Executive education online: Foresighting skills to design and implement adaptive practices

Back from the future: How to use foresight and systems thinking to develop adaptive capacity 

This course will present the principles and practices of system thinking and scenario planning as two key methodologies that will serve as critical decision-support tools in developing adaptive practices and inform strategy and policy development to enhance organisational performance. 

The capacity to make decisions in a rapidly changing, complex and uncertain operating landscape is becoming increasingly challenging. Much of what we witness is unpredictable and becoming increasingly difficult to manage. Leaders and managers in government and business need new frameworks and processes to better understand complexity and uncertainty. These frameworks and processes will enable them to develop and lead adaptive organisations so as to respond to the adaptive nature of business and society. 

Key topics include:

• An overview of the nature of change, complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity;
• An overview of the concepts and principles of systems thinking, complex adaptive systems; 
• An overview of foresight work and the practices of scenario planning.

At a glance

Format: Online

Duration: 5 weeks (excluding orientation)

Commitment: 3-4 hours per week

Cost: $1,495 (or $1,195 for early bird registrations by 12 August)

Start/end date: 12 September - 10 October 2025 with a course orientation / meet and greet on 9 September

Group discounts available.

Course curriculum

• Module 1 ​​Why undertake foresight work and scenario planning?​​
• Module 2 ​What is foresight work/scenario planning?​
• Module 3 How to develop scenarios
• Module 4 ​Using the results from foresight work to inform policy and strategy development​

Session schedule

This course will run as an online and distance program in 2025. It is scheduled to run across 5 weeks, 12 September - 10 October 2025 with a course orientation / meet and greet on 9 September. Specific dates and times to note in your diary are as follows: 

• 10am-11am Tuesday 9 September 2025 – course introduction/meet and greet session
• 10am-11:30am Friday 12 September 2025
• 10am-11:30am Friday 19 September 2025
• 10am-11:30am Friday 3 October 2025
• 10am-11:30am Friday 10 October 2025

Note: Dates and times are in Canberra time (AEST before 5 October, and AEDT after that). The calendar invite for each session should automatically adjust to your timezone when you add it to your calendar. You can check at a site like this to be sure.

Learning outcomes

• Participants attending the course will have new ways of perceiving and thinking about complex and uncertain policy environments
• The course will provide the capability to develop the content to lead and manage for adaptation to a changing business environment
• The capability to develop and share new narratives that impact on cultural change, policy and strategy development
• Learn the skills and techniques of foresight work that will assist to inform policy and strategy development and address a range of other issues
• The capacity to challenge belief systems about the dynamics of the business landscape and the implications this may have on the direction of the organisation and its consequential performance

Who is this course for?

• Any sector that needs to understand the nature of its business environment and develop an organised response with the capacity to identify emerging trends and be able to respond to them
• Policy development and implementation business units
• This course is suitable for APS6 - SES, or equivalent level.