Start a conversation ↗

Description

Systemic Approach: Reading Interactions, Spotting Loops and Intervening

Move beyond individual explanations to understand what a system of stakeholders produces and sustains

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

One department keeps missing deadlines, a team rejects every new tool, two divisions blame each other for the same malfunction. The search begins for someone at fault or for an explanation based on personalities, and a few months later the same difficulty resurfaces in another form.

Two days to shift your level of analysis and consider the organisation as a set of stakeholders linked by rules and patterns of influence. Participants learn to map a system, identify the loops that sustain the problem and select a leverage point where a limited action produces a lasting effect.

Learning objectives

  • Analyse a deadlock situation through interactions rather than individuals
  • Map a system of stakeholders with its rules and zones of uncertainty
  • Identify the loops that sustain a malfunction
  • Select a leverage point and formulate an intervention hypothesis
  • Present a systemic analysis to a sponsor

What makes this programme different

Each participant works on a deadlock situation of their own
The stakeholder map is built and then challenged in sub-groups
An intervention hypothesis is drafted and tested in a simulated debrief

Programme

1Reading an Organisation as a System

Shifting the level of analysis

  • Move from looking for someone to blame to analysing interactions
  • Identify the stakeholders, rules and interests at play
  • Distinguish the stated problem from the structural problem
  • Identify what the system gains by not changing

2Mapping the System of Stakeholders

Making links and power games visible

  • Build a map of stakeholders and their room for manoeuvre
  • Identify alliances, oppositions and wait-and-see positions
  • Locate the zones of uncertainty that create power
  • Formalise the loops that keep the situation stable

3Selecting a Leverage Point

Acting where the effect spreads

  • Distinguish surface changes from changes to the rules
  • Identify the levers available to the sponsor
  • Anticipate the unintended effects of an intervention
  • Formulate a testable intervention hypothesis

4Running the Intervention

Holding your position over time

  • Contract with the sponsor without adopting their reading of the situation
  • Conduct interviews that widen the frame
  • Present an analysis without naming a culprit
  • Adjust the intervention in light of the first effects

Who is it for

Internal consultants, project managers, line managers and human resources professionals involved in transformation initiatives.

Prerequisites

Prior experience of supporting or leading an organisational change project.

Dates & locations

36 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.