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Description

Managing in Complex Environments: Deciding, Prioritising and Holding the Course

Making sound decisions when priorities shift and information remains incomplete

  • 0.75 days — 5.25 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • All levels
  • Up to 6 participants

Successive reorganisations, priorities that contradict one another, decisions taken elsewhere and announced late: managers must move forward without having all the facts. The team expects clear answers while the framework keeps changing and deadlines stay fixed.

Five hours online to equip managers for decision-making under uncertainty: telling the complicated apart from the complex, choosing between conflicting demands, announcing a decision that is still provisional, and shielding the team from constant turbulence. This short format focuses on the manager's own decision-making.

Learning objectives

  • Distinguish a complicated situation from a complex one in order to select the right method
  • Arbitrate between conflicting demands while making your criteria explicit
  • Announce a partial or provisional decision to your team
  • Protect the team's workload and attention in the face of multiple demands

What makes this programme different

Virtual format delivered in short sequences with cases worked through in sub-groups
A decision-criteria grid is built and then applied to participants' own situations
Each participant leaves with a written announcement drafted for their team

Programme

1Reading Complexity

Naming what you are dealing with

  • Separate the complicated that can be solved from the complex that must be explored
  • Identify interdependencies between stakeholders and decisions
  • Establish what falls within your own decision-making scope
  • Assess the share of uncertainty that will remain over time

2Arbitrating and Deciding

Choosing when not every criterion can be met

  • Build a grid of decision criteria
  • Rank competing demands coming from several stakeholders
  • Decide with partial information and schedule review points
  • Document your decisions and make them explainable

3Holding the Course with the Team

Explaining what is changing without causing disruption

  • Announce a provisional decision and the conditions for reviewing it
  • Answer questions without manufacturing false certainty
  • Decline non-priority requests addressed to the team
  • Maintain stable reference points in a shifting context

Who is it for

Team managers facing frequent reorganisations or competing priorities.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

12 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.