What if your organisation doesn’t have a strategy problem—but a strategic thinking problem?
Many organisations invest significant time and energy in strategic plans, yet still struggle with alignment, focus, and follow-through. The challenge is often not a lack of ambition or intelligence, but a lack of shared strategic thinking: the ability to diagnose what really matters, make clear choices under uncertainty, and translate intent into coherent action.
This one-day program is designed to build that capability. Drawing on both classical and contemporary perspectives, participants will explore what strategy really is (and isn’t), how strategy actually forms in organisations, and why many well-intended strategies fail in practice. Through a mix of concepts, discussion, and hands-on activities, participants will examine their own organisation’s strategic patterns, learn practical tools for reframing complex challenges, and practice making strategic decisions in ambiguous conditions.
About the facilitators
Dr. Graham Ferguson
Graham is an academic at Curtin University who leads a team exploring innovative ways to provide services to unheard consumers including elderly people, people with disability, and people with mental health needs. This included working with technology providers, service providers, older consumers & families, advocacy groups, local authorities and government to run co-design workshops to identify and implement innovative thinking in under resourced areas. Graham has a breadth of experience in innovative projects with large transport, manufacturing and insurance roles including 10yrs as a strategy consultant.
Dr Ben Thomas
Dr Ben Thomas is an academic at Curtin University within the Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy and International Business discipline group. He has teaching experience at MBA, Postgraduate and undergraduate levels delivering courses on start-up business planning, strategy and leadership with a focus on practical application. His current research focus is developing a greater understanding of the entrepreneurial journey and the role of training programs in developing the key entrepreneurial skills required at each stage. Further, Ben cut his teeth as a founder in the wine industry, founding and exiting WA’s first online wine marketplace, Vine Collective, and more recently wine production company, Berserkr Wines.