❌CANCELLED❌ Scale Without Breaking It: Systems Thinking & Design for SME Ops Leaders
Hiya,
This event is CANCELLED!
Please check the workshop still available, or one of our other events!
Thanks so much,
The ON Team
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According to BSG around 70% of digital transformation projects fail as the deployment and thinking is linear.
Transformation requires systems thinking - invisible connected dots that determine success.
China once tried to increase grain yields by eliminating sparrows. It worked, until the insect population exploded and caused one of the worst famines in history. Duolingo went "AI-first" and had to backtrack their decision on how they used AI. This is what happens when decisions are made without thinking about and designing the system.
Join a small group of Operation Leaders to learn about systems thinking and why it is crucial for your AI deployment.
This practical half-day workshop for predominantly operations leaders at small to medium enterprises. You will be in an intentionally small and curated group (max of 10 people).
As AI becomes more embedded into our lives, leaders are looking to maximise its gains.
However, without the appropriate preparation, AI integration could be a costly mistake.
We know how difficult it can feel to take the time out of an intensive schedule and work priorities that's why our priority is that you get to leave ready to apply what you learnt and practiced in the room and feel great about your role in this.
We can’t wait to dive into how Systems Thinking can unlock Scaling in the Age of AI!
By the end of this session, you’ll
🧠 Understand what systems thinking actually is and why it's the foundation every scaling company needs before AI is the only answer.
🔗 See how people, processes, AI tools, and decisions are all connected and what breaks when one part is missing.
⚡ Know how to trace problems to root causes instead of firefighting symptoms.
⚠️ Understand when systems thinking doesn't work and why that's just as important as knowing when it does (survival mode, siloed teams, and misaligned incentives all undermine it in predictable ways).
You'll also walk away with
Consequence scanning: a structured tool for asking the hard questions before you ship - who's accountable, what's the worst case, is there a kill switch, what's Plan B.
New or strengthen relationships with ops peers navigating similar challenges.
A framework for thinking about the real cost of AI including the token economics risk most ops leaders aren't seeing yet.
Join us if you’re…
✅ A COO or Director of Ops at a Series A or Series B company
✅ Responsible for decisions about how AI gets used in your business
✅ Feeling the strain of scale. Things that worked at 30 people aren't cutting it at 80
✅ Someone who wants to think more clearly about tradeoffs, not just move faster
You’re unlikely to benefit if…
🚫 You're pre-Series A and still finding product-market fit
🚫 You want to only sit back and listen
🚫 You're looking for a tool tutorial or a tactical ops how-to
Event details 📝
Settling in
Introductions & Ice-breaker
Understanding Your Why
Systems Thinking
What is systems thinking?
Workplace applications
Wider societal effects of AI deployment
Tabletop Exercise: Consequence Scanning
Roundtable Discussion
Close
Pre-work 📚
Get ready to get straight into the impactful learning and conversations. We will send a few short pre-work items closer to the session. It makes the live session significantly more valuable.
Meet your teacher and facilitator 👋
Vidia Pallaram
AI Consultant specialising in AI Governance | Operations Leader | Writer, The B Side of AI
Vidia works with leaders to navigate the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence through training and AI governance.
Her career spans over 20+ years and includes working with early-stage start-ups, corporates, the charity sector, and the public sector.
As a former Director of Innovation and Director of Operations, she has led transformation projects from idea to fruition, meaning she understands the pressures, constraints, and realities that leaders in scaling organisations face daily.
That experience now underpins her work in AI governance, where she helps organisations manage the trade-offs of deploying artificial intelligence by understanding risks, harms and opportunities using an AI governance framework.
Vidia is also the co-founder of The B Side of AI, an educational publication aimed at helping people make informed decisions on how and why they use artificial intelligence.
About Operations Nation
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