Tutors: Laurie Knell

Date: Friday, May 29th, 2020

Duration: 2 days (10am to 12pm) plus a one to one session

Venue: Online

Cost: €0

Course Profile:

Screen Skills Ireland and Animation Skillnet are pleased to offer Leading Strategic Innovation. This course is being offered free of charge to support the Irish creative screen industries impacted by the ongoing situation with COVID-19.

This course has been specifically designed by Laurence Knell to support companies in the Animation, Games & VFX Sector emerge from the current Covid-19 crisis stronger and more focused.

Course content

This course will provide participating companies with a renewed clarity by focusing on three key questions:

• Where are we now?
• Where do we want to go?
• How are we going to get there?

Delivered over the course of 2 x 2-hour sessions, the proposed programme will support participants as they challenge their own thinking about the current and future directions of their business by taking a more overt strategic innovation approach.

Session 1: 

The basics of innovation and strategy

• What is strategy?
• What is innovation?
• Why are they important both now and in a post-Covid-19 world?

Where are we now?

• Analysing and understanding the external environment and assessing future innovation horizons
• Analysing the current business model

Session 2

Where do we want to go to? Redefining the future vision

• Taking a Strategic Innovation approach to future planning
• Redefining the business model
• Redefining the who: Who will be our customer in the future?
• Redefining the what: What products or services will we offer these customers?
• Redefining the how: How will we service these customers and their needs?
• How can we think differently about the business?

How are we going to get there? Taking a strategic view of innovation

• The challenge of leading strategic innovation
• Planning strategy execution
• Balancing risk, failure and constraints in a post-Covid-19 world

There will be a two-week interval between the sessions, where participants will be given specific activities to undertake, focusing on evaluating their current business and charting a future direction. If required, one-to-one company “check-ins” will be offered to participants between Sessions 1 and 2 or after Session 2, to allow company-specific and company-confidential challenges to be discussed.

Participant Profile:

This programme is intended for senior leaders and those with responsibility for strategy and innovation within the Animation, Games and VFX Sector. Participants must have a current, valid address in the Republic of Ireland.

Additional technical requirements:

Courses will be taking place using the Skype App. Participants will need to have a good internet connection and a device with Audio, Webcam and Microphone for live chat sessions and feedback.

Application Procedure:

Please apply online by 5pm on Friday 15 May 2020. 

Please note that places on this course are limited.