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Brain Circuits
How to cultivate strategic thinking in your organization
As part of our series on strategic thinking, here we offer three actions that we as leaders can take to cultivate strategic thinking in our organizations.
It’s not enough for you to become a more effective strategic thinker. You need to build the capability in your team and organization. This involves imparting skills and creating an environment that nurtures strategic thought and collaborative inquiry.
1. Build a foundation first: curiosity, calculated risks, and opportunities for learning
Initially, it's essential to build a foundation for strategic thinking. This begins with promoting curiosity among your team members. Encourage them to stay informed about broader industry trends and related fields and to ask questions like 'why' and 'what if’.' Creating a team culture where calculated risks are encouraged ,and failures are viewed as opportunities for learning is also crucial. Giving team members the authority to make decisions in their respective areas encourages them to think strategically about their choices. Encouraging cross-functional collaboration by facilitating projects that involve different departments can broaden team members' understanding and promote a holistic view of the organization.
2. Embed strategic thinking: discuss, provide feedback, and reflect
The next step is to embed strategic thinking into your operating rhythms. Regularly discuss strategic topics, allowing team members to share their perspectives on long-term goals, industry trends, and potential challenges. Providing constructive feedback on strategic initiatives and decisions and encouraging team members to do the same for their colleagues is also vital. Also, scheduling time during meetings for team members to reflect on recent decisions, outcomes, and lessons learned can be very beneficial.
3. Organize experiences: workshops, mentoring, simulations, and hackathons
Organizing learning and development experiences focusing on strategic thinking is another critical element. This can include scheduling strategic thinking workshops focused on skills like problem-solving, pattern recognition, and systems thinking. Implementing mentorship programs where team members are paired with mentors who excel in strategic thinking also can provide invaluable insights and guidance. Scenario workshops, where teams analyze and respond to hypothetical business scenarios, encourage anticipatory thinking and agility. Using business simulations or case studies that challenge teams to navigate complex situations and devise strategic solutions can also be highly effective. Additionally, hosting innovation challenges or hackathons to solve existing business problems or explore new opportunities can encourage creative thinking and solution-finding.
Further reading:
The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking (2024)Authors
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