messaging, and tracking engagement through feedback loops
- Anticipating sources of resistance, and using empowerment and participation to reduce friction
Module 3: Leading Change and Shaping Culture
- Inspiring vision and commitment, and building the credibility and trust needed to sustain momentum
- Diagnosing cultural misalignment and using culture as an enabler of strategy
- Reinforcing culture through behavior and symbols
- Identifying influencers and change agents, supporting internal advocates, and celebrating early wins
Module 4: Making Change Stick
- Aligning policies, processes and systems with the change, and integrating it with performance management
- Building a continuous improvement mindset
- Running post-implementation reviews and measuring ROI on change initiatives
- Capturing lessons learned and institutionalizing what worked for future initiatives
Module 5: What Strategy Really Means
- The concept of strategy in modern organizations, and how it differs from tactical and operational planning
- The role of strategic thinking in leadership
- Strategy at the corporate, business-unit and functional level, and how it's owned and delegated across the organization
- The real benefits of strategic planning, and the common pitfalls that get in the way
Module 6: Reading the Environment Before You Plan
- Assessing the external environment using the PESTLE framework, industry trends and market dynamics
- Evaluating the internal environment: resources, capabilities, value chain, culture and structure
- Building a SWOT matrix and linking internal strengths to external opportunities
- Addressing weaknesses and threats strategically
Module 7: Setting Direction — Vision, Mission and Values
- The elements of an effective vision statement, and how to communicate it across the organization
- Defining organizational purpose through the mission statement, aligned with stakeholder expectations
- Using vision and mission to differentiate from competitors
- Embedding core values into behavior, policy and decision-making, and aligning culture with those values
Module 8: Turning Direction Into Goals and Action
- Setting strategic objectives using SMART and CLEAR frameworks, linked to vision and mission
- Defining effective KPIs, including leading versus lagging indicators, across different functional areas
- Prioritizing goals and building a goal hierarchy
- Cascading goals through the organization, assigning accountability, and planning resources and timelines
Module 9: Competing on Purpose
- Analyzing industry structure and competitive pressure using Porter's Five Forces
- Finding uncontested market space with Blue Ocean strategy, and creating new demand through innovation
- Growth strategies: market penetration, development and diversification
- Strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and balancing risk against growth potential
Module 10: Making Strategy Real
- Aligning organizational structure, delegation and communication flow with the strategy
- Integrating cross-functional collaboration into execution
- Leadership's role in driving execution from the top and empowering middle management
- Monitoring the strategy through milestone reviews, feedback mechanisms, and staying agile enough to adjust