Upcoming sessions
Winter session (In-person)
| Date(s) | February 23, 2026 |
| Time | 8:30am - 4:30pm |
| Format | In-Person |
| Location | James W. Burns Executive Education Centre |
| Cost | $965 +GST |
Registration and fees
For this session, program fees cover all materials, breakfast, and lunch. Materials will be provided at the start of the program unless otherwise noted. For any questions, please contact our team or visit our FAQ page.
Overview and impact
The ability to think systemically has become a defining leadership skill in a complex, fast-changing world. Systems Thinking for Adaptive Leadership gives senior leaders the tools to understand how interrelated forces shape outcomes—and how to use that insight to make better strategic decisions, drive innovation, and build resilient organizations.
Systems Thinking for Adaptive Leadership is a one-day program designed for senior executives to explore advanced systems thinking principles and their application in strategic decision-making.
It focuses on enhancing leaders' ability to identify complex interdependencies, leverage systems thinking for long-term planning, and drive organizational innovation. Participants will engage with high-level concepts and tools to address systemic challenges, mitigate risk, and foster resilience in a rapidly changing business environment.
At the conclusion of the program, participants receive a Certificate of Completion from the I.H. Asper School of Business’ James W. Burns Executive Education Centre.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Leverage systems thinking for strategic decisions: Understand how systems thinking enhances long-term strategy formulation and risk mitigation.
- Analyze complex organizational and market ecosystems: Identify key interdependencies within and outside the organization that influence outcomes.
- Use systems thinking tools for high-level problem-solving: Apply advanced tools such as causal loop diagrams to map and resolve systemic issues affecting strategic initiatives.
- Identify leverage points for transformation: Recognize critical areas within systems where interventions can yield the most significant impact.
- Foster innovation through a systems approach: Develop strategies that align systems thinking with organizational innovation and sustainability.
- Collaborate across functional silos: Break down siloed thinking by using systems thinking to enhance cross-functional collaboration and holistic decision-making.
Participant profile
This program is ideal for senior leaders and executives who want to strengthen their ability to navigate complex challenges, think strategically across systems, and guide their organizations toward resilient, sustainable growth.
Return on investment
For you
- Gain a practical framework for understanding complexity and making decisions that account for long-term impacts and interdependencies.
- Strengthen strategic foresight and the ability to anticipate unintended consequences before they escalate into risks.
- Enhance cross-functional collaboration by learning to identify shared challenges and leverage points across systems.
- Build greater confidence in leading through ambiguity, guiding teams and initiatives with clarity and purpose.
- Translate systems thinking principles into actionable strategies that improve decision quality and leadership effectiveness.
For your organization
- Improve organizational resilience by equipping leaders to identify systemic risks and opportunities earlier.
- Foster alignment and innovation across departments by breaking down silos and promoting holistic, interconnected decision-making.
- Increase strategic agility through leaders who can anticipate patterns, manage complexity, and respond effectively to disruption.
- Strengthen long-term performance and sustainability by embedding systems thinking into strategic planning and execution.
- Build a culture of adaptive leadership—where informed, forward-thinking decisions drive continuous improvement and lasting success.
Instructor
Nathan Greidanus
Associate Dean of Professional Graduate Programs & Executive Education
Associate Professor
The Associates Fellow in Entrepreneurship
Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba
Biography
Nathan S. Greidanus is an award-winning professor at the Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba. He is also the Academic Director for Manitoba’s ICD Directors’ Education Program and the Manitoba representative for the Canadian Global Entrepreneurship Monitor team.
His research and teaching interests intersect the broad areas of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Sustainable Development and Governance. Dr. Greidanus’ research ranges from exploring why firms fail on commitments to entrepreneurship’s relationship with ADHD; creativity; disasters; the natural environment; subjective well-being; indigenous people; and economic inequality.
More about Nathan
Nathan's research and teaching is motivated by the desire to increase societal well-being through sustainable economic development. His research interests intersect the broad areas of entrepreneurship, international business strategy and sustainable development. His recent academic projects include developing the behavioral assumption of Bounded Reliability (BRel) to better explain inter firm and intra firm governance decisions; conceptualizing the positive role of failure in entrepreneurship; exploring corporate venturing initiatives in multinational and family enterprises; and studying the impact of virtual work at the societal, organizational and employee levels. His publications include articles in academic journals, including top tier outlets such as the Journal of International Business Studies; book chapters, including the prestigious The Accountable Corporation series; and a book entitled Growing the Virtual Workplace: The Integrative Value Proposition for Telework.
Nathan's professional experience includes working in the investment banking industry, owning and managing two franchises, and running his own business development consulting company (including developing a comprehensive business case that resulted in the establishment of the National Canadian Centre for Unmanned Vehicle Systems). He currently maintains a minority ownership position in an engineering technology startup (Pontis Energy inc.). Nathan has also spent a year as a volunteer in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and holds both Canadian and Dutch citizenship.
Discover more
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James W. Burns Executive Education Centre
2nd floor
177 Lombard Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0W5