際際滷

際際滷Share a Scribd company logo

Management guide creative_strategic_thinking

Haitham Daradkeh
Haitham Daradkeh

This document provides an overview of creative strategic thinking for management. It explains that strategic thinking focuses on achieving critical organizational outcomes in unpredictable ways to mislead competitors, rather than steadily pursuing long-term goals. Strategic thinking allows organizations to rapidly change goals as the environment shifts and prevents competitors from gaining advantages by predicting behavior. The document emphasizes that strategic thinking is necessary for effective strategic planning and long-term organizational success.

1 of 3
Download to read offline
MANAGEMENT GUIDE Acknowledgement This document is sourced from Chifley Business Schools Master of Business Administration program. Chifley Business School is one of Australias longest standing registered training organisations (22365) and higher education providers. Chifleys suite of management education programs include short courses, customised in-house training, certificate and diploma programs and postgraduate courses including Australias largest distance MBA program for professionals in engineering, science and IT. Chifley Business School 1300 244 353 | +61 3 9695 8855 info@chifley.edu.au chifley.edu.au CREATIVE STRATEGIC THINKING
CREATIVE STRATEGIC THINKING One of the most important concepts a manager need to understand is the difference between strategic thinking and strategic planning. The strategy management process is much more similar to a game of chess or a competition than other management activities, which are generally focused on a specific goal. In strategic management, we attempt to achieve the outcomes critical to the organisation's defined purpose. This might also include approaches designed to mislead the competition, such as 'losing the battle to win the war'IKEA decided to establish one of their large warehouse style stores in Moscow to capture a segment of the emerging Russian furniture market. Even though it would not be profitable for many years, IKEA balanced negative immediate returns with future sales opportunities. Strategic thinking can lead to other unusual goals as well. For example, the Cancer Council of Australia (previously known as the Anti-Cancer Council) is ultimately concerned with putting itself out of business. This is an unusual goal, but the organisation's purpose is to eradicate the impact of cancer, rather than securing its own long-term survivalas would be the case for many commercial enterprises. To achieve these critical outcomes, the organisation needs to be creative and difficult to predict, rather than steadfastly marching towards a long-term specified goal. The reasons for this are twofold: 1. Organisational goals shift as the environment changes. At present, most organisations' environments are changing rapidly and so their goals must also change rapidly. If an organisation has invested considerable resources over an extended period of time to travel towards a single goal that ceases to be appropriate, this then becomes a waste of organisational resources, which is usually unacceptable to stakeholders. Source: Unit 306 Strategic Management, Chifley Business School MBA 息 Chifley Business School
2. Steadfastly moving in a predictable manner makes the organisation an easy target for competitors. New competitors, with greater resources, will take advantage of this behaviour to enter the market, knowing that they can take market share from this predictable organisation using superior resources. Alternatively, creative and flexible organisations will find contemporary and more effective means of achieving superior performance, while whittling away the predictable organisation's market share. In both cases, accepting increasing market share as representative of an organisational goal, the predictable approach is unlikely to result in success. This is why it strategic thinking is so important. Based on information about its external environment and internal environment and the opportunities that exist, the organisation must develop a unique, effective and responsible approach to achieving its purpose. Then it can develop specific goals, resource allocations and plans to be implemented. By thinking strategically, an organisation can determine its ethical position, its environmental (and sustainability) goals and shape its culture. All of these are long-term and should reflect the organisation's values. Without creative strategic thinking, strategic planning will provide little net benefit to the organisation beyond the coordination of resources. Source: Unit 306 Strategic Management, Chifley Business School MBA 息 Chifley Business School

More Related Content

Management guide creative_strategic_thinking

  • 1. MANAGEMENT GUIDE Acknowledgement This document is sourced from Chifley Business Schools Master of Business Administration program. Chifley Business School is one of Australias longest standing registered training organisations (22365) and higher education providers. Chifleys suite of management education programs include short courses, customised in-house training, certificate and diploma programs and postgraduate courses including Australias largest distance MBA program for professionals in engineering, science and IT. Chifley Business School 1300 244 353 | +61 3 9695 8855 info@chifley.edu.au chifley.edu.au CREATIVE STRATEGIC THINKING
  • 2. CREATIVE STRATEGIC THINKING One of the most important concepts a manager need to understand is the difference between strategic thinking and strategic planning. The strategy management process is much more similar to a game of chess or a competition than other management activities, which are generally focused on a specific goal. In strategic management, we attempt to achieve the outcomes critical to the organisation's defined purpose. This might also include approaches designed to mislead the competition, such as 'losing the battle to win the war'IKEA decided to establish one of their large warehouse style stores in Moscow to capture a segment of the emerging Russian furniture market. Even though it would not be profitable for many years, IKEA balanced negative immediate returns with future sales opportunities. Strategic thinking can lead to other unusual goals as well. For example, the Cancer Council of Australia (previously known as the Anti-Cancer Council) is ultimately concerned with putting itself out of business. This is an unusual goal, but the organisation's purpose is to eradicate the impact of cancer, rather than securing its own long-term survivalas would be the case for many commercial enterprises. To achieve these critical outcomes, the organisation needs to be creative and difficult to predict, rather than steadfastly marching towards a long-term specified goal. The reasons for this are twofold: 1. Organisational goals shift as the environment changes. At present, most organisations' environments are changing rapidly and so their goals must also change rapidly. If an organisation has invested considerable resources over an extended period of time to travel towards a single goal that ceases to be appropriate, this then becomes a waste of organisational resources, which is usually unacceptable to stakeholders. Source: Unit 306 Strategic Management, Chifley Business School MBA 息 Chifley Business School
  • 3. 2. Steadfastly moving in a predictable manner makes the organisation an easy target for competitors. New competitors, with greater resources, will take advantage of this behaviour to enter the market, knowing that they can take market share from this predictable organisation using superior resources. Alternatively, creative and flexible organisations will find contemporary and more effective means of achieving superior performance, while whittling away the predictable organisation's market share. In both cases, accepting increasing market share as representative of an organisational goal, the predictable approach is unlikely to result in success. This is why it strategic thinking is so important. Based on information about its external environment and internal environment and the opportunities that exist, the organisation must develop a unique, effective and responsible approach to achieving its purpose. Then it can develop specific goals, resource allocations and plans to be implemented. By thinking strategically, an organisation can determine its ethical position, its environmental (and sustainability) goals and shape its culture. All of these are long-term and should reflect the organisation's values. Without creative strategic thinking, strategic planning will provide little net benefit to the organisation beyond the coordination of resources. Source: Unit 306 Strategic Management, Chifley Business School MBA 息 Chifley Business School