What is it?

A hands-on strategy workshop where teams map out how AI could strengthen, threaten, or reshape their competitive position. Participants work through structured exercises to identify specific AI opportunities and risks, then leave with a prioritised action plan they can act on immediately.

Why is it useful?

Most teams know AI matters but struggle to connect it to their actual competitive position. This workshop cuts through the hype and gets specific. By the end, participants will have a clear picture of where AI could give them an edge, where competitors might use it against them, and which opportunities are worth pursuing first. The result is strategic clarity, not just another list of "we should try AI" ideas.

This workshop was created in collaboration with Ruben Hassid, one of the most trusted voices in practical AI education. Ruben has a knack for making the overwhelm of AI disappear, breaking down complex concepts into clear, actionable steps. To stay current with how AI is evolving, subscribe to his free Substack "How to AI".

Target Audience

• Consultants helping clients navigate AI adoption decisions
• Leadership teams setting AI strategy for their organisation
• Strategy teams assessing market position and future threats
• Department heads who need to understand AI's impact on their function
• L&D professionals building AI readiness programmes

Workshop Objectives

• Identify where AI could strengthen existing competitive advantages
• Surface threats where AI might erode current market position or benefit competitors
• Match specific AI tools and use cases to real business opportunities
• Prioritise AI initiatives based on impact and feasibility
• Create a concrete action plan with clear next steps

Summary

Duration: 120 mins
Group Size: 8-16 people
Format: In-person, highly interactive

Materials Needed

• Whiteboard or flip chart paper (at least 4 sheets)
• Sticky notes in three colours (e.g. green, red, yellow)
• Markers for each participant
• AI Advantage Map template (one per small group)
• AI Tools Reference Sheet (one per participant)
• Action Planning worksheet (one per participant)
• Timer or phone for keeping time
• Blu-tack or tape for posting work on walls

Process

Step 1: Opening and Context Setting (10 mins)

Goal: Get everyone aligned on why this workshop matters and create psychological safety for honest strategic discussion.

Activity:

1. Welcome participants and explain that this session is about getting specific on AI strategy, not general discussion about whether AI is important.
2. Share this framing: "We're going to look at AI through three lenses today: where it could make us stronger, where it could hurt us, and what we should actually do about it."
3. Acknowledge that some of what we uncover might be uncomfortable, particularly when we look at threats. That discomfort is valuable because it means we're looking at real risks rather than avoiding them.
4. Quick warm-up: Ask each person to share their name, role, and complete this sentence: "One way I've already seen AI change something in our industry is..."
5. Capture these examples on a flip chart as they'll be useful reference points later.

Debrief Questions:

• What patterns do you notice in the examples people shared?
• Are these changes happening faster or slower than you expected?

Step 2: Map Your Current Competitive Advantages (15 mins)

Goal: Create a shared understanding of what actually makes this team or organisation competitive today, before introducing AI into the conversation.

Activity:

1. Split into groups of 3-4 people.
2. Give each group a sheet of flip chart paper and ask them to draw a simple grid with two columns: "What we do well" and "Why it matters to customers/stakeholders".
3. Set a timer for 8 minutes. Groups brainstorm their current competitive advantages. Push them to be specific. Not "good customer service" but "we respond to support tickets within 2 hours and resolve 80% on first contact".
4. After 8 minutes, each group briefly shares their top 3-5 advantages (1 minute per group).
5. Facilitate a quick discussion to identify any advantages that multiple groups mentioned, as these are likely core to the organisation's position.

Debrief Questions:

• Which of these advantages took years to build?
• Which ones could a well-funded competitor replicate within 12 months?
• Are any of these advantages dependent on things that AI might change?

Step 3: Explore AI Opportunities (25 mins)

Goal: Identify specific ways AI could strengthen existing advantages or create new ones, with concrete tool recommendations.

Activity:

1. Distribute the AI Tools Reference Sheet to each participant. Walk through it briefly, highlighting the categories of tools available.
2. Keep participants in their small groups. Give each group a stack of green sticky notes.
3. Present the first prompt: "Looking at your competitive advantages, where could AI make you even stronger?" Ask groups to write one opportunity per sticky note.
4. After 5 minutes, introduce the second prompt: "What new advantages could AI help you create that you don't have today?"
5. Give groups another 5 minutes to generate ideas for new advantages.
6. Now for the matching exercise: Ask groups to write the name of a specific AI tool or approach on each sticky note that could enable that opportunity. They can use the reference sheet or their own knowledge.
7. Each group posts their green sticky notes on the wall, grouped by theme.
8. Give everyone 3 minutes to walk around and read other groups' ideas silently.
9. Bring everyone back together and facilitate a quick harvest: What opportunities appear multiple times? What's surprising?

Debrief Questions:

• Which opportunities would have the biggest impact if you actually pursued them?
• Which ones could you start experimenting with this month?
• What's stopping you from doing this already?

Step 4: Surface AI Threats (25 mins)

Goal: Identify where AI could erode competitive position or benefit competitors, creating urgency for action.

Activity:

1. Acknowledge that this section might feel uncomfortable. Explain that the goal is not to create fear but to see threats clearly so you can respond to them.
2. Give each group a stack of red sticky notes.
3. Present the first prompt: "How could a competitor use AI to attack your current advantages?" Give groups 5 minutes.
4. Present the second prompt: "What parts of your business could AI make less valuable or even obsolete?" Give groups another 5 minutes.
5. Present the third prompt: "What could a new entrant do with AI that would disrupt your market?" Give groups 4 minutes.
6. Groups post their red sticky notes on a separate wall section.
7. Silent gallery walk for 3 minutes.
8. Facilitate discussion: Which threats feel most urgent? Which ones are you not prepared for?

Debrief Questions:

• Which threats are already happening, even if slowly?
• What would you do differently if you knew a competitor was working on this right now?
• Are there threats here that leadership hasn't fully acknowledged yet?

Step 5: Build Your AI Advantage Map (20 mins)

Goal: Synthesise the opportunities and threats into a prioritised visual map that can guide decision-making.

Activity:

1. Distribute the AI Advantage Map template to each group. The template has four quadrants: "Strengthen" (high impact opportunities), "Create" (new advantages to build), "Defend" (threats to address), and "Watch" (lower priority items to monitor).
2. Each group reviews their green and red sticky notes and plots them on the map based on two criteria: impact (how much difference would this make?) and urgency (how soon do we need to act?).
3. High impact + high urgency items go in "Strengthen" or "Defend".
4. High impact + lower urgency items go in "Create" or "Watch".
5. Groups should aim to have no more than 3-4 items in each quadrant. This forces prioritisation.
6. Give groups 12 minutes to complete their maps.
7. Each group presents their map in 2 minutes, focusing on their top priority in each quadrant.

Debrief Questions:

• What trade-offs did you have to make when prioritising?
• Do the "Defend" priorities feel as urgent as they should?
• What would need to be true for the "Create" items to move into action?

Step 6: Action Planning (20 mins)

Goal: Convert strategic insights into concrete next steps that participants can act on immediately after leaving the room.

Activity:

1. Distribute the Action Planning worksheet to each participant.
2. Explain the structure: Each person will identify one opportunity and one threat to focus on personally, then define specific actions for each.
3. Individual work (8 minutes): Participants complete their worksheets, answering: What will I do? By when? Who do I need to involve? What's the first small step I can take this week?
4. Pair up participants and give them 4 minutes each to share their plans and pressure-test them. Partners should ask: "Is this specific enough? Is the timeline realistic? What might get in the way?"
5. Bring everyone back together. Ask for 3-4 volunteers to share their most important action item with the full group.
6. Capture these commitments on a flip chart so they're visible and public.

Debrief Questions:

• What support do you need to follow through on these actions?
• Who else in the organisation needs to be involved in these conversations?
• What would make you abandon these commitments, and how can you prevent that?

Step 7: Close and Commit (5 mins)

Goal: Lock in accountability and ensure participants leave with clear momentum.

Activity:

1. Ask everyone to identify one person in the room who they will check in with about their action plan within 2 weeks. Give them 1 minute to find that person and exchange contact details or set a calendar reminder together.
2. Do a final round where each person shares in one sentence: "The most important thing I'm taking away from today is..."
3. Thank participants and remind them that strategy without action is just conversation. The value of this session depends entirely on what they do next.
4. Let participants know they can take their AI Advantage Maps and Action Planning worksheets with them.

Debrief Questions:

• None needed. End with energy and commitment rather than more discussion.

Secret Sauce

• Name the discomfort early: In Step 4, explicitly tell participants that looking at threats is uncomfortable. This normalises the feeling and stops people from avoiding hard truths.
• Force specificity on advantages: Teams often list vague advantages like "our culture" or "our brand". Push them to define what that actually means in concrete, measurable terms. Vague advantages can't be defended.
• Use the reference sheet strategically: Some participants will know AI tools well, others won't. The reference sheet levels the playing field and stops discussions from getting stuck on "but what AI could actually do this?"
• Watch for threat avoidance: Groups often rush through the threat section or list superficial risks. If you notice this, ask: "What's the threat you're afraid to write down?" This usually unlocks the real conversation.
• Protect individual action planning time: It's tempting to let group discussion run over and cut into individual planning. Don't. The personal action plan is what makes this workshop stick.
• The partner check-in is non-negotiable: Research shows that public commitment to another person dramatically increases follow-through. Make sure everyone actually identifies a check-in partner before leaving.
• Handle the "we're already doing this" response: Some participants may claim they're already on top of AI. Ask them: "What specifically have you shipped or changed in the last 90 days because of AI?" This separates talk from action.
• Balance optimism and realism: Some groups get excited about opportunities and downplay threats. Others catastrophise about threats and miss opportunities. Your job is to keep both in view.
• Capture the flip chart content: Take photos of all the flip chart pages and shared maps before people leave. These are valuable artefacts for follow-up sessions or leadership briefings.
• Be ready for "this is above my pay grade": Some participants may feel the strategic decisions aren't theirs to make. Redirect them to what they can influence: their own work, their team, the conversations they can start.