Leaders’ Meeting – “Strategy at the Crossroads: New Directions for Planning”.
On September 14, 2023, we are holding another leaders’ meeting.
This time we want to talk about strategy in changing, unpredictable times.
“We need more strategic thinking and less planning.” – Henry Mintzberg, professor of management at INSEAD, urges .
We are noticing how the old thinking about strategic planning no longer fits the dynamic reality. Vision and strategic direction have taken precedence over rigid plans. But are we ready for this?
This meeting is for you if:
- You are a leader and are looking for inspiration in the area of strategy implementation, stakeholder engagement, and turning visions into realistic plans.
- You want to get involved in helping the Center for Civic Education build strategic directions and concrete solutions.
- You are willing and able to spend 4 hours working in an interdisciplinary group: sharing corporate, organizational experiences or implementing challenging projects and engaging people for change.
The meeting will begin with a panel discussion with experts who are involved in strategy building and implementation in various industries and contexts.
We will talk to Olga Sobieraj – CEO, Olga Sobieraj & Co , Strategy Consultant, Krystian Botko, Co-Founder of Anystar, and Jedrzej Witkowski President of the Board of the Center for Civic Education Foundation.
Panel topics:
- In the fast-paced world of BANI, VUCA – does strategic planning still make sense?
- Is cascading changes and decisions feasible at this rate?
- How do you turn a vision into an action plan?
- If not 20th century strategic planning, then what’s next?
SOCIAL IMPACT*, or strategic thinking in action.
The second part of the meeting is a Time Machine simulation, an experience of an engaging team technique for building an ambitious vision by activating strategic thinking in a diverse team. We will use it to collectively experience supporting this year’s Game Changers Academy scholarship recipient, the Center for Civic Education**.
The author of this method, Scott Cochrane, tapped into our courage in thinking about the future. Thanks to the discoveries of neuroscience, he facilitated the removal of limitations and blockages from our thinking system, resulting from beliefs or the situation at hand.
This is how Time Machine technology operates.
Together we will create an engaging, inspiring and socially meaningful experience. One that works best with a diverse team of leaders and experts from different organizations and worlds. By activating and coaching strategic thinking, we have the opportunity to support the Center for Civic Education in developing non-obvious solutions and inspiring visions.
“The most effective strategies are visions, not plans”. – Henry Mintzberg says.
Once again, as part of the GCA Social Impact program, we will work together on a specific challenge of one of the largest NGOs in Poland.
After the simulation, we will invite you for refreshments, networking and exchange of ideas behind the scenes.
Game Changers Academy – SOCIAL IMPACT*.
This is an annual initiative in which we join forces to support a selected NGO dealing with systemic and large-scale solutions to social challenges. We work in one of three areas: Climate, Education, and Public Health. To date, Game Changers Academy has funded as many as 9 scholarships for representatives of the non-profit sector, and this will be the fourth time we have organized GCA Social Impact sessions. In previous years, we supported, among others, the Children’s Memorial Health Center IP and the area of public health – as a result, the KIDS Foundation – Children’s Hospital Innovators Club was established. In 2021, we worked with the Give Children Strength Foundation (reported here), focusing on the issue of disseminating standards to protect children from abuse. We dedicated 2022 to climate issues, supporting a team from one of the international organizations, the United Nations – specifically, the UN Global Compact Poland initiative.
Center for Civic Education**
Poland’s largest educational non-profit organization. The CEO inspires change in schools so that schools teach more effectively and young people are more engaged in their education, better understand the modern world and are able to change it.
CEO runs a publishing house, a teacher training facility, and most importantly, a huge number of educational projects (in the areas of (“Engage Civically,” “Help to Learn,” “Open to Culture,” “Teach Openness,” “Explain Politics,” “Respond to Global Challenges”) and annually works with 40,000 teachers and principals from 10,000 schools in Poland, which affects the everyday and future of our education.
The foundation’s partners include the Polish-American Freedom Foundation, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Development and Technology, the European Commission, the Ombudsman, as well as Google, ING Bank Slaski, mBank, Cartoon Network and Credit Suisse.
Approximate Agenda of the Meeting
9.00 Start of registration and morning coffee
9.30 Panel discussion
10.45 Short coffee break
11.00 start of Time Machine Workshop
14.00 Discussion and short summary
14.30 Refreshments and networking
