How to Harness AI Opportunities as part of Leadership Development at UNSW Business School

The Challenge

UNSW Business School’s AGSM (Australian Graduate School of Management) recognised the need to equip senior leaders with the tools and understanding to navigate the rapidly evolving world of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The aim was to bridge the knowledge gap and empower leaders to:​

• Understand AI opportunities for their industries
• Explore the practical applications of AI to enhance strategic decision-making
• Develop confidence in leading AI-driven transformations within their organisations

The Approach​

Empowering senior leaders with actionable AI insights through hands-on learning and strategic frameworks.​

A bespoke AI training session was delivered to senior leaders at AGSM as part of their leadership development curriculum. Partnering with The Strategy Group, AGSM designed a hands-on, interactive session blending AI insights with human-centred design (HCD) to drive strategic understanding.​

The session focused on:​

• Demystifying AI: Building foundational knowledge of AI and Generative AI technologies
• Practical Use Cases: Exploring real-world AI applications relevant to leadership, strategy, and innovation
• Problem Breakdown: Teaching leaders a structured approach to breaking down high-level challenges and exploring AI-powered solutions
• Experimentation: Introducing frameworks for rapid prototyping and experimentation using AI tools

Outcomes​

A leadership-focused AI session empowering leaders to explore AI’s potential and lead transformation​

The AI training session at AGSM equipped senior leaders with:​

• A clear understanding of AI and GenAI technologies and their strategic relevance
• A step-by-step framework to break down and analyse business challenges using design thinking
• Practical exposure to:​
  • Generative AI tools and capabilities
  • Ethical considerations and risks of AI adoption
• Actionable AI use cases for driving business growth and innovation
• Tools to foster AI experimentation and ideation within their organisations

Leaders applied these insights to develop AI-driven solutions, presenting actionable opportunities to their peers and facilitators. The session fostered new levels of confidence and capability among senior executives to lead AI-powered change.