Strategic Thinking And Planning Rev 4

All Rights Reserved. ©BPI group 2010

Strategic Thinking and Planning

Page 1 of 4

What is Strategic Thinking?

Having the ability to analyze the business from a

cross-functional perspective, generate viable

solutions to internal and external marketplace

challenges, create a long-term vision, and obtain

buy-in from key stakeholders defines great

strategic thinking and planning. Doing so through

influence, the ability to affect others without

necessarily having formal authority and with the

goal of attaining a win-win outcome, is a conduit

to success. Seeing ahead clearly, anticipating

future consequences and trends accurately,

having a broad knowledge and perspective, being

future oriented, and creating competitive and

breakthrough strategies and plans characterizes a

strategic thinker.

Why Do Leaders Need to Think Strategically?

It's easy to focus only on the day-to-day running of your business. But it can pay dividends to think about

longer-term and more strategic issues. This is especially true as you grow within the organization, take on

more staff, manage other managers, and become distanced from the everyday running of the business. A

leader’s job is to grow, develop, and strengthen your business’ standing in the marketplace. You can do

that by leading, challenging, and responding to the marketplace.

The Strategic Thinking and Planning workshop provides the essential process of assessing future business

issues and marketplace drivers, understanding your organization’s strengths and areas that could be

improved, determining the actions you need to take to move your organization forward, and creating that

vision with others. This workshop can be highly tailored to the organization’s industry, culture, specific

challenges and performance needs.

Key Topics Include:

Why do leaders need to strategically assess and improve the business?

How do leaders conduct a strategic review of the business?

What does it mean to think cross-organizationally?

How does the strategic business case model provide a framework for strategic thinking and

planning?



Page 2 of 4

The Strategic Business Case Model

Strategic Thinking Action Learning

The process of strategic thinking and planning mirrors the

problem-solving process. Each person has a dominant learning

style that can help explain his/her particular strength in solving

business problems. Knowledge of your own, and your team

members’, problem-solving strengths can help you better

understand how to develop and execute strategies with others.

Participants have an opportunity to complete a

learning/problem solving style assessment and accompanying

activities as part of this workshop.

Throughout the workshop, participants are lead through an interactive business simulation in which they

work in teams to create a strategic business review and vision for specific organizational challenges and

opportunities. They are guided through use of a variety of tools and activities to create a strategic business

case that culminates in a group presentation to a panel of organizational leaders.

This action learning workshop can be highly tailored to the organization’s industry, culture, specific

challenges and performance needs. The action learning can take place over a two-day session or through a

series of eight 2-hour sessions over a period of several months. Each group’s work culminates into a final

presentation that addresses a panel of business leaders, providing both exposure to and learning from the

organization’s executives.

• Identify future consequences and trends, business issues, problems or opportunities

Identify

• Analyze and determine a specific call to actionAnalyze

• Identify and develop a solutionSolve

• Visualize the solution…who, what, when, where, why

Visualize

• Present the strategic business case to obtain buy-in and support from key stakeholders

Persuade



Page 3 of 4

Workshop Objectives

Through understanding and applying the essence of Strategic Thinking and Planning, participants will…

Develop a clear analysis of the organization’s business position internally and in the marketplace

Identify future consequences and trends, business issues, problems or opportunities

Create cross-functional thinking and actions that improve strategy development across the business

Analyze and determine a specific call to action to address critical business issues

Develop a clear focus and direction to strategic plans, understanding the inherent barriers and risks

Create a vision that mobilizes and inspires others by immediately applying the skills learned to your

own case, and obtain feedback from the organization’s leaders

Desired Results

As a result of this program, the organization will achieve…

1. Better leaders at all levels that are able to spot future issues and concerns that may affect and

develop business results tomorrow

2. Improved ability to recognize, prepare for, and take advantage of business opportunities as they

present themselves

3. Increased redirection of managerial attention from tasks to business drivers

4. Improved thinking and planning processes that enable easier and better decision making

5. Greater clarity, knowledge and skills to create new ideas, solutions and strategies

6. Improved employee performance and behaviors in the strategic thinking competency



Page 4 of 4

The Strategic Thinking and Planning Process

Participants will be lead through the Strategic Thinking and Planning model, process and tools while

working in teams on specific business situations. Through the hands-on use of tools to ask questions, forge

solutions, build strategies and plans, a strategic business case is formed.

Action Learning Tools