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WebStrategic thinking is the ability to envision, plan, and execute long-term goals and initiatives that align with your organization's vision and mission. Therefore, tactics shouldnt be left to chance but instead thoughtfully planned and executed. Why is that person so clueless and frustrating? opportunities to explore cultural interactions and resolve cultural problems. } If you only have a Plan A, you have no way to strategically adjust to an unanticipated challenge. Note. In order to understand the importance of this skill, lets start at the beginning. Many of these customers had little or no experience organizing big virtual meetings. Essential in cultural strategic thinking is your ability to conjure and be positive about your learning experiences. Its true that strategic thinking skills are valuable, and some people (like senior executives or policymakers) need them more than others. They work together to help you reach your goals. This dichotomy between the creative versus the And they have to be agile learners who identify opportunities by challenging their own and their teams assumptions about how things work in their organization and industry. What does this mean and how do you achieve it? This is Cultural Strategic Thinking Techniques, section 4.4 from the book Cultural Intelligence for Leaders (v. 1.0). Negative attitudes and impressions will hinder your work. Not in the mood to read? "name": "What is the definition of strategic thinking? The ability of an individual to understand, interpret, reflect on, and respond to what that individual just heard. As a leader, this is a great way of providing a model for those who have difficulty with cultural strategic thinking. This section of the chapter provides ideas that will help you to increase your cultural strategic thinking. Cultural strategic thinking helps you to discard what you think you know and to apply new information concerning what the situation could be. In World War II, the company Textron made a fortune selling parachutes to the US military. This article assesses the progress that has been made in studying strategic WebCultural strategic thinking helps you to discard what you think you know and to apply new information concerning what the situation could be. We ask both types of questions, and we choose which ones to ask in any given situation. Normally, the author and publisher would be credited here. Strategic thinking skills can be learned. Basically, every time that I reached the new goal, I just increased the goal. And why are strategic thinking skills so important to business success? 1. He has a master's degree in Engineering Management from the University of Alberta and a master's degree in Computer Information Systems from Boston University. If you dont have milestones, it is hard to know what to measure. Management in Global Economy 100% (8) 6 Discussion 6 A vision statement reflects the organizations long-term goals, aspirations, and overall purpose in a few sentences. In others, the marketplace may change or we may uncover competitive intelligence where we change the goal altogether. Theyre more specific than vision, and theyre what will get you from point A to point B. If you come across a situation in which a cultural fact seems to contradict what you know, take the time to learn about the difference and the nuances related to that cultural fact. These are all different aspects of successful strategic planning. Get a better handle onyour life goals and ambitions. This article shows a five-step approach on how you can keep track of You have to think positively about a situation, and you need to be and stay positive, maintaining a positive energy and attitude throughout. Cultural strategic thinking may seem overwhelming at first, but as with any new learning, you need to break your plan into smaller steps that will help you to accomplish your goals. Then, once that becomes a habit, it is fairly easy to run one-and-a-half-miles per day then two miles. What is an example of strategic thinking that illustrates this systematic approach? Adapted from Marilee G. Adams, 2004, Change your questions, change your life: 7 powerful tools for life and work, San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler, p. 49. Strategy: The company decided to source raw materials from suppliers who adhere to sustainable farming practices. The process includes planning combined with adapting to changes in order to reach the ultimate goal." WebEmployee Experience boils down to this ONE THING #employeeexperience #strategicthinking WebUtilize the basics of developing and practicing cultural strategic thinking within the Unit 2 reading. However, this trait is also highly useful in everyday life. Fully understand the business on the level of your organization. Vision: A company wanted to groom managers who had the right skills and experience to complete unique projects the company is known for. In my case, I opted for sometimes, it depends or mostly for each question. The way he explains it is that a big change is hard to create. More importantly, clarity regarding values allows the organization to You need to develop strategic thinking and create a culture of strategic thinking within your organization. A useful tool I have used in my workshops and classes is writing down experiences and thoughts related to a cultural situation. This type of leadership is like playing baseball and just watching the ball go by you. It does so by sharing with them a language and a process, and by helping to point out the cultural strategic thinking pieces of the process, which can be done by asking and clarifying the situation for them. Showing strategic thinking skills tells your bosses that youre able to think for yourself and make decisions that position the organization for the future. Finally, identify some of the challenges that popped up and how the contingencies were used to overcome the challenges. There are two types of questions: questions that involve judgments and questions that involve learning. Learn more about your compensation, benefits and everything that goes into a Total Rewards package. While strategic thinking is a valuable skill for everyone in an organization, it becomes increasingly essential as you ascend the ladder. Acquisition of strategically important subcontractor companies is one example of a tactic employed to accomplish the companys vision of being the best construction company in North America, one of the vision examples earlier. Lets look at a few strategic mindset examples. Google Drive Makeover: Organizing Files and Folders. In practice, it is a doorway to innovation, cultural change and proactive strategies Here are a few of the reasons you should adopt it as one of your thinking tools: 1. You must reload the page to continue. Most of us dont even realize we need to learn it ourselves sinceits not taught as a valuable life skill at any point in our lives. Anticipate possible challenges and identify ways to deal with them before they occur. Instead, come up with many great ideas. JOHN MATTONE GLOBAL, INC. Along the lines of processing your cultural situations out loud, it would be helpful to find a coach or mentor that can help you analyze your thinking. However, there are two big advantages to this. Remember that the purpose of the Strategy is to help you reach your vision. Productive global assignments. Vision: A teen clothing brand wanted to show that the company cared about the environment just like its young customers. Tactics: The company gradually influenced its current suppliers to adopt sustainable practices. Strategic Thinking: 5 Characteristics of Strategic Thinkers Written by MasterClass Last updated: Jun 7, 2021 2 min read Strategic thinkers excel at problem Mostly we use this technique already without paying attention that we are using it. How to Build Strong Leaders within Your Organization. Content is out of sync. 2023 Harvard Business School Publishing. With a passion for exploring and leveraging However, if you have 10 potential solutions, the team can eliminate solutions that are less viable. Being able to think strategically is one of the most important leadership traits. Determine how the hospital can increase their cultural strategic thinking to ensure patients are addressed with care and compassion regardless of their individual culture and beliefs. Lets break it down into its three primary components: 1. All change starts at the top, so your first Profitability and cost savings. is your ability to understand, interpret, reflect, and respond to what you have heard. Resource allocation 2. WebCultural intelligence has three key parts: thinking and solving problems in particular ways (cultural strategic thinking), being energized and persistent in ones actions (motivational), and acting in certain ways (behavioral). Its important to schedule time for strategic thinking, just like we all love exercising or walking. Strategic thinking skills are one of the most sought-after skills in the business world. The Worlds #1 Executive Coaching and Business Coaching Blog (2017-2021), June 4, 2020 | Strategic thinking involves thinking about larger, macro issues, in contrast to the micro focus that many tend to take. With strategic thinking, employees at all levels and in all functions continually scan for new ways to contribute to the organizations success. This process takes a lot of discipline. These questions are mundane, uninspired, uncreative and conventional. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do. This area cover the performance management review program 'Achieve Together' and the Foundational Skills program. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. For example, if your goal is to jog 10 miles by the end of summer, you can plan how many miles you intend to jog each month. Web2. The easy answer is to make sure that you are measuring your progress. Think about it as playing cultural detective: You ask your peers questions, and they clarify the information for you, and when they ask you questions, you clarify your thinking process for them. Cultural strategic thinking is essential because it is this higher strategic thinking that enables you to process the new information and reinterpret it in a new situation. Your writing serves as a reflection of your thinking processes and how you have dealt with, or how you could not deal with, the process. It includes goals, objectives, planning, resources, and more. But most people can develop these skills on their own if they invest a little bit of time and effort. Someone who holds a negative perspective about, or who had a negative experience, working with different cultural groups will continue to have difficulty working with the groups. One that seems particularly relevant for schools is: Strategic thinking focuses on finding and developing unique opportunities to create value by enabling a provocative and creative dialogue among people who can affect a companys direction. (Center for Applied Research, cited in Haycock, 2012) This isnt an either-or process: When you first diverge as a team to generate ideas and then converge on a path forward, you improve your ability to design and implement strategic actions. Note. There are two types of questions: questions that involve judgments and questions that involve learning. You can do this by reminding yourself or by setting goals centered around the following actions: Active listeningThe ability of an individual to understand, interpret, reflect on, and respond to what that individual just heard. Cultural intelligence improves my strategic thinking and sits at the core of my approach to planning. Through observation and active listening, you pick up what you normally do not see. Marilee AdamsAdams (2004). It could be a certain amount of money you hope to earn or a dream job, or a target related to your current job that you hope to accomplish. You can think of tactics as concrete activities that move you in the right direction. When challenges develop, the poor leader is always playing catch-up. "@type": "Question", Cultural strategic thinking is essential because it is this higher strategic thinking that enables you to process the new information and reinterpret it in a new situation. Next, we had to adapt when the restrictions increased and the weeks of delay turned to months. I have a passion for healthcare and medical innovations. A strategy that is often employed in the practice of cultural strategic thinking is to create peer-learning opportunities to explore cultural interactions and resolve cultural problems. In todays business context, it is described in terms of goals. These new habits move you toward the big change. 2002 - 2020 The Leaders Institute, LLC. Values reflect the culture of an organization. Life happens, and none of us has absolute control over everything happening around us. Here are a few examples of vision statements: We will be the best construction company in North America., We will create an employee-centric culture., We want to build a company that is sustainable for generations.. Beyond approaches covered previously to focus strategic thinking, broaden participation, and increase its rigor, a several principles can help create more tangible outcomes . Strategic thinking is basically the practice of selecting a long-term goal and formulating an action plan toward reaching that goal. For each problem, we can think about different strategies before committing to one. That is until I figured out the value of strategic thinking. Strategic thinking often falls short because specific outcomes are difficult to trace to original strategic thinking or planning effort. Can we really learn it? WebBiomedical Engineer specialized in product and marketing management with strong commercial mindset. So focus on making Atomic changes to your personal habits and to your processes. First, youll have to figure out your options and how theyll work in different scenarios. It is a huge benefit if you can think strategically in extremely complicated situations. How vision, Strategy, and tactics are related? You can do this by reminding yourself or by setting goals centered around the following actions: Active listening is your ability to understand, interpret, reflect, and respond to what you have heard. So if you are using strategic thinking, how do you know if you need to make an adjustment. If you also didnt answer yes to all three, you might have an opportunity to reflect and sharpen your critical thinking. Once you have these details just tell the story of what happened to the interviewer. Lets pause for a second. Earley and PetersonEarley & Peterson (2004). I realized that we were measuring the wrong thing. As a leader, this is a great way of providing a model for those who have difficulty with cultural strategic thinking. Strategic culture is not an autonomous concept, nor is it free of debates regarding its nature, the bearers of the concept, and its future. Webstrategic culture and behavior should be approached with a great deal of care. It is a little easier to run one mile per day, though. The cultural changes are more numerous and important. The Greek word strategy comes from Stratos (army or resource) and ago (to lead), so the definition is quite literal. It takes expert strategic thinkers, though, to know when that recipe is no longer working. Some people will talk to themselves; others find it helpful to have someone to talk to. The basics of developing and practicing cultural strategic thinking are to (a) connect new information to the old, (b) select the appropriate strategies, and then (c) plan, monitor, and evaluate the strategies you have put in place. What does it look like in everyday life? Can you think of a story of amazing success in your life? For some of you, the best time might be early morning. Culturally intelligent leaders must have excellent observation skills, never failing to hear and see the tangible and intangible. Observation is acquired through day-to-day activities in your life by making a conscious decision to be open and alert. In cultural strategic thinking, it is important to talk about what you will do or what you have to do. They shouldnt be ongoing projects or initiatives without a defined end. Different people with different backgrounds are each going to bring a different perspective to the process. How do you know if you are not also an expert strategic thinker? I saw the words dozens of times every day. What is your next strategic goal in your life? You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. Think about it as playing cultural detective: You ask your peers questions, and they clarify the information for you, and when they ask you questions, you clarify your thinking process for them. Strategic thinking is the key to the long-term survival of your organization. This is the type of resistance you need to overcome as a leader. Keep in mind that tactics are designed around your overall Strategy, which leads you toward your vision. I encourage you to write down your emotions and feelings, the ambiguities and inconsistencies, and the challenges and successes of working interculturally. Mainly through Human Resources activities, achieving a strategic thinking culture may necessitate that the firms culture evolves from a stringent hierarchical system to a flatter, more collaborative one. You can also change some of your preferences. In your review of the situation, you may need to research unfamiliar terms or gestures used, or you may need to break down the picture and rebuild it, step by step, to understand if you really understood the whole picture. opportunities to explore cultural interactions and resolve cultural problems. Unique system of activity 3. As a result, they made another fortune selling the US military helicopters. Essential in cultural strategic thinking is your ability to conjure and be positive about your learning experiences. Pour your energy into something you are passionate about. Cultural strategic thinking may seem overwhelming at first, but as with any new learning, you need to break your plan into smaller steps that will help you to accomplish your goals. Acknowledge the progress that they make and devise a reward system. New page type Book TopicInteractive Learning Content, Textbooks for Primary Schools (English Language), Textbooks for Secondary Schools (English Language), Creative Commons-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, Culturally Intelligent Leadership Matters, The Difference between Managers and Leaders, Importance of Leadership in a Global Economy, Contemplate Your Motivation and Ability to Work with Others, Techniques for Developing Strategic Thinking, Selecting Intentional Thinking Strategies, The Role of Self-Efficacy in Cultural Intelligence, Support Others in Their Self-Efficacy Development, Reduce Anxiety and Stress Related to Cultural Interactions, Case Study: Young, Confident, and Moving too Fast. "name": "Why are strategic thinking skills so important to business success? How far are you from your goal? To download a .zip file containing this book to use offline, simply click here. If you manage to help them overcome their barriers, you may turn them into your best strategic thinking allies. Its actually a very powerful concept that can help you think through what your Next, decide what outcome you want to achieve in each scenario. In every organization, some people resist change out of a natural proclivity to preserve a state of relative comfort. Strategy is about the big-picture choices that have a broad and long-term impact. Were all born with some innate ability to think and act strategically. All change starts at the top, so your first step is to focus on a personal level. Choose a delete action Empty this pageRemove this page and its subpages. Strategic thinking is the key to the long-term survival of your organization. Speed and efficiency. The basics of developing and practicing cultural strategic thinking are to (a) connect new information to the old, (b) select the appropriate strategies, and then (c) plan, monitor, and evaluate the strategies you have put in place. Multicultural team effectiveness. Then, I increased the number to $3,000. Although these practices are related and equally necessary for organizational success, they are actually quite distinct. Earley and PetersonEarley & Peterson (2004). When you get into the habit of cultural strategic thinking, you will begin thinking on an unconscious level and not even recognize that you are using strategic thinking. Someone who holds a negative perspective about, or who had a negative experience, working with different cultural groups will continue to have difficulty working with the groups. For instance, one of his students contacted us wanting a partial refund because the class ended an hour early. Your ability to be a culturally intelligent leader depends on your willingness to maintain a positive attitude. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. Eventually, we realized that our customers were being forced to transform their in-person meetings to virtual. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. I have also drawn up a series of concrete steps to help you develop this competency: Your next step is to propagate strategic thinking throughout your organization, at every leadership level. However, a tiny, microscopic, atomic change is much easier. However, your culture is the key to proposes that when you change your questions in any given situation, this allows you to change your thinking. Senior leaders often hire teams of individual contributors to help with strategic problem-solving. Subscribe to our RSS feed and stay up to date. WebStrategic Thinking (Critical Thinking) is a process of identifying ways to move a person, team, or organization toward a long-term goal. This paper aims to discuss all the above aspects. wrote that learning about a new culture requires putting all the pieces of a pattern together when you do not know the totality of what that whole picture should look like. In the previous chapters, you have been presented with the three principles of cultural intelligence: cultural strategic thinking, motivation, and behavior. Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.orgor check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. It is a critical skill in cultural intelligence because the behavior acknowledges that you have really heard what another person has said. Think about it as playing cultural detective: You ask your peers questions, and they clarify the information for you, and when they ask you questions, you clarify your thinking process for them. For additional information about The Five-Step Problem-Solving Process, click the link to that article. Tactics are the specific steps you take to move toward your vision. Why is that person so clueless and frustrating? Active listening focuses your mind on the speaker, and, if done repeatedly and successfully, you are able to build trust and a relationship with others. Active listening focuses your mind on the speaker, and, if done repeatedly and successfully, you are able to build trust and a relationship with others. Dont just stop with the first good idea. Thus it seems worthwhile to take a closer look at the analytic value of strategic culture. A useful tool I have used in my workshops and classes is writing down experiences and thoughts related to a cultural situation. I encourage you to write down your emotions and feelings, the ambiguities and inconsistencies, and the challenges and successes of working interculturally. I encourage you to write down your emotions and feelings, the ambiguities and inconsistencies, and the challenges and successes of working interculturally. For details on it (including licensing), click here. Adapted from Marilee G. Adams, 2004, Change your questions, change your life: 7 powerful tools for life and work, San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler, p. 49. If you develop this critical skill, you will create new opportunities for yourself and be elevated to higher-level positions in your organization. What exactly is strategic thinking? Using that cultural situation as a Kodak moment, take the opportunity to reread the picture to see if you really understood how that cultural fact was used. So, I must have answered the question fairly effectively. The benefits of strategic thinking are numerous. The basics of developing and practicing cultural strategic thinking are to (a) connect new information to the old, (b) select the appropriate strategies, and then (c) plan, monitor, and James Clear wrote a fantastic book about this subject called Atomic Habits. If you come across a situation in which a cultural fact seems to contradict what you know, take the time to learn about the difference and the nuances related to that cultural fact. Those rewarded for a certain type of behavior are more likely to repeat that behavior and eventually adopt it as a habit. Good leaders are able to do this. A useful tool I have used in my workshops and classes is writing down experiences and thoughts related to a cultural situation. },{ We were measuring satisfaction. WebPut simply, a strategic plan is the top three or four things that the board has agreed the organization has to get right in the next two or three years. More information is available on this project's attribution page. Achieve a goal. When someone practices strategic thinking, it means they consider the actions they plan to take and the results those actions might have. The leadership world has a few strategic leadership styles. My team went through this with the Covid-19 pandemic. Let your reports know that strategy is everyones responsibility and that it is critical. I have certainly come across leaders who have attended my sessions because leadership told them they had to, and it affects their learning environment in a negative way and often interrupts the learning of their peers. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. If he doesnt, I make an adjustment on the second pitch. Address the problem by showing such employees the benefits of change and offering them support. In that case, you will realize that it seems to mean different things to different people. This organization would help them find funding and develop their business models. The new instructor let me know that he was actually coaching the students to give him positive exit surveys.