It trains you on strategic thinking based on the following. As we conduct futurelooking research, several things are clear. What will your company look like and how will it compete in the year 2030 or 2035. Building a strategic thinking organization strategies for social. Yet with time limits and stress from work and family.
Pdf this paper provides an overview of strategic thinking as a critical competency for people. In order to advance in your career, you need to demonstrate them. This paper presents an overview of enterprise development, a model that integrates six strategic thinking and change. Managers like yourself can trigger strategic thinking among their employees by creating certain exercises that stimulate new ideas and innovative plans. Mar 20, 2017 luckily, asking the right questions, having new experiences and listening to other perspectives ignites strategic thinking. It may well be that the typical strategic planning exercise now. The use of tools and techniques can help with the planning and execution but they do not substitute thinking. The strategic thinking framework is a good place to start when deciding on a common approach to strategy. In relation to those questions, ask your team to come up with a list of ideas, statements, or activities. The futures toolkit is a key resource that policy professionals can use to embed long term strategic thinking in the policy and strategy process. Strategic thinking if you are a manager, director or leaders who needs strategic thinking skills to gain better business insights and identify trends that can contribute to a more successful business strategy, this programme is right for you.
The organisations values underpin its culture, strategy, policies and procedures. Strategic thinking online class linkedin learning, formerly. Strategic thinking in complex problem solving breaks down the resolution process into a series of steps. I tell people who ask about how we developed the brainzooming group methodology that a big. Learn how to strengthen your strategic thinking skills and encourage it in others. Once there is a consistent definition of strategy enterprisewide, organizations should include strategy skills into their leadership development programs. Various researchers point out that at the heart of strategic thinking is creativity and inventiveness 26. Ask students questions to assess their understanding of the problem. However, if you prefer to give this exercise a broader perspective to include elements of strategic thinking and project management, you may wish to give participants longer in order to think about and plan in some detail, how they would change the mailorder operation in beastly barbecues, as well as how theyd then communicate and manage. The 7 critical skills of successful strategic thinkers. Strategic thinking, planning, and plan execution are key to maximum mission impact and sustainable growth. In chapter 14 of 16 in his 2012 capture your flag interview, author and public speaker simon sinek answers how do you make strategic thinking more implement.
In many respects, it is even more important than strategic planning. A key distinction between strategic thinking and strategic planning is that the former occurs on a regular basis, as part of our daily. Objectivesrelative to the strengths and weaknesses already identified, what are the. Strategic planning is the channeling of business insights into an action plan to achieve goals and objectives. All leaders of the organization must be adept at strategic thinking. It is now recognized that merely using the various tools of strategic management will not ensure success. Organizations can get so caught up in building out their programs and activities that they may loose sight of important trends and developments that could impact. Module 1 8 formulation of the vision, values and mission of the eos strategic planning workshop. Relying on a framework such as the star model to guide the process can.
The goals which are the strategic priorities of the organization should be turned into strategic objectives and the latter to the action plan. This is the trap that many company strategies and plans fall into. Strategic thinking exercises more than 200 strategic planning questions. Wrapping strategy meetings in creative thinking exercises and fresh, mentally stimulating activities turns strategic planning into a productive, enjoyable, and fun.
What the majority of organisations and management forget, is that strategic thinking to a great. Write the following question on a flip chart sheet. Strategic thinking with scenarios decision integrity. Strategic planning enables us to determine what we want to achieve and how we. Here are seven o words to consider tucking into the middle of your swot analysis along with related strategic thinking questions to add different dimensions to your insights. Strategic thinking is different from strategic planning. A strategic thinker has a mental model of the complete. Strategic thinking is defined as a mental or thinking process applied by an individual in the context of achieving a goal or set of goals in a game or other endeavor.
This exercise will take about 25 minutes to complete. For each of these four stepsthe what, why, how, and doit explains techniques that promote success and demonstrates how to apply them on a case study and in additional examples. The featured case guides you through the resolution process, illustrates how these concepts apply, and creates. Building a strategic thinking organization what exactly is strategic thinking. View or download this sample program for a twoday workshop on business war games and strategic thinking. Over the years, large organizations have relegated strategic plans to the planning department and inadvertently created a. The strategic thinking mindset refers to an approach to solving ambiguous problems that is consistent with the requirements of strategic thinking, characterized by intellectual flexibility, humility and inclusiveness. Strategic thinking demands that all assumptions, beliefs and information are looked at from a fresh perspective on a continual basis.
This creative exercise must happen before strategic planning and execution. These strategic thinking exercises adhere to adult learning principles. For example, if an office is suddenly faced with a new challenge or mandate, a change in its operating environment, or other strategic change, it may be valuable to undertake a strategic planning exercise. What needs to happen to ensure that agency is a longterm success. Acquire stands alongside monopoly as one of the greatest financial board games of all time. Seeing the past and current enterprise honestly and accurately 4. Strategic planning whenever the word strategic is uttered, most people think of planning rather than thinking.
Dec 22, 2020 strategic thinking is defined as a mental or thinking process applied by an individual in the context of achieving success in a game or other endeavor. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion. Practice the strategic thinking model within a small. In general then, it can be argued that strategic thinking involves thinking and acting within a certain set of assumptions and potential action alternatives as. Survey respondents strategic thinking institute new york times and thinking. As a cognitive activity, it produces thought when applied in an organizational strategic management process, strategic thinking involves the generation and application of unique business insights and opportunities intended to. This question can be altered to address a more specific issue as needed. Strategic thinking competency survey stratton consulting. This goes beyond the basics of teaching the basics of trading ex. Over the years, large organizations have relegated strategic plans to the planning department and inadvertently created a bureaucracy.
Strategic thinking and innovation the defining aspect of competition. Develop strategic leadership influencing skills to gain backing to ideas and goals. Clarity strategic planning isnt planning for contingencies. Strategic thinking skills is a simple and comprehensive guide to the skills, tactics, techniques, tools, case studies, and lessons behind this allimportant process. Three whys as a warmup to strategic planning, check in with your board memberskey leaders to learn why they are a part of the organization. This course arms you with the essential tools that allow you to think strategically in business and in life. Governing boards are responsible for the values of the organisation, which should be at its core and a reference point for all decisions. Users guide for the strategic thinking mindset test stmt. Given strategic thinking happens every single day, there are plenty of opportunities to help your employees succeed and improve their capabilities. Strategic thinking indicates the availability of capabilities and skills necessary for individuals working in strategic actions and exercising strategic management tasks, so that it gives the. Strategic thinking ac vi es in this course work will help you prac ce thinking more strategically. Strategic thinking is a critical skill for leaders.
Strategic thinking exercises more than 200 strategic. If your answers were primarily bs, your tendency is to wear the manager hat. Chapter3envisiongroup exercises to liven up planning. Learn how to think strategically in order to effectively guide the direction of your teams and solve key business problems.
Attending a quality workshop is a quick way to improve your strategic thinking skills or to help your employees develop them through strategic thinking exercises. Reimagining the swot analysis features eleven ideas for adapting, stretching, and reinvigorating how you see your brands strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Nov 09, 2010 one of the keys to becoming a great leader is to constantly improve your strategic thinking, so you can adjust to new global realities. Jun 25, 2017 strategic thinking indicates the availability of capabilities and skills necessary for individuals working in strategic actions and exercising strategic management tasks, so that it gives the. What trends do you need to consider in your planning. Strategic thinking exercises more than 200 strategic planning questions strategic planning questions encourage and allow people to talk about what they know including their factual information, perspectives, and views of the future. Since a lot of work already has to go into single scenario planning, the.
Module 1 4 formulation of the vision, values and mission of the eos strategic planning workshop. This dichotomy between the creative versus the analytic is pervasive in the discussions on the subject of strategic thinking and strategic planning. Also contains links to dozens of articles for further reading. Strategic thinking training icebreakers, energisers and. This creative exercise must happen before strategic. Strategic thinking exercise creating the picture in a small group of 34, select one person to be the client one person is the facilitator one person is the clients recorder the facilitator guides the client through the questions in the strategic thinking model. Distribute postit pads and sharpie pens to participants. Strategic thinking training materials, activities, course. Reproduced from 50 activities for developing critical thinking. This exercise, by itself, is not going to transform you into an expert strategic thinker. Figure 1 illustrates the five elements of strategic thinking. A guide for governing boards values a value is a principle that guides our thinking and behaviour. Other strategic plans may need to be developed outside the timeframes and parameters of the biennial budget process.
It means anticipating opportunities and challenges and. For porter, strategy means choosing a different set of activities to. Simply tweaking last years plan is a major disservice to ones business because it suffocates any chance of discovering new insights. Strategic thinking in complex problem solving powerful. Strategic management is a point of view and set of actions. Strategic surprisingly, here there is ready agreement. Simon sinek on how to improve strategic thinking youtube. Minimize obstacles resistance secure input from key stakeholders. Sep 24, 2019 how acquire teaches strategic thinking.
Strategic thinking is defined as the generation and application of business insights on a continual basis in order to achieve competitive advantage. Strategic thinking is the ability to accurately assess your environment, forecast changes and to use the data to orchestrate opportunities to amplify your impact. Strategic thinking entails an element of risk to push the boundaries as well as long term commitment. Encourage strategic thinking with these exercises skillpath. Strategic thinking is the ability to accurately assess your environment, forecast changes and to use the.
Our strategic thinking training course modules, games and activities gives you the tools you need to train your staff. Strategic thinking is a skill and as with any skill, it is possible to build and practice it on the job over time. Hone this skill to leverage competing forces and to reshape your teams perception to align with the strategic business plan and big picture. Far from an empty exercise, crafting a clear and meaningful mission statement shapes the entire strategic planning process. Try one or more of these exercises in the boardroom, at a staff meeting, or at your planning retreat. Developing your strategic thinking skills isnt enough to get you promoted. Various authors have described strategic thinking as. To think strategically means to see and understand the bigger picture of what the organization is, where it needs to go, and how it will get there. Pieces creating a swot from multiple pieces page 4 swoot trying a twist with a swoot bolder analysis page 5 no one ever expects a bolder swot page 7 four x 4 going deeper with a four x 4 swot page 8 reimagining the swot analysis 3 7 more 7 more ideas for swot. Developing the ability to think strategically takes a. Ask the groups to make their presentations in the plenary and provide your feedback. To give participants the opportunity to consider what the subject means to them and the other participants currently.
The toolkit is designed primarily as a resource for those who are new to futures thinking but should. All these should contribute to the fulfillment of the vision. Sep 03, 2015 strategic planning in chapters two, three and four. Pdf strategic thinking skills course guidebook researchgate.
This can be a very fullling roleaer all, youre the glue that holds a team together, and they truly appreciate your guidance. Rather than simply discussing skills, the goal of instruction should be to help you immediately apply strategic thinking to your unique job role. Out thinking the competition, of course, is the ultimate competitive advantage. Teach the concept of strategic thinking and how to develop it. Strategic thinking exercises more than 200 strategic planning.
View or download this compilation of lessons from workshops on strategic thinking. The world of strategic thinking the world of strategic thinking lecture 1 h ow can you learn to plan more effectively, outsmart your competitors, and avoid unpleasant surprises. Acquire teaches you the importance of timing, coupled with patience. Its time to apply strategic thinking to your business.
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