Program

Held over 26 and 27 March 2019 in St Kilda, The Deep Dive sets out to answer some of the most pressing questions in contemporary leadership:

• How can we create strategies for resilient organisations in volatile conditions?
• How can we anticipate uncertainty and respond to it in our strategy?
• How can we use chaotic and unpredictable conditions to our advantage?
• How can we create growth in uncertain times?
• How do we ensure our organisation remains relevant as we move into the future?

The Deep Dive embraces the free-flowing of ideas, meaning you’ll have ample opportunity to add your voice to the conversation and raise questions throughout both days.

Day One will feature spirited panel discussions between Simon Wardley and Dave Snowden, with skilled leaders such as Ed McManus (Meridian Energy), Angela Clark (Beem It), Martin Hosking (Redbubble) and Fiona Pak Poy (iSentia) joining the conversations.

You’ll play a major role in shaping the Day Two program: if any complex ideas are raised on Day One which you’d like to dive deeper into, Dave and Simon will discuss them with you in a more intimate setting, as you learn in smaller groups on Day Two.

Throughout The Deep Dive, Simon Wardley and Dave Snowden will share strategic insights with attendees, drawing on their respective Wardley Mapping and Cynefin approaches to help you navigate a competitive environment. (Unfamiliar with these terms? No worries! Simon and Dave will provide you with all the basics you’ll need as they arise.)

While Wardley Mapping and Cynefin are useful when used in isolation, an increasing number of people find that these approaches synergise powerfully to deliver valuable sense-making capacity in strategic and operational work. The approaches are equally applicable to industry, nonprofit and government sectors grappling with high-levels of uncertainty.

Simon and Dave will emphasise the importance of creating your own strategy in a world where more and more organisations are outsourcing theirs. They’ll guide you through the strategy-making process, helping you avoid the common pitfalls that block a strategy’s long-term success. You’ll gain a greater awareness of your market, how it can be exploited, how practices evolve and how certain types of disruptive change can be anticipated and defended against.

Dave will outline the three core elements to complex strategy, explaining why an understanding of your domain, Apex Predator Theory, and the concept of scaffolding are essential to strategic success. As Simon will examine, a good strategy cannot be context-free, and he’ll demonstrate why communication, challenge and learning should be an organisation’s focus when considering its strategic direction.

The Deep Dive will explore how to differentiate between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ strategy. Through unpacking the concepts of mass engagement and situational awareness, Simon and Dave will help you separate the wheat from the chaff! You’ll learn to focus on the right opinion in markets riddled with outcome and authority biases. Discussions will also touch on the role of people and culture in strategy, and how you can use strategy to move you closer to the customer.