Thinking Strategically

Strategic management is a widely studied field because it is through strategy that organizations 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 organization.

In this textbook you’ll receive an insight into the strategic thinking and planning process. What does it take to formulate a strategy? And how does strategic thinking differ from normal thinking?!

In this textbook you’ll find out.

Sean McPheat, the Founder and Managing Director of management development specialists, MTD Training is the author of this publication. Sean has been featured on CNN, BBC, ITV, on numerous radio stations and has contributed to many newspapers. He’s been featured in over 250 different publications as a thought leader within the management development and training industry.

MTD has been working with a wide variety of clients (both large and small) in the UK and internationally for several years.

MTD specialise in providing:

• In-house, tailor made management training courses (1-5 days duration)

• Open courses (Delivered throughout the UK at various locations)

• Management & leadership development programmes (From 5 days to 2 years)

• Corporate and executive coaching (With senior or middle managers)

MTD provide a wide range of management training courses and programmes that enable new and experienced managers to maximise their potential by gaining or refining their management and leadership skills.

Our team of highly skilled and experienced trainers and consultants have all had distinguished careers in senior management roles and bring with them a wealth of practical experience to each course. At MTD Training we will design and deliver a solution that suits your specific needs addressing the issues and requirements from your training brief that best fits your culture, learning style and ways of working.

Our programmes are delivered when and where you need them! We believe that training should be fun, highly interactive and provide “real world” practical techniques and methods that you can use back in the office – and that’s exactly what we provide.

1. Introduction
   1. What is Strategic Management and Strategic Thinking?
   2. The Six P’s of Thinking Strategically
2. Purpose
   1. Introduction
   2. Benefits
   3. Relating to the Purpose of the Organization
3. Plan
   1. Introduction
   2. Locke and Latham’s Goal Setting Theory
   3. S.M.A.R.T. Goals
   4. Backward Goal-Setting
4. Ploy
   1. Introduction
   2. Identifying Your Competition
5. Determining Your Market Position
   1. Introduction
   2. Determining Your Target Market
6. Pattern
   1. Introduction
   2. Incorporating Strategic Plan Goals into Individual Performance Goals
   3. Establishing Strategic Thinking as a Norm
   4. Continually Investing in the Strategies that Have Been Successful
   5. Being Willing to Adapt
7. Push
   1. Introduction
   2. Team Assessment
   3. Twelve Conditions for a High-Performing Team
   4. Achieving a High-Performing Team
8. References