Trends in Strategic Analysis and Planning

Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century

• Strategic analysis and planning are essential learning competencies.
• The most essential learning competency is applying strategic analysis. (HUMSS_MCT12-Ic-e-3)

Strategic Analysis and Planning Components

• Committed People (Engagers): The first step is identifying the right people at the right time for effective strategy execution. This comprises managers, staff, officers, and stakeholders.

• Long-Term Strategic Objectives (Aimers): Objectives are designed to improve organizational performance. The beneficiaries of these improvements must be identified.

• Strategic Alternatives: The planning team develops options using brainstorming and SWOT analysis. These alternatives must be better or offer more flexibility and responsiveness to environmental changes.

• Evaluation and Choice of Strategies: The process involves evaluating strategies to facilitate long-term improvements. SWOT analysis identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to inform this process. Options superior to current approaches may be chosen. Option generators are those involved in evaluating and selecting strategies.

• Monitoring of Strategy Implementation: Formal and regular reporting, along with other measures, are used to monitor plan implementation. This allows organizations to identify if objectives are being met and facilitates corrections if needed. Strategizers monitor implementation.

Different Methods of Strategic Analysis

• Strategic analysis models often follow five steps: Identify the problem, Analyze the problem, Generate a solution, Implement the solution, Reflect on outcomes. (Arzadon 2018)
• Separate steps explicitly state how to define a problem and involved factors.
• Analyzing the problem involved, reviewing variables, challenges, and causes.

SWOT Analysis

• SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis can be used for personal issue/goal solving at the student level.
• Used for solving personal issues. It is used to analyze personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to create strategies and solutions.
• A personal SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats/s) helps understand personal issues, goals, and effective ways of dealing with them.

Components of Intuitive Thinking

• Intuitive thinking components differ from those of strategic analysis and planning.
• Components include: Immediacy, Sensing Relationship, Reason. (Baylor 1997)

Immediacy

• Intuitive thinking is quick, involving decisions, actions, and solutions arising fast without planning.
• It's often described as a “mind popping” occurrence where thoughts, ideas, and solutions come to mind without deliberation. (Mandler 1995)

Sensing Relationship

• Intuitive thinking establishes connections among multiple ideas. This is a fundamental aspect of intuition, directly linked with a person's current knowledge base.

Reason

• Intuitive thinking inherently includes a form of reasoning.

Differences Between Strategic and Intuitive Thinking

• A table details the differences in the logic, reasoning, center basis, time, tools, and planning aspects of strategic and intuitive thinking. (Urgel 2017)

Discovery of Non-Intuitive Things

• Discoveries of non-intuitive issues involve three ways:
• Gaining experience: Experience aids in seeing similarities.
• Experimentation: Helps uncover inconsistencies when exploring areas outside of previously held beliefs.
• Learning via studying and teaching with mentors: Building a foundation of knowledge in broader contexts makes intuitive and non-intuitive concepts easier.