Strategic Thinking Course

Strategic Thinking Course

Course Description

Thinking strategically can be described as how people in an organization think about, view, assess, and create the future for themselves, their team, and the organization. More than simply reacting to day-to-day or long-term problems, it is concerned with creating opportunities and choosing options to realize the best possible future. It is an ongoing process that becomes part of the organizational culture and local vocabulary; it also ensures that strategic planning activity is more meaningful. The strategic

Thinking Course will discuss Strategic thinking skills, and the same principles are equally applicable to people’s personal lives and work responsibilities. The same thinking approach is relevant to all levels of responsibility throughout the organization.

However, thinking strategically is only half of the workplace challenge; the ideal outcome for any organization is for its people to think strategically while acting tactically. Striking the proper balance is critical to the organization’s smooth operation and the full involvement of all its people. Achieving the balance helps team members collaborate and better align their day-to-day activities with the higher goals and vision of the project, department, or organization as a whole.

This Strategic Thinking Course will explore what it means to think strategically and how day-to-day operational action can be aligned to the grander strategy at both the individual and team level. All managers want to become more strategic in their outlook, mindset, and thinking, and thus more effective for the organization.

Course Objectives

• The mental tools to start understanding the strategic environment that you work in
• Better knowledge of yourself as a strategic thinker
• The means to become more strategic in your day-to-day activity and so be able to better align with corporate goals
• To acquire the mindset and skills for longer-term and higher-level thinking
• To learn and apply a thought process for strategic thinking
• To understand key concepts of strategic thinking and learn how to use them for better results
• To learn how to crystallize and clarify outcomes and visions
• To understand the impact of the external environment and how to stay relevant in a changing world
• To learn how to get everyone in the team on board and working together in a concerted effort

Course Modules

Setting the Scene

• Gaining a working understanding of strategy and tactics/operations

Individuals as Potential Strategic Thinkers

• What are the attributes of a strategic thinker?
• Are you a strategic thinker?

Organizational Culture

• Assessing your organization’s culture
• How does this help or hinder your intention to think more strategically
• What should the ideal culture for team strategic thinking be like, and what do you need to do to get there?

Taking ‘Ownership’ of Strategy

• Balancing expectations with permission to think and act strategically
• Organizational knowledge and action learning as valuable techniques for getting involved
• Visual thinking tools to help you ask the right questions
• A five-step briefing format for any occasion to get your message across powerfully

Strategic/Operational Framework

• Exploring the key elements of a framework that you can use to ensure you become aware of all of the aspects of your organizational strategy
• How operations are connected to strategy; how individuals are part of the operations

The Proverbial Box – Taking a Look at the Box from the Outside

• We all live, think and work inside the box
• What is the box? What holds us there? How do we escape?
• What can we do to help us think more strategically while acting tactically?

Review

• Opportunity to explore additional issues, ideas, or techniques
• What are your next steps?