Course aim
The business landscape is populated by varied organisations directed by a wide variety of people. There are different kinds of boards, most entrepreneurial in nature, that exhibit different styles of management and direction.

Strategy is concerned with ensuring that the company creates value in the long term for its principal stakeholders. It is about the direction of travel, a roadmap for which this direction can be achieved.

Strategy must also create advantage for the organisation over its competition. The environment in which all companies operate is increasingly complex, technologically connected, and influenced by social, political and environmental factors. The director must be able to navigate their organisation through these challenging waters.

Who can attend
This course is aimed at aspirant and current directors, keen to develop their strategic thought process and assess the organisations strategy.

This course also features as part of the Director Development programme.

What to expect
This course provides directors with the ability to understand their role in the creation and implementation of strategy. It encompasses the overall organisational strategy, by which companies fulfil their purpose and achieve objectives. This can be viewed as a return on investment for a business owner, or a fulfilment of a company’s role in society with the investment of resources.

Programme
This course will cover the following:

• Section 1 - The Director’s Role in Strategy
  • What is Strategy? How is it part of good corporate governance?
  • Strategic analysis: where are we now?
  • Foundations for strategy (mission and purpose review)
  • External analysis tools
  • Internal analysis tools
  • Current state assessment
• Section 2 - The Director’s Role in Strategic Thinking
  • Determining a future state
  • Define goals and a vision for the future
  • Business and value proposition
  • Risk appetite
  • Generating strategic options
  • Determining strategic goals and objectives
• Section 3 - The Director’s Role in Strategic Planning
  • Long- and short-term planning
  • Resourcing, systems and people capacity
  • Risk assessment
  • Barriers to implementation
• Section 4 - The Director’s Role in Strategic Implementation
  • Leadership communication and commitment
  • Business plan implementation
  • Data and intelligence capture
  • Management oversight
  • Monitoring and reporting performance

Course objectives
Participation on this course will enable you to:

• Understand what strategy is and how a board uses it
• Appreciate the strategic importance of a clear purpose as provided by mission and values
• Appreciate the basis of strategic thinking
• Increase awareness of the information required to create and manage strategy
• Apply a range of techniques to assess the internal and external environment and its potential impact on strategy
• Expand your knowledge of creativity and analysis, and rigorous decision making
• Risk assess and monitor performance
• Understand the role of the board in implementing strategy