Strategy formation creates an opportunity for organizations and communities to translate shared purpose into clear direction and coordinated action. This course introduces practical, participatory approaches to building alignment in complex environments—training participants how to establish a compelling vision, assess readiness for change, and develop strategic directions that stakeholders can commit to and implement.
Design for inclusive participation and shared ownership
Structure strategy conversations so that diverse perspectives are surfaced, respected, and integrated, especially across roles, power dynamics, and competing priorities, so the resulting direction reflects collective ownership.
Build agreements through disciplined consensus-building
Facilitate processes that move groups beyond discussion into clear agreements, helping participants name what they align on, clarify trade-offs, and reduce ambiguity that undermines follow-through.
Generate buy-in from decision-makers and implementers
Engage stakeholders, formal leaders, and those responsible for execution in ways that strengthen commitment, reduce downstream resistance, and increase readiness to act on the plan.
Assess cultural readiness for change and implementation conditions
Identify the organizational and cultural realities—norms, capacities, contradictions, and constraints—that shape what is feasible, then use those insights to shape strategic directions that can be implemented in practice.
Develop strategic directions that hold under complexity
Guide groups to articulate strategic directions that are coherent, realistic, and adaptable, linking the “why” of change to actionable pathways while maintaining clarity about what must shift.