“Analysis Is the Critical Starting Point of Strategic...

Week 3 – DQ 1 â€Å"Analysis is the critical starting point of strategic thinking† – Kenichi Ohmae. What variables interfere so often with our ability to start the analysis aspect of strategic thinking? How important is the analysis? What techniques have you employed or seen successfully employed that may help provide the opportunity to start the analysis? Introduction Strategic thinking is defined as the management’s vision of the company; what it should look like in the future. It is the vision that drives the direction, nature and focus of the business. Strategic planning focuses on the ‘how’ aspects; How the organization is going to achieve that vision. Factors Influencing Analysis of Strategic Thinking It is important to†¦show more content†¦Techniques to Help Start the Analysis The following are some successful techniques which help to kick-start the analysis in strategic thinking. 1. Move Out of Comfort Zone During good times, management should continuously aim to improve their strategies. As technology improved, there are new boundaries for thinking, planning, evaluating and improving. 2. Differentiate between ‘What’ and ‘How’ Management should be able to clearly distinguish between strategy and operation issues. They should focus on the corporate vision; Defining what the organization will look like in the future. 3. Use an Ideal Vision Ideal vision refers to the vision that is measurable in terms of performance. This will then ensure that every individual in the organization has the same picture with regards to the corporate vision. 4. Defining the Need Need is defined as â€Å"the gap between current results and desired results-not gaps in resources, methods, procedures or means.† (Kaufman, 1992) Hence, the management focuses on the organization’s priority, which is the ‘What’ issue. It is important to identify the correct need to prevent wasting resources fixing the wrong needs. Conclusion An organization’s survival depends on factors such as increasing their market share in the industry, eliminating competitors, increase bargaining power with customers, successful collaboration; etc. However, perhaps the best way to