Navigating the complexities of long‑term strategic challenges

Dr Jill Bogie

Dr Jill Bogie, faculty lead of the Gibs MPhil specialising in Corporate Strategy programme says: “They’ve got to do global and they’ve got to do local. They’ve got to do Africa as a whole – 54 distinct countries, but they’ve also got to think about regions. They’ve got to consider their local customers as well as their global stakeholders, not just connected through the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), but also in international markets.”

African executives and those senior managers aspiring to the c-suite can particularly benefit from deepening their knowledge and understanding of operating in the world of multinationals and international trade.

Dr Bogie continues: “This foundational knowledge adds depth in leveraging emerging technologies and innovating business models. Our programme attracts senior executives, some of whom are in the strategy department. They are advisors at the group or divisional level to the Board, and they want more experience, and alternative, structured ways of looking at this very complex world.”

This includes making a shift from an unhelpful binary perspective to opening up to multiple perspectives that are truly useful for organisations navigating complex challenges.

Management of the corporate strategy in practice

Whether they work for multi-national business; large, cross-border non-profits, or key government departments that aim to operate with the competencies of a corporate entity, African executives contributing to corporate strategy need relevant frameworks, theories and models.

In designing and implementing strategy in a complex environment of business, corporate strategists require concepts including corporate purpose, dynamic capabilities, business model innovation, disruptive innovation, sustainable business models, competitiveness and optimal distinctiveness.

Why strategic foresight builds corporate capabilities

Strategic foresight, the continuous process of engaging with possible, plausible and preferred futures, guides the organisation through interconnected domains from global to local, from regional to organisational, from country to community.

Dr Bogie explains: “The organisation deploys strategic foresight theories, models and frameworks, which applies the principles of systems thinking and complexity, to not only navigate long-term issues that organisations face, but to also recognise new opportunities for growth and innovation. It is particularly relevant to African organisations grappling with current and emerging technologies. In practice, strategic foresight from multiple perspectives deepens the institutional capabilities to understand the interconnectedness of business, social and environmental issues and shape preferred futures.”

Your organisation navigating complexity

Successful corporate strategy in African contexts is about connecting global trends to local realities, understanding the interdependencies across markets, infrastructure, and talent, and building organisational practices from multiple perspectives.

Dr Bogie concludes: “For this to happen, organisations need the capabilities to build a strategic trajectory that leverages emerging technologies in service of its long-term objectives when it comes to new markets, new opportunities, new products and new services. This is what moves the organisation beyond reacting to issues and transforms it into a force that actively creates and shapes markets.”

The MPhil in Corporate Strategy at Gibs is a rigorous research-based programme designed for executives and senior managers in large, complex organisations who are responsible for shaping long-term strategic direction. It focuses on how organisations navigate complexity, uncertainty and systemic change. The programme is built around systems thinking, long-term strategic challenges such as sustainability and competitiveness and the strategic implications of emerging technologies. With research forming a core component of the qualification, the MPhil develops deep analytical capability and intellectual rigour.

Applications for the 2026 academic year are open now, and close on 16 April 2026. Learn more here.