Strategy Activation Boot Camp: A Human-Centered Approach to Successful Organizational Change

Engage and align your team for change management success.

The UWEBC, in collaboration with Aric Wood Vision & Strategy Partners, is proud to bring this unique Strategy Activation Boot Camp exclusively to the UWEBC network.

A frequently-cited statistic in the domain of change management is “70% of change projects fail.” Sadly, no one bats an eye at numbers like that because making a change that sticks is incredibly difficult! It is impossible to know what obstacles you will encounter along your change journey – and in organizations, there may be hundreds, if not thousands, of people to bring along in implementing a change. Whether it’s failing to recognize that your organization is made up of people who don’t follow instructions as a machine would and need to be engaged to see it through, or it’s just not realistic to be able to invest the resources necessary to see it to its conclusion, there is so much nuance involved in getting it right. Despite the challenges, we continue trying because the cost of not changing is too high.

Strategy Activation is the art and science of persuading people to align around, engage with, and adopt new ways of working in order to achieve a shared vision. In this Boot Camp, you will move from feeling frustrated that you can’t get people on board with change to effectively applying a powerful process that moves people from alignment to adoption using a strategy activation plan tailored to your organization. The course will introduce an overall framework as the first step in building your strategy activation practice, providing you with the tools, skills – and confidence – to see your team through the successful execution of your current and future change initiatives.

Following three virtual sessions led by Aric Wood, you will have the opportunity to fortify your learning by participating in three virtual collaborative learning sessions with classmates, facilitated by UWEBC Practice Director Matthew Cone, to share and discuss experiences around applying the methods, processes, and tools learned in the class.

By participating in this Boot Camp, you will:

  • Learn a step-by-step, proven system for engaging employees in change initiatives.
  • Acquire flexible change activation tools that can be applied immediately and reused for multiple applications.
  • Problem-solve and build relationships with other professionals navigating similar change challenges.
  • Gain powerful insights into reasons strategy activation fails—and how to avoid the pitfalls.
  • Experience the framework in action led by an expert practitioner.
  • Develop a full draft of your unique strategy activation plan.

You’ll leave with:

  • A strategy activation plan geared to your organization that you can implement right away.
  • An instructional guide for leading the activities and asking critical questions to continue refining your plan for your context.
  • Tools and frameworks for leading the activities in your daily practice.

The Strategy Activation Boot Camp is not a series of passive lectures or a one-size-fits-all program. It is a highly interactive and personalized experience that will challenge, inspire, and empower you to become a much more effective change leader.

Following three virtual classroom sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in three virtual follow-on sessions, facilitated by UWEBC Practice Director Matthew Cone,  that leverage UWEBC’s powerful peer-to-peer collaborative learning model whereby participants are able to deepen their learning and retention by sharing and discussing their experiences applying the concepts and methods taught with fellow Boot Camp participants.

The Boot Camp and follow-on sessions will be delivered virtually, so you can join from anywhere. All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and a willingness to learn and grow.

Don’t miss this chance to invest in yourself and your future! The Strategy Activation Boot Camp is limited to 30 participants, so register today!

Date & Delivery Mode

The Boot Camp live virtual classroom component will consist of three  3 1/2-hour sessions over three days:

  • May 13, 2024
    9:00am—12:30pm CST
  • May 14, 2024
    9:00am—12:30pm CST
  • May 15, 2024
    9:00am—12:30pm CST

There will be 1-2 hours of self-paced work after the sessions on May 13th and 14th.

The virtual classroom sessions will be augmented with three virtual follow-on sessions to fortify your learning through sharing and discussion of experiences around applying Boot Camp concepts with classmates, facilitated by UWEBC Practice Director Matthew Cone. The follow-on sessions will be scheduled at the conclusion of the Boot Camp based on participants’ availability.

All Boot Camp classroom and follow-on sessions will take place online using the Zoom platform. Join links will be sent one week before the start of the Boot Camp.

Registration

Member Fee: $1,595
Non-Member Fee: $1,995

Check here to see if your company is a UWEBC member. UWEBC membership is not required to participate in the Boot Camp.

Group Registration Discount
Learn how to activate strategy as a team and enjoy a reduced fee for each participant! If your company will be sending three or more employees to the Boot Camp, you can receive an additional discount of $250 per person. Please contact Matthew Cone via email or 608-263-0635 to inquire about registering your group.

Cancellation Policy
100% refund if cancellation is received by May 1. No refund after May 1, but registration can be transferred to another person from your organization.

Registration for this Boot Camp is now closed.

Additional Information About This Boot Camp

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Instructor

Aric WoodAric Wood is a Professional-in-Residence at Arizona State University, and author of the “The Strategy Activation Playbook”. Prior to joining ASU to help develop new curriculum for the next generation of changemakers, Aric led the global design consultancy XPLANE for twenty years, helping large organizations to clarify, communicate, and activate their strategies. XPLANE leverages visual thinking, human-centered design, co-creation, and multi-disciplinary teams to help clients realize their visions, faster.Prior to XPLANE’s acquisition by TiER1 Performance in 2022, Aric also led XPLANE’s Strategy Activation practice, which helps organizations bring their strategies to life by aligning, engaging, and activating their employees. With experience in strategy, general management, innovation, and entrepreneurship, Aric has a keen interest in leveraging design thinking to identify opportunities and drive innovation. Aric is a keynote speaker at design, business, and change management events, and has appeared in publications and broadcasts including CNN, Business Week, Forbes and Inc. Magazine.Aric previously served in leadership roles at Intuit and Epinions.com, and as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company. Aric earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Aric has served on a number of for-profit and non-profit boards, including the Design Museum Foundation, Business for Culture and the Arts, MusicXray.com, and as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA).

Content Overview

DAY ONE

Fundamentals of Strategy Activation & ENVISION

Define Strategy Activation and explore principles of Modern Organizational Change. Align your Navigation System and develop a Measurement System.

DAY TWO

DISCOVER & DESIGN

Keep empathy at the center while analyzing stakeholders, identifying Barriers to Change, and drafting your Activation Plan.

DAY THREE

EXECUTE

Put your insights to work to continuously adapt and refine your plan. Design a Governance Model and consider the role of effective leadership in modern organizations.

FOLLOWING THE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM SESSIONS

Participate in three virtual follow-on sessions to leverage your cohort of peers to learn about different approaches and experiences implementing the methods and tools discussed in the course in order to better understand the positive impact you can make for your business using Strategy Activation.

Who Should Attend

Executive Leaders: Developing and enacting organizational strategies across large and complex organizations.

Managers: Ensuring their teams are contributing effectively to executing corporate strategy.

Strategy and Management Consultants: Supporting/ facilitating clients through change initiatives.

Transformation and Learning Professionals: Looking to equip and align teams toward effective collaboration.

This Boot Camp is for you if…

  • You are responsible for major change initiatives in your organization.
  • You are part of a change or transformation team and want to build new skills to be more successful.
  • You are advising others on how to activate change in their organizations.
  • You need to engage employees more deeply in a change program.
  • You want to build new skills using change tools rooted in people-centered design, co-creation, and visual thinking.
  • You want to embed a more effective change methodology into your organization.
  • You are an advanced change practitioner who may benefit from the upcoming deep dive series.

Can't make it that day?

Interested in this Boot Camp, but unable to participate this time for whatever reason?

Click here to be notified about future offerings of the Boot Camp

Questions About This Boot Camp?

Matthew Cone

Position title: Customer Service Practice Director

Email: matthew.cone@uwebc.wisc.edu

Phone: 608-263-0635