Designing Solutions to Complex Business Problems

This training courseshows you how to solve difficult complex problems and develop better and faster solutions than traditional approaches offer. Participants will learn when and how to use System Dynamics, Design Thinking, Lean and Agile Methods as responses to the constant change in technology, population, and economic activity that are transforming the world, and increasing the complexity of today's business organizations.

• Understand how to apply the system dynamics and design thinking methods to design policies that lead the organisation to higher performance
• View problems from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders
• Explore powerful analytical tools and techniques that bring together different views
• Practice lean and agile analysis, planning and management techniques
• Judge and select a point of view in complex scenarios that corresponds with the most typical and the most specific circumstances
• Participate in groups exploring familiar and new problems
• Evaluate long-term drivers for change and the potential actions against organisational needs

• General managers and senior functional managers
• Executives who manage training and education
• COOs, executive vice presidents of operations, human resources managers
• Directors of organizational development and corporate strategy
• Professionals in technology-intensive sectors
• Project Management professionals
• Engineers needing to grapple with a complex business context

1. System Dynamics and Design Thinking –an overview
2. Recognizing complex problems and complex solutions
3. Characteristics of complex problems and the associated risks
4. The modeling process –from understanding to design
5. What does complexity mean in practice?
6. Complexity in strategy, operations and projects
7. The role of scenario planning
8. The learning cycle in strategy development and implementation
9. The role of strategic risk management
10. Recognizing and modeling causal loops
11. Understanding complexity: System Dynamics in action
12. What is Design Thinking?
13. The IDEO approach
14. A Design Thinking Process
15. Integrating System Dynamics, Design Thinking, Agile and Lean
16. The role of prototyping, experiments and Kaizen

• Presentation & Slides
• Audio Visual Aids
• Interactive Discussion
• Participatory Exercise
• Action Learning
• Class Activities
• Case Studies
• Workshops
• Simulation