Class Details
Problem Solving and Decision-Making Course
Course summary
With the rapid and continuous changes in market conditions, customers' behaviour, and the technological landscape, it has become crucial for organisations to develop their decision-making capacity when operating in a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA).
This short course is tailored for organisations that recognise the importance of staff development as a strategic investment in navigating the VUCA world, which is essential to remaining competitive.
How do you frame complex problems amidst ambiguous and incomplete information? What new type of thinking and operating is needed to navigate unknowns? How to manage the risks associated with the introduction of new technologies? What are the frameworks and strategies of the new ways of problem solving?
Aims
This course will teach you practical tools and hands-on techniques for solving problems and making effective decisions. Through interactive activities and real-world case studies, you will learn to address the specific challenges of each VUCA dimension, apply tools like Backcasting, Cross-Impact Analysis, and the OODA Loop, and explore frameworks including Cynefin and system mapping.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- use different types of thinking when you cannot predict the future, and understand when to apply these thinking approaches
- analyse complex situations using the Cynefin framework
- understand how to prepare for rapid changes and associated decision-making
- apply frameworks and tools for uncovering unknowns when analysing problems.
Content
Problem solving and decision-making in a VUCA world
- Understanding the VUCA world
- Challenges in making decisions in VUCA
- Making decisions by addressing each dimension of a VUCA world
Tools to frame decision-making and problem complexity
- Backcasting as a tool for scenario planning
- Cross impact analysis
- The OODA loop
- Cynefin framework
- System mapping using rich map
- Experiment interventions in the system
- Mapping assumptions and exploring ignorance
Case study
- Traditional planning and problem-solving methods
- Initial responses and quick fixes
- Transition to resilient solutions
- Practical and impractical solutions
Who this course is for
Future leaders building their capacity to lead and make critical team-based decisions in the context of ambiguous and incomplete information for improved and safe operations.
Prerequisites
None
Delivery mode
- Face-to-face, presenter-taught workshop
- Online workshop via the platform Zoom
Materials
All course materials are provided electronically using Dropbox.
If you are attending a class taking place online, please ensure you have access to Miro.
Sessions
Location
Face-to-face (Venue TBA, Sydney)
Other information
If your upcoming class is Face-to-face (Venue TBA, Sydney), the class is located at the Camperdown/Darlington campus but the exact classroom and building has not been assigned.
The exact location on campus is confirmed approximately five business days from a class start date and you will then receive a course preparation email with this information.
Meet the facilitators
Leila Alem
Adjunct Professor Leila Alem brings 25+ years of experience in partnering with industry to solve complex problems and deliver impact in a range of industries. Her expertise includes designing award-winning digital products and new customer experiences leveraging emerging technologies such as AI, Wearables, AR/ VR and MR and using Design Thinking, Lean Start-up and Agile methodologies. She has over 10 years of experience in entrepreneurship, building new innovation programs and practices to drive client engagement. Her corporate entrepreneurship experience includes the government and consulting sectors.
Leila has an extensive experience in teaching at undergraduate, Master and corporate levels both in Australia and overseas. Her subjects include innovation, entrepreneurship, lean startup, design thinking, system thinking, technology disruptors etc. She has taught in the award-winning UTS Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation, in the University of Sydney Master of Design and UTS executive MBA. She won the 2013 NSW State Innovation Award in R&D and was a finalist for The Women Infotech Outstanding Career Achievements Award in 2015.
Leila holds a PhD is in Artificial Intelligence and is a member of the National AI Think Thank. Her research draws on real industry challenges to explore novel ways of working, learning and collaborating using AI, VR, AR and IOT. She has 150+ peer-reviewed publications and is the editor of books and international journals in the next frontiers of Human-Computer Interaction.
Leila is currently an Adjunct Professor in Human-Computer Interaction at UTS. She was Principal Consultant at Thoughtworks, a global innovation consulting firm, for 2 years and Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO for 23 years.
