A disciplined way to tackle problems that feel stuck
The international system is under strain. Climate action is stalling. Humanitarian needs are breaking records while aid budgets are shrinking. Peacekeeping is in retreat. Institutions built over the last 80 years are cracking under pressure.
We need better ways to solve big problems.
At the Global Strategic Initiatives Group, we have developed a new way to create the innovative, ambitious and pragmatic solutions we need.
We call it the
Big Bet Sprint
The Big Bet Sprint is a facilitated process for designing and testing transformational solutions to pressing international challenges, in less than a week.
It combines strategic ambition with rapid problem-solving techniques to help institutions move faster on complex global challenges.
How does a Big Bet Sprint work?
The Big Bet Sprint runs across two workshops. It starts wide, mapping the full range of challenges a team or community is facing. Step by step, it narrows the focus — defining the central challenge, identifying root causes, reframing them as ‘how might we’ questions, and designing concrete strategies in response.
By its end, each Big Bet Sprint produces:
- A shared map of the problem and its root causes
- A small set of concrete, testable strategies aimed at those root causes
- Collective ownership across unlikely allies
- Credibility from stress-testing with decision-makers