This seminar brings together the key strategic leadership skills of strategic planning, negotiation and conflict management required to succeed in today’s complex and challenging business environment.

'Strategy' is as it says in the classic text 'the art of war', complex yet when understood very simple, those who have a successful strategy are in control of the upcoming events.

The implementation of strategies often requires the ability to exert influence and negotiate effectively. Negotiation is not litigation, neither is it war. Negotiation is not about obtaining total victory. Total victory by one party tends to be short lived. Negotiation and conflict management are key strategic management and leadership skills and are probably the single most used skills in business today.

This seminar will enable you to:

• Challenge your preconceptions about strategic planning, negotiation and conflict management;
• Understand the content of strategy - unravelled, demystified and translated into everyday language;
• Learn how to implement the strategic planning process and get real value out of the process,
• Learn how to analyse the much-misunderstood concept of win-win negotiation;
• Obtain the essential tools and practical skills for the planning and management of the negotiation and conflict process, thereby developing the ability to negotiate value-creating solutions.

The seminar is split into two modules:

MODULE I - Strategy and Strategic Planning

MODULE II - Negotiation and Conflict Management in Organisations

Each module is structured and can be taken as a stand-alone course; however, delegates will maximise their benefits by taking Module 1 and 2 back-to-back as a two-week seminar.

By the end of this programme you will be able to:

• Learn the key stages in the entire process, providing a takeaway toolkit for each key stage and each delegates
• Apply to management issues, learn option generation, opportunity cost, choice and implementation phases of strategy
• To understand the process of change, planning, organisational strategy and change
• Identify the sources of conflict in the professional environment
• Gain awareness of your own style in approaching conflict and negotiation
• Learn how to achieve true win-win results & expand your range of negotiating skills
• Be able to use a three-step planning guide to analyse and prepare for a negotiation

The training process is based on a carefully planned mix of succinct tutor input with the practical illustration of tools and concepts, group work on case studies (some are video based), role play exercises with feedback, self assessment questionnaires and group discussion to develop the themes around participants’ own experiences and needs. Team involvement and working enable a strategy to be created from start to finish.

This is a highly interactive seminar, using a mix of case studies, role play exercises, self assessment questionnaires, presentations and group discussion to develop the themes around participants’ own experiences and needs. It presents an opportunity for delegates to practice the skills taught using a variety of hands-on negotiation exercises that stress participation and that reinforce and build on the comprehensive course materials.

• Improved planning, implementation, results and strategic leadership
• Integration of strategy, finance, and operations
• Much better decision-taking and time and resource allocation - leading to better organisational and individual performance
• Use of a well proven planning process & more effective implementation
• Learn to develop the range of skills and competencies required to manage conflict and negotiate effectively.
• Gain the knowledge and confidence to tackle negotiations in a collaborative and constructive manner that produces added value outcomes

As a direct result of attending this course you will:

• Develop new skills and thinking processes for you and the organisation
• Increasing behavioural flexibility and career flexibility (vertically and horizontally)
• Accelerated thinking speed and problem resolution for all difficult dilemmas
• Far greater motivation and proactivity
• Provide a deep understanding of personal conflict resolution style
• Develop the confidence and ability to influence others and obtain better results through an understanding of how to deal with difficult situations and tough negotiations

Module I

Strategy and Strategic Planning

DAY 1 : Strategic Thinking and Business Analysis

• What are strategy and strategic planning?
• Why are strategy and strategic planning important?
• What are the main conceptual frameworks?
• External analysis - understanding and analyzing business attractiveness - macroenvironmental factors, growth drivers, competitive forces, market dynamics
• Benchmarking your own strategic position/competitor analysis
• Analyzing customers
• “Thinking backwards from the customer”
• Mini-case on importance of external analysis

DAY 2 : Internal analysis and fusion of analyses into strategic options

• The interface of external and internal analysis
• Internal analysis: financial
• Internal analysis; non-financial
• The concept and practicalities of the “balanced scorecard”
• Diagnosing strategic problems and opportunities
• Fusion of analyses into strategic choices - SWOT and the strategy matrix
• Case examples of strategic choice
• Mini-case on importance of internal analysis

DAY 3 : Strategic plans and the relevance of alliances and joint ventures

• Review of the tools used so far
• The content of a strategy: avoiding “paralysis by analysis”
• Putting a strategic plan together – the 5-page framework
• A real-life example of a business strategy/strategic plan
• Strategies for alliances and joint ventures
• Example of best practice in alliances and joint ventures
• Introduction and briefing for the main case study
• First-phase group work on the main case study

DAY 4 : Global strategy, teambuilding and the management of internal communication

• The essence of globalization and global strategy
• Globalization – the strategic dimension
• Globalization – the organizational dimension
• Globalization – the human dimension
• How to build and manage a strategic planning team
• Communicating strategy through the organization
• Gaining your team’s commitment and buy-in to the strategy
• Second-phase work on the main case study

DAY 5 : Strategic implementation and getting the value out of strategy

• Final-phase work on the main case study
• Group presentations of the main case study
• Effective execution - converting strategic analysis and planning into action
• Linking strategy with operational objectives
• Implementation – getting practical things done
• Strategic planning of your own career
• Creating tomorrow’s organization out of today’s organization
• Conclusion - the corporate and individual value of strategic thinking

Module II

Negotiation and Conflict Management in Organisations

DAY 6 : Negotiation and Conflict Management

• Negotiation theory and practice – negotiation defined
• Power and society – the rise of negotiation and conflict management
• The sources of conflict in the organisation
• Conflict escalation and steps to prevent it
• Conflict management strategies
• The two distinct approaches to negotiation
• Understanding your own negotiation style
• Negotiation as a mixed motive process

DAY 7 : Practical Negotiation Strategies

• Strategic and tactical negotiation approaches to negotiation
• Value claiming distributive negotiation strategies
• BATNA, Reserve point, Target point
• Opening offers, Anchors, Concessions
• Value creating Integrative negotiation strategies
• Sharing information, diagnostic questions & unbundling issues
• Package deals, multiple offers and post-settlement settlements
• The four possible outcomes of a negotiation

DAY 8 : Negotiation Planning, Preparing and Power

• Wants and needs – distinguishing between interests and positions
• A three step model for negotiation preparation
• Your position, their position and the situation assessment
• Understanding the sources of negotiating power
• Altering the balance of power
• The power of body language
• Understanding thoughts from body language
• Dealing with confrontational negotiators

DAY 9 : Mediation skills – a powerful negotiation tool

• Communication and questioning
• Active listening in negotiation
• ADR processes – putting negotiation in context
• Negotiation, Mediation, Arbitration and Litigation
• Mediation as a facilitated negotiation
• Techniques of the mediator - practical mediation skills to help resolve disputes
• Working in negotiation teams
• Mediation in practice – mediation exercise

DAY 10 : International and Cross Cultural Negotiations

• International and cross cultural negotiations
• Cultural Values and Negotiation Norms
• Advice for cross cultural negotiators
• Putting together a deal
• Team international negotiation exercise
• Applying learning to a range of organisational situations
• Summary session and questions