COURSE OVERVIEW:

Strategic management is a widely studied field because it is through strategy that organisations attempt to reach their goals and out-think the competition. Thinking strategically requires research, analysis, and forethought in order to create a plan for how you will proceed as an organisation.

In its simplest form, strategic thinking is an ability to plan for the future. It’s the capacity to prepare strategies and conjure ideas that will both cope with changing environments and consider the various challenges that lie ahead. Candidates that possess strategic thinking skills will be seen as top talent, and it’s a quality that makes many managers, directors and executives the successful leaders they are.

Strategic thinking is also 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 endeavour. As a cognitive activity, it produces thought. When applied in an organisational strategic management process, strategic thinking involves the generation and application of unique business insights and opportunities intended to create competitive advantage for a firm or organisation.

Strategic thinking skills are developed by committing to constant learning and self-improvement. Whether it’s learning from their own experiences, the experiences of others, books, online courses, presentations, networks, conferences or junior colleagues, strategic thinkers don’t dismiss any potential sources of education.

It should be clear by now that strategic thinking is immensely valuable for progressing your career, but that it also has wide application in your personal life. It’s a skill that enables you to plan and apply reason to many challenges that you face, always seeking the best and most effective solution. So how do you get it? Start working on these areas to enhance your strategic thinking skills, no matter what role or industry you are in.

This course provides an overview of strategic thinking and what differentiates it from strategic planning and strategic management. Then provides an explanation of the six P’s required for thinking strategically that should align with your strategic plan. It also looks at each of these P’s (Plan – Ploy – Pattern – Position – Purpose – Push) in detail including their benefits and how to use them. Finally, the course explores the conditions for a high-performing team and how to achieve it.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

·       What is meant by strategic thinking?

·       The key qualities of strategic thinkers?

·       Why strategic thinkers are always learning?    

·       Why strategic thinkers always seek advice from others?

·       Why strategic thinkers are not afraid to take risks?

·       Why strategic thinkers never forget organisational purpose?

·       How to improve your strategic thinking skills?

·       Strategic thinking and strategic planning

·       Strategic management and strategic thinking

·       The six P’s of thinking strategically

·       The benefits of purpose

·       Relating the first P to the purpose of the organisation

·       The power of purpose

·       The importance of creating the team purpose statement

·       The Locke and Latham's goal setting theory

·       The SMART goals       

·       The backward goal-setting

·       How to identify your competition?

·       The sources you can use to find information about your competition

·       What to learn about your competition?

·       Why rate your company against the competition?

·       How to determine your market position?

·       How to determine your target market?

·       The types of markets

·       How to determine your product’s/ service’s benefits?

·       How to segment your target market?

·       The characteristics of individual consumers

·       The demographic characteristics of business customers

·       The psychographic characteristics for the consumer market

·       How to determine the behaviouristic characteristics of your target market?

·       How to incorporate strategic plan goals into individual performance goals?

·       The importance of continually investing in the strategies that have been successful

·       How to conduct a team assessment?

·       The twelve conditions for a high-performing team

·       How to achieve a high-performing team?         

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.

COURSE DELIVERY:

Purchase and download course content.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.