Practice Rounds
An Integrated Line of Business of The Haines Centre for Strategic Management

Practice Rounds

Week Long Program (4½ days)

Participant led presentations and facilitation Rounds to Demonstrate Proficiency:

Each participant will be expected to sign up to present and facilitate a learning experience for the other students on one or more of these Rounds during the week.

So bring your notes, materials and PowerPoint Slides to help you prepare at night in this Boot Camp-type week.

You will be given evenings to prepare your 30 minute presentation for the One Hour Cycle for Each Round as well as support from a peer participant Coach (and all the Instructors too of course)

These One Hour Cycle for Each of Rounds are explained at the bottom of this Link and will be further explained on Monday AM in class as well as an Instructor-Led DEMO of Round #1.

  1. Overview and History of General Systems Theory – 50 years of research – past, present & future trends
  2. ABCs Model – The 5 systems thinking questions
  3. Applications of the ABCs Model in Organizations
  4. Nested Systems and the 8 Levels of Living Systems – Concepts and applications
  5. Creativity and Innovation – Definitions and its 5 Levels
  6. Six Natural Levels of Leadership Competencies
  7. 12 characteristics-Natural Laws – Concepts and applications
  8. Systems Thinking Handbook #2: Top 10 Tools for Strategic Thinking (Tools 1 to 5)
  9. Systems Thinking Handbook #2: Top 10 Tools for Strategic Thinking (Tools 6 to 10)
  10. Systems Thinking Handbook #1: Top 10 Tools for Daily Problem Solving (Tools 1 to 5)
  11. Systems Thinking Handbook #1: Top 10 Tools for Daily Problem Solving (Tools 6 to 10)
  12. Iceberg Theory of Change – Content, Process, Structures and Capacity for Change
  13. Law of Unintended Consequences – Overview and applications
  14. Systems Thinking Principles – More Applications
  15. Next Steps – Application to current situation, project, job, etc.

One Hour Cycle of Each Round Explained:

  1. Presentations/Facilitation will be As Follows (Rule of Three is key; Use visuals)You have 30 minutes total
    1. Lecturette on purposes and three key concepts (10 minutes recommended)The “What”
    2. Overall design/sequence/agenda (or Lesson Plan) of the step presented (10 minutes recommended)The “How To”
    3. Three big process issues anticipated?
      (How would you handle them is covered later – 10 minutes recommended
  2. Question and Answer Period (15 minutes) – to be facilitated by facilitators (Focus on tools, tips, and techniques)Each person will be asked to keep a Master Learning Log throughout the week. In it they will write down their Biggest Learning from the topic above. Then 5+ random reports/answers will be requested and flip-charted. Only then the facilitators’ dialogue will start.These Master Learning Logs will be submitted on Thursday night to the facilitators for review and to be graded. Then they will be returned on Friday.
  3. Feedback on your top three skills plus 3 skills most in need of improvement will be provided (5 minutes) “continue-more of-less of”Two of you will be randomly asked to process these three questions as a total group.
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