Name
Designing Adaptive Strategy for Uncertain Futures
Date & Time
Tuesday, June 2, 2026, 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM
Michelle S. Stephens
Description

When the future feels complex and uncertain, leaders often lose momentum—not because they lack ambition, but because traditional strategy assumes stability that no longer exists. In volatile environments, waiting for clarity can stall transformation and weaken execution. This session reframes uncertainty as a design input to adaptive strategy rather than a barrier to decision-making. Participants will explore how momentum can be built and sustained even when conditions are unpredictable by shifting from prediction-based planning to preparedness-based strategy. Drawing on experience from uncertainty intensive contexts, the session introduces three practical strategy capabilities: scenario rehearsal (planning for multiple plausible futures rather than a single forecast), strategic experimentation (using small, reversible decisions to reduce risk while maintaining movement), and short-cycle decision frameworks (linking short-term action to long-term direction through deliberate phases). Rather than focusing on static plans, the session emphasizes strategy as a living set of choices that is continuously revisited as conditions evolve. Participants will engage in interactive exercises to apply these concepts to real strategic challenges they face, identifying where momentum is being constrained and how adaptive design can unlock progress. The session is designed for strategy professionals, planners, and facilitators working across industries who are responsible for leading transformation amid uncertainty. Participants will leave with practical tools, reframed assumptions, and concrete questions they can use immediately to help organizations move forward with confidence and purpose, even when the map is unfinished.