Executive Education

We provide Executive Education courses hosted by academic institutions, professional societies, and client organizations. Here is a link to our working Position Paper that describes the distinctive approach we take to Executive Education. Here is a brief introduction to our approach to thinking and practice from Aerojet Rocketdyne's In2Thinking Network. Other recent engagements have included:

Nationwide Insurance Company

This Leadership workshop was designed to enable the Leadership Team members to better understand the challenges of organizational complexity; understand the primary tenets of systems thinking and design thinking, and how these approaches can accelerate ability to adapt and transform to a future state that is more complex than today; and understand methods for framing problems and for operating in complex environments. The team participated in experiential learning that focused directly on their current state and that provided tools that could be applied in their complex organizational challenges.

The Leadership Development workshop provided by Systems Wisdom to our senior leadership team gave us a new way of thinking. It provided us with new tools to use that will increase our organizational effectiveness, and a method to identify new opportunities. The Systems Wisdom framework was sound; the instructors were knowledgeable and enjoyable as facilitators. We also appreciated that rather than using cases describing experiences of "others," the workshop program enabled us to focus on and think differently about our current organizational challenges.

Lorraine A. McCamley
AVP, Process Management, Nationwide
Head of Business Administration, Nationwide Funds

Tomsk State University

This workshop was delivered to senior administrative and academic personnel of the university to support their ability to grow, develop, and operate in complex global contexts. To meet the strategic goals of the Russian Federation Ministry of Education and Science and the University, this workshop focused on developing an internationalization mindset and produced a road map of activity. Both were addressed by appreciating the current state of higher education, building capacity, and acquiring new problem solving tools.

Such seminars must be conducted here regularly and with foreign participation... I now understand that systems-thinking is not only a theory but a very practical method for planning decisions and their implementation... The instructors have presented the complex activity of university internationalization—in a quite intelligible form... Even if only part is realized, the work of our Department of International Relations will be certainly improved.

Felix Tarasenko
Professor of the International School of Management
Tomsk State University
Tomsk, Siberia, Russia

Virtua Health, Inc.

Workshops were delivered to senior leaders and other stakeholders in support of a "Hospital of the Future" project for their health system. The overall objective was to help participants to adopt a mindset of systems thinking and to apply the methodology and tools of design thinking to organizational problems and opportunities. Appreciating an organization as a system has implications on planning, organizing and controlling projects. While the primary purpose was the "hospital of the future," systems and design thinking, their implications, and the tools derived from them are valuable for many complex situations.

Participant Feedback

The systems and design training provided an excellent overview of how important it is to look at a new way of providing services to our stakeholders. The class provided a surprisingly thorough review and made me think differently about how I implement the traditional lean sigma and process improvement processes. With the non-linear world and VUCA environment, it is important to consider how systems and design thinking can be integrated into the entire organization to support culture change within the organization's ability to be successful in the highly regulated healthcare environment of NJ. We must build an organization that is able to adapt and learn as the world becomes more complex.

What struck me most was the realization that our culture demands of you to look at design differently as well. Not necessarily the hospital of the future but healthcare of the future which dramatically changes the way in which we design. Thank you for such an enjoyable workshop!

Vanguard Group

Education was provided to approximately 50 people from Vanguard Group in Valley Forge, PA. The overall objective was to assist participants to adopt a mindset of systems thinking and to apply the methodology and tools of design thinking to organizational problems and opportunities. Appreciating an organization as a system has implications on planning, organizing and controlling projects. Systems and design thinking, their implications, and the tools derived from them are valuable for many complex situations.

Participant Feedback

Overall great class. Provided some good out-of- the-box ideas. Instructors were great, knowledgeable, and fun. Great Job!

It was a good session and I did learn some new, useful things, especially the decision- making framework.

The thought of each team adopting (this approach) to get holistic improvement made sense. Really great. Thank you!