Strategy is not simple, but it is built on simple concepts. This practice-focused live course helps us clarify these concepts and how they are assembled into a logical construct that AI can now take control of, with humans-in-the-loop.
Mihai Ionescu has worked for the past 17 years to connect the dots of Strategy's relevant concepts, theories, and best practices, putting together an integrative Strategy workflow that today is AI-powered.
Discover what is behind the AI "Generate Strategy" button!
This is not a motivational lecture. It is a course that provides a solid, practice-based, instrumental blueprint for managing the Strategy.
Strategy is inherently integrative. That is why this course provides a framework and toolset for managing the full Strategy cycle, from formulation to execution, and back, enabled by experimentation.
A course delivered LIVE, online, with two types of sessions: Course Sessions and Practice Sessions. For true interactivity, the size of each cohort is limited to 5 participants, each working on his/her own Case Study.
One Courses session + one Practice session per week. Five weeks, with a Kick-off session before and a Wrap-up after. Four time-zone based cohorts, with the sessions scheduled at comfortable times for all participants.
The 23 practice stages of Strategy's cycle workflow allow us to hand over the main work stream to AI. This turns the famous "Generate Strategy" button into reality. With humans-in-the-loop, for now.
A course tailored to anyone's pocket, wherever they live in the free world. The enrollment fee is calculated based on your country's GDP per capita, using World Bank's data and the Purchasing Power Parity index.
The Explaining Strategy course provides the participants with the ability to watch the course sessions subtitled in their own language, in real time. The session transcript notes are also multilingual.
The previous nine course editions have provided very valuable calibration data, but also a good feedback from many of the 270+ Strategy practitioners and consultants from five continents and 45 countries who have enrolled in the course.
"The Strategy program has been very rigorous with deep insight into the practice of Strategy.
Applying all the knowledge to a case study helped clarify this."
Khalid Noor, Consultant, Chief Finance Officer (Pakistan)
"The course was indeed exceptional and helped us, the trainees, to significantly
improve our Strategy knowledge and to get a very useful toolkit."
Dan Stamate, Freelance Business Consultant and Trainer (Romania)
"A special thanks for customizing for us and the patience for deep explaining!
In my opinion the most sophisticated concept I have seen. A lot of work has been done!"
Marc Woerner, Business Development and Key Account Manager (Germany)
"The Strategy Clockwork is a great process for a well-thought-out and in-depth strategy management process."
Andrew Constable, Principal Managing Partner (United Kingdom)
"Thanks for sharing with us your experience and knowledge. Excellent job!"
Paolo Matteini, Executive General Manager (Italy)
"Thanks a lot for your productive insights on strategy cycle. Great experience indeed. Your expertise makes this course very helpful. "
Sheraz Anwar, Group Strategic Excellence Manager (Saudi Arabia)
"Completing the 'Explaining The Strategy' course has led to so many 'Aha!' moments for me, each one uncovering layers of depth and nuance that challenge conventional thinking."
Ahmad Salman Khan, Senior O&M Enablement Manager (Saudi Arabia)
"This is a great course. I learned a lot, and now I understand the workflow of Strategy formulation and execution. The visual representations are very useful."
Debasis Sengupta, Leadership Coach and Trainer (India)
"The course provided a comprehensive and structured framework that combined theoretical knowledge with practical applications."
Mariana Radov, Expert in Management Consulting (Rep. Moldova)
The course is based on a unique, integrative framework that links the main Strategy Formulation and Strategy Execution processes, enabled by Strategy Experimentation. A framework covering the full Strategy cycle. During this course we explore this cycle in detail and experiment with its inter-linked concepts, theories, methodology stages, and templates, using our dedicated AI workhorse.
In the Course Session we discuss the Strategy Experimentation stages (Product Experimentation, Choices Experimentation), and the first two Strategy Formulation stages: Trends & Signals Spyglass (Strategic Analysis and Scenario Planning), and the Choices Compass (selection of the Strategic Choices mix). The session also introduces the Penta Model, which is the reference cognitive model for Strategic Choices employed within the Choices Compass.
In the Practice Session, we ask the AI model to build in each Case Study the Strategy model components, by using the Opportunities & Threats, the Paramount Challenges, the Strategic Horizon (industry inflection point), Scenario Planning, and the Strategic Choices selection. Then, each participant validates and refines them, as human-in-the-loop (HITL).
In the Course Session we clarify the methodology for identifying the Activities & Capabilities required to support the Strategic Choices, and for determining the Strategic Gaps (Positioning & Coherence). We analyze the causality dependencies in closing the gaps and break them down on execution cycles. Finally, we validate the Feasibility of executing our Strategy and the viability of the resulting Business Model.
In the Practice Session, we ask the AI model to build in each Case Study the Strategy model components, by using Strategic Choices to Value Propositions translation, the Required Capabilities system, the Strategic Gaps, the Gaps Closing Planning, and the Feasibility & Viability Validation. Then, each participant validates and refines them, as human-in-the-loop (HITL).
In the Course Session we discuss the Strategic Planning methodology, developed from the Kaplan-Norton BSC framework, the Organizational Alignment and the Operational Integration processes. We also explore the Strategy Dialogue (open strategy) best practices and the Strategy Communication process.
In the Practice Session, we watch AI use the Strategic Gaps for building the components of the Strategic Plan model for each participant's Case Study, based on several practice toolkits, including Strategic Gaps-to-Objectives, the Strategy Map, Initiatives, and Scorecards, together with the Organizational Alignment, Operational Integration, and Strategy Communication. Then, each participant validates and refines them, as human-in-the-loop (HITL).
In the Course Session we clarify the methodology for Strategic Initiative's Realization and the Progress Review best practices, resulting in Corrective Actions. We also clarify the role of the Hypotheses Register in adapting the Strategy model and the Strategic Plan model, exploring the Early Warning System and the Strategy Adaptation process.
In the Practice Session, we practice within each cohort team on the Strategic Plan execution's monitoring for the Case Study driven by AI, employing a sequence of templates available in the practice workspace. The laser-focused structured prompts allow the AI model to make Corrective Actions recommendations. Then, each participant, the human-in-the-loop (HITL), validates AI's recommendations.
The course is Practice-Focused. There are four Practice Sessions that translate the Course Sessions content into step-by-step AI-powered journey through Strategy Formulation and Strategic Planning. The 23 templates included in the practice workspace help the course participants to validate the AI recommendations for building Strategy models' components, each participant's anonymized Case Study. Before the Kick-off Session, the enrolled participants get the necessary guidance for building their own Case Studies, based on real companies known to them
The course sessions are scheduled for three cohort teams, on the same days. Tuesdays for the Course Sessions and Thursdays for the Practice Sessions. For the latter, we use a set of templates that facilitate the logical decisions (based on the Strategy Clockwork framework), for building the cohort Case Study models.
Since the cohorts are time-zone-based, the three-hour sessions start at comfortable times for all participants. One cohort for Asia-Pacific (APAC), one for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and one for North America and Latin America (AMERICAS).
Between the sessions, the teams have chat channels available on the Disco learning platform that we use for this course. The course uses the 24/7-available multilingual video-conferencing facility provided by Google Meet.
This fee is applicable for individual enrollments. Starting from this course edition, we employ a consistent Fair Pricing Policy that is applicable for each country, based on GDP per capita (World Bank) and Purchasing Power Parity. Select your country to get the specific enrollment fee. The course is not available in certain restricted countries (Russia, Belarus, Iran, N.Korea, etc.).
Reference enrollment fee: 1,350 USD.
Your Fair Price enrollment fee: ... USD
Note: For interactivity reasons, the number of seats in each cohort is limited.
EARLY-BIRD & GROUPS
This fee is applicable for the enrollment before November 1, 2025 or of a group of 3 or more. The Early Bird and Groups discounts are not cumulative.
Your Early Bird enrollment fee: ... USD.
Your Group enrollment fee: ... USD per person.
Enroll in your region's cohort below (APAC, EMEA, or AMERICAS). You can also enroll in other cohorts, as long as there are still seats available there. Check first the sessions times, in the Schedule section above, to see if they suit your daily agenda.
Click your region's globe image below, then go through these steps:
1. Click the Register Now button
2. Acknowledge the terms & conditions (Disco.co)
3. Enter your name and e-mail address
4. Click the Start Application button
5. Answer the localization question (your country’s name)
6. Enter the discount code applicable (see Enrollment Fee) and the card details for pre-authorization.
The card will be charged only upon enrollment approval (usually, within the same day).
Due to live interactivity reasons, and due to the fact that each course participant works on his/her own Case Study, the number of seats available within each cohort is limited to 5 people. Enroll early to secure your seat and avoid missing out, as the enrollment is based on the first-come-first-served principle.
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