Leading through complexity: Strategic challenges and leadership in a changing world

This webinar will take place on 17 November at 2pm.

Register here

Executives are operating in an increasingly complex business environment shaped by geopolitical tensions, evolving technologies, changing global markets and mounting societal and environmental challenges. These forces are changing how organisations compete, make decisions and prepare for the future.

For senior professionals, responding effectively requires more than experience alone. It calls for the ability to question established assumptions, interpret emerging trends, connect different perspectives and make informed decisions in uncertain conditions.

Building on the first GIBS MPhil webinar, this follow-up conversation explores what these challenges mean for business leaders and how specialised postgraduate study can help executives investigate them in greater depth.

Moneyweb’s Jeremy Maggs is joined by Dr Jill Bogie, Prof Nicola Kleyn, Prof Albert Wocke and Prof Caren Scheepers from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) to examine the strategic, organisational and leadership capabilities needed to navigate a changing world.

The discussion will begin by exploring what it means to lead when economies, businesses and societies are undergoing fundamental shifts. Prof Nicola Kleyn will consider how executives can distinguish between disruptions that require immediate responses and transformational changes that call for a different way of thinking.

The conversation will then turn to international business and corporate strategy. Prof Albert Wocke will examine how geopolitical developments, changing trade relationships, regulation and evolving technologies affect businesses operating across borders. The discussion will consider how organisations can assess their international exposure, manage dependencies and make informed decisions about markets, supply chains and technology.

Dr Jill Bogie will explore how organisations can navigate changing competitive landscapes, identify opportunities for growth and innovation, and create long-term value. The discussion will consider the role of systems thinking and strategic foresight in helping executives understand long-term challenges while balancing business priorities with responsibilities to society and the natural environment.

Prof Caren Scheepers will focus on the leadership challenge of turning strategic decisions into meaningful organisational change. This includes how leaders manage technology-driven transformation, align people and teams, adapt roles and decision-making structures, and prevent change initiatives from stalling.

The four perspectives will come together through a practical business scenario involving an organisation operating across several markets and considering significant investments in technologies such as automation, data analytics, cloud computing, digital platforms and artificial intelligence. Against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty and changing regulation, the panellists will examine how executives can assess the opportunities, manage the risks and ensure that strategic decisions translate into effective implementation.

The webinar will also help prospective applicants understand how the four GIBS MPhil programmes approach these challenges from distinct perspectives, and which programme may best align with the questions they want to investigate in their own organisations.

Who should attend?

Senior executives and experienced professionals navigating complex business environments and significant organisational challenges.
Business leaders responsible for strategy and international operations who want to better understand geopolitical developments, changing markets and emerging technologies.
Executives leading transformation initiatives who need to translate strategic decisions into meaningful organisational change.
Professionals seeking to strengthen their strategic thinking and leadership capabilities through specialised postgraduate study.
Prospective MPhil applicants who want to understand the differences between the four GIBS programmes and identify which best fits their professional context and research interests.

Which GIBS MPhil programme is right for you?

Each of the four programmes offers a distinct perspective on the challenges facing executives.

Master of Philosophy specialising in Leading in New Economies explores leadership in the context of complexity and transformational shifts, helping participants question assumptions and make sense of changing economic, business and societal environments.

Master of Philosophy specialising in International Business focuses on the challenges of operating across borders, including international markets, trade, multinational companies and the implications of geopolitical and regulatory developments.

Master of Philosophy specialisng in Corporate Strategy examines how organisations navigate complex contexts and changing competitive landscapes, using systems thinking and strategic foresight to investigate long-term challenges, opportunities for innovation and the creation of sustainable value.

Master of Philosophy specialising in Change Leadership focuses on how leaders translate strategic intent into change through people, teams and organisational systems, including the challenges of implementing and sustaining transformation.

The webinar will explore the types of executive challenges that may be suited to each programme and how participants can use their studies to investigate issues relevant to their own organisations.

For professionals considering specialised postgraduate study, the discussion offers an opportunity to look beyond general leadership development and understand how a focused research journey can help them examine a particular strategic, international or organisational challenge in greater depth.

Register here

More on the panellists

Prof Nicola Kleyn

Prof Nicola Kleyn is the Lead Faculty member for the MPhil Leading in New Economies programme at GIBS. In this webinar, she will explore how executives can make sense of complexity and transformational shifts, question assumptions and respond to fundamental changes in the business environment.

Prof Albert Wocke

Prof Albert Wocke is the Lead Faculty member for the MPhil International Business programme at GIBS. He will examine the implications of geopolitical developments, international markets, trade, regulation and evolving technologies for organisations operating across borders.

Dr Jill Bogie

Dr Jill Bogie is the Lead Faculty member for the MPhil Corporate Strategy programme at GIBS. Her contribution will focus on strategic foresight, systems thinking, changing competitive landscapes and how organisations can identify opportunities for growth and innovation while creating long-term value.

Prof Caren Scheepers

Prof Caren Scheepers joins the discussion as the faculty panellist for the MPhil Change Leadership programme at GIBS. She will explore how executives can translate strategic intent into organisational change, align people and systems, and improve the likelihood that transformation initiatives are implemented effectively.

Brought to you by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).

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