Hypotheticals, Simulations & Case Studies

The Last Question: The Weekend Before the Future Arrived

What happens when capable people become so focused on action that they stop questioning the assumptions driving it?
(OpenAI & Hugging Face)

What happens when intelligence, effort, and initiative continue to grow, but nobody stops to question their assumptions?

A complex challenge unfolds over a single weekend. New contributors appear. Obstacles are overcome. Unexpected solutions emerge. By Monday morning, unexpected boundaries have been crossed. What began as a productive experiment has evolved into something far more controversial. Some celebrated it as a breakthrough. Others said it was the beginning of the end.

Inspired by the OpenAI-Hugging Face incident and other emerging examples of AI goal misalignment, this executive case study explores a deceptively simple question:

What happens when intelligence, effort, and initiative continue to grow, but nobody stops to question their assumptions?

Despite its AI origins, this is not a case about technology. It is a case about critical thinking.

Participants discover how seemingly reasonable decisions can create unintended consequences, and why intelligent people, teams, organizations, and systems can become highly effective at pursuing the wrong objective.

A powerful discussion starter for leaders navigating AI, innovation, uncertainty, and complex decision-making.

How do leaders balance exploration and control when new opportunities emerge faster than established systems can adapt?
(JPMorgan Chase)

As Generative AI transformed the business world, leaders at JPMorgan Chase faced a critical question: how fast should they move, and how much risk should they take?

Based on the Harvard Business School case study JPMorgan Chase: Leadership in the Age of GenAI, participants explore real executive decisions involving AI adoption, innovation, governance, culture, productivity, and competitive advantage. Rather than following the standard HBS teaching approach, Tirian applies its CSI Critical Thinking, Innovation Xplore, and Ambidextrous Leadership frameworks to help participants examine the assumptions, trade-offs, and leadership decisions shaping the future of AI.

A compelling discussion starter for leaders navigating innovation, transformation, uncertainty, and the future of work.

Note: Individual case copies must be purchased separately through Harvard Business Publishing. Tirian’s frameworks are independent of Harvard Business School and the original case materials.

A CSI Critical Thinking™ Case Study on AI, Critical Thinking, and the Hidden Cost of “Workslop“

If AI can generate answers instantly, what becomes more valuable: producing information or evaluating it?  AI can generate reports, recommendations, and risk assessments in seconds. But when the output looks professional, how do you know whether it’s accurate?

In this highly interactive CSI Critical Thinking™ case study, participants investigate two realistic workplace scenarios where AI-generated recommendations appear convincing but contain unverified assumptions, weak reasoning, evidence gaps, and potentially flawed conclusions.

From a senior manager relying on an AI-generated market expansion report to an audit team reviewing an AI-powered risk assessment, participants must decide what can be trusted, what requires verification, and who remains accountable when AI gets it wrong.

Using the CSI Critical Thinking INVESTIGATE Framework™, participants conduct a forensic review of AI-generated outputs, challenge assumptions, test evidence, identify reasoning flaws, and explore the growing workplace problem of “workslop”: polished AI-generated content that creates the appearance of productivity while shifting the burden of critical thinking onto others.

Rather than asking, “Was this created by AI?”, participants learn to ask the more important question:“ Does this demonstrate sound reasoning?“

The case explores evidence verification, accountability, AI errors and hallucinations, cognitive biases, risk assessment, and decision-making under uncertainty, helping participants develop the critical thinking skills needed to work with AI responsibly and confidently.

The Innovation Puzzle

How do you create solutions that expand value for customers while balancing performance, cost, and growth?
(P&G)

Every organization eventually faces a version of this question.

Customers want the benefit but not the cost. They value the outcome but reject the solution. Traditional approaches force leaders into an uncomfortable choice: lower the price, lower the quality, or walk away.

Based on one of Procter & Gamble’s most famous innovation challenges, this case study explores how deep customer understanding and creative problem-solving can unlock entirely new markets.

Using Tirian’s CSI² Design Thinking framework, participants tackle a classic wicked problem and discover why breakthrough innovation often begins by challenging the assumptions everyone else accepts.

Purpose-Driven Innovation Leadership

From start-up to scale-up

Can a mission-driven organization scale its impact without losing sight of its purpose?

A founder has a vision to change the world.

The challenge begins when that vision starts to succeed.

Based on Dr Gaia Grant’s PhD research and award-winning book Purpose-Driven Innovation Leadership for Sustainable Development, this case study follows a purpose-driven organization as it navigates the difficult transition from startup to scale-up. As growth accelerates, competing demands begin to emerge. The desire to innovate collides with the need for sustainability. Stakeholder expectations compete with operational realities. Purpose collides with performance.

Participants explore the leadership tensions that arise when organizations attempt to create both commercial and social value, while examining how innovation leaders balance growth, impact, sustainability, and long-term success.

A compelling discussion starter for leaders seeking to scale innovation without losing sight of why the organization exists in the first place.

Hypotheticals, Simulations & Case Studies

Real-World Learning in Action

We believe people learn best when they must make decisions, not simply discuss them.

Our workshops combine classic business case studies, executive hypotheticals, and proprietary simulations to place participants in the “hot seat”. Working with incomplete information, competing priorities, and real-world constraints, participants discover the gap between what they think they would do and how they actually perform under pressure.

Explore option levels below.

Tirian Case Studies: Short, practical case studies aligned to your workshop objectives, with facilitated discussion questions.

Harvard Business School Case Studies: Globally recognised business cases integrated into workshop discussions and practical application.

Bespoke Client Case Studies: Custom case studies built around your organisation’s challenges, opportunities, and strategic priorities.