ThinkForward: Leading People-First Transformation in a World of AI and Uncertainty

This course equips you with practical tools and research-led frameworks to lead transformation in volatile, fast-changing contexts. You will learn how to scan your environment, make sense of disruption, and lead through people, systems, and culture, not just technology. 

At the core of the course is CABAS® ( the Capability Audit and Building Activation System ) a people-first transformation framework developed through more than a decade of research and validated with 30+ organisations. Grounded in academic insight and industry practice, this course is for those ready to lead through complexity with clarity. Co-designed by experts in organizational learning and AI, it blends human judgment and machine insight to drive meaningful change. CABAS® has been recognised for its unique approach to diagnosing readiness, unlocking learning, and helping organisations adapt. 

Whether you are a leader rethinking direction, a transformation lead, or part of a team trying to align strategy with culture, this course equips you with logic, tools, and examples to turn insight into impact. 

During this course,  you will learn:

• How to develop your organization’s transformation readiness  
• How to assess and develop your organization’s transformation readiness
• Why most digital transformation efforts fail, and how to design systems that succeed
• How to detect weak signals before competitors do, and act with strategic clarity
• How to build organizational sense-making and psychological safety as foundations for change
• How to balance innovation and efficiency, developing true ambidexterity
• How to convert insights into operational and strategic routines that scale
• How to lead transformation through trust, feedback loops, and capability-based leadership
• How to measure what matters, even when traditional KPIs fall short
• How AI (including Explainable AI) can enhance, not replace, human decision-making and dynamic capabilities
• How to bridge strategy and behaviour using real cases, frameworks, and practical reflection tools
• Multiple examples –Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Novartis, Toyota, Nvidia, Google, Haier, SpaceX, GOSH and Formula 1, Nokia, Blackberry, Kodak 

Phase 1: Introduction and Background, Key concepts 

Phase 2: Sensing Signals That Matter & Learning Across Silos 

Phase 3: Turning Information into Shared Meaning 

Phase 4: From Learning to Scalable Action 

Phase 5: Building Capabilities at Scale 

Phase 6: How to apply frameworks like Human Sigma, SECI, Fusion and more 

Phase 7: AI Foundations for Strategic Decision-Making (Dr. Yaji Sripada, expert in AI & language processing) contributes a focused module exploring: 

The capabilities and limits of current AI 

• What managers need to know (not hype, but substance) 
• How AI can enhance judgment - and when to distrust it 
• Examples of explainable AI, data bias, and responsible deployment 

Each module is structured with: 

• Real case studies and examples from own research 
• Real-world case studies
• Academic rigor  
• Downloadable tools and guided reflection exercises 
• with 6 Discussion Forums and 3 live webinars 
• Certificate of completion 

This course is 100% online, self-paced and asynchronous and includes videos, downloadable slides, exercises, and presenter notes.  You will gain lifetime access to course materials.

This course is suitable for:

• Leaders, transformation professionals, and emerging leaders 
• Business owners seeking resilience in volatile, uncertain environment 
• Strategy, HR, and Innovation executives tasked with alignment 
• AI-curious executives, managers or students looking to integrate intelligence with judgment 
• Professionals seeking people-first approaches to digital change

This research-led, action-oriented course is designed for professionals, leaders, executives, students, and change agents who want to lead people-first transformation in complex, fast-changing environments.   

This online course is self-paced and asynchronous.  Live sessions will be scheduled upon registration.

Registration fees

We are pleased to offer discounted places to current University of Aberdeen students and staff, as well as our partners (Converge, AIMS Bulgaria, Scottish Enterprise). 

• Founding Cohort - **limited places available** - £990
• Current UoA staff/students/alumni - £1200.00
• Regular fee - £1450.00

 If you have a group booking of 3+ learners, please contact us for a discounted rate - cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk.  

Before registering, please view our terms and conditions

Payment Types - Payment is accepted by Mastercard, Visa, Switch, Solo, Delta cards and PayPal. Unfortunately, it does not accept American Express or Diners cards. On receipt of your registration, an acknowledgement email will be sent to your registered email address. This confirmation email can also be used as a receipt. If you can't pay via the online system, please contact cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk for assistance.

Important Information - I acknowledge that the course is to be delivered and tested in English language and contains some technical language.  I understand that use of the course materials are property of the University of Aberdeen. Copies should not be made or circulated and use of the course content is for your own use only.  I acknowledge that registration is self-selecting and that the University of Aberdeen has not participated in any judgement concerning my suitability to undertake this course.

This course is hosted jointly by ThinkForward (pre-spinout from the University of Aberdeen) and the University of Aberdeen.

 For registration queries, please contact:

Mrs Julie Dixon
CPD & Event Services
cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk

The course is taught by: 

Dr. Iva Atanassova 
Organizational Learning & Transformation Strategist 
University of Aberdeen | ThinkForward Education 

Dr Iva Atanassova is a digital transformation specialist, researcher, and educator with over 14 years of experience across academia, consultancy, and innovation strategy. She holds a PhD in Marketing Intelligence Use for Digital Transformation and has taught and developed postgraduate and executive modules in strategic marketing, innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital strategy at the University of Aberdeen, University of Portsmouth, Anglia Ruskin University, and University of Essex Online. 

She is a co-author of several papers on strategic readiness and capability development, having spent over a decade researching how organisations, particularly SMEs, turn weak market signals into strategic capabilities. Her work explores how firms make sense of disruption and leverage emerging technologies, whether through social media, AI, or the next wave of transformation. 

Before academia, she led marketing, communication, and consumer insight projects for global firms including McKinsey & Company, Logitech, WPP, and SC Johnson. She brings a distinctive blend of academic depth and business pragmatism, with a strong commitment to bridging research and practice. Her focus is on enabling inclusive, people-led transformation through systems thinking, learning, dynamic capabilities, and sustainable advantage. 

Dr. Yaji Sripada 
Senior Lecturer of Artificial Intelligence | Expert in XAI, NLP, and socio-technical design 

Yaji’s component explores how AI, particularly explainable and trustworthy AI (XAI), can be used to enhance recognition, absorption, and decision-making. He introduces: 

• Core concepts in machine learning and XAI 

• Use of transformers and counterfactual explanations in sense-making 

• How AI agents can support organizational feedback loops without removing human judgment