Strategic Thinking Training Course

Strategic Thinking training course covering analytical frameworks, decision-making models.

Course Title

Strategic Thinking

Course Duration

2 Days

Competency Assessment Criteria

Practical Assessment and Knowledge Assessment

Training Delivery Method

Classroom (Instructor-Led) or Online (Instructor-Led)

Service Coverage

Saudi Arabia - Bahrain - Kuwait - Philippines

Course Average Passing Rate

95%

Post Training Reporting

Post Training Report(s) + Candidate(s) Training Evaluation Forms

Certificate of Successful Completion

Certification is provided upon successful completion. The certificate can be verified through a QR-Code system.

Certification Provider

Tamkene Saudi Training Center - Approved by TVTC (Technical and Vocational Training Corporation)

Certificate Validity

2 Years (Extendable with additional training hours)

Instructors Languages

English / Arabic / Urdu / Hindi / Pashto

Training Services Design Methodology

ADDIE Training Design Methodology

Course Overview

This comprehensive Strategic Thinking training course equips participants with the essential skills and frameworks needed to think strategically and drive organizational success. The course explores fundamental strategic concepts alongside advanced analytical tools that enable participants to identify opportunities, anticipate challenges, and develop effective strategic initiatives.

Participants will learn to apply strategic planning methodologies and analytical frameworks to make informed decisions in complex business environments. This course integrates theoretical foundations with practical applications and real-world scenarios to ensure participants develop strategic thinking capabilities that translate directly to their professional responsibilities while fostering innovation and long-term value creation.

Key Learning Objectives

Understand fundamental strategic thinking principles and frameworks
Apply analytical tools for environmental scanning and competitive analysis
Develop strategic objectives aligned with organizational vision and mission
Evaluate strategic alternatives using decision-making models
Implement strategic initiatives with effective execution frameworks
Foster innovative thinking and creative problem-solving approaches
Assess strategic risks and develop mitigation strategies
Monitor and measure strategic performance outcomes

Group Exercises

Strategic analysis and environmental scanning workshop including (conducting comprehensive SWOT analysis for a Middle East organization, performing PESTLE analysis to identify external factors and trends, applying Porter's Five Forces to assess industry competitiveness, developing strategic insights from pattern recognition and scenario analysis)
Strategic vision and roadmap development exercise including (creating compelling 3-5 year strategic vision statements, defining strategic objectives with measurable outcomes, developing strategic initiatives using strategic thinking frameworks, creating implementation roadmaps with milestone planning and resource allocation)
Strategic decision-making and scenario planning simulation including (analyzing complex business situations using systems thinking, evaluating strategic alternatives with multiple criteria assessment, conducting scenario planning for different future states, making strategic choices considering risks and opportunities)
Strategic alignment and execution planning including (cascading strategic objectives to operational goals, developing strategic action plans with accountability assignment, creating performance metrics and KPIs for strategic initiatives, designing communication strategies for strategic alignment across organization), and the importance of proper training in developing effective strategic thinking capabilities

Knowledge Assessment

Technical quizzes on strategic concepts including (multiple-choice questions on strategic frameworks, matching exercise for strategy types, scenario identification)
Scenario-based assessments including (analyzing strategic situations, recommending strategic approaches, solving strategic challenges)
Framework application including (applying Porter's Five Forces, conducting SWOT analysis, using strategic tools)
Strategic case analysis including (evaluating strategic positions, identifying opportunities, recommending actions)

Course Outline

1. Introduction to Strategic Thinking

Strategic thinking definition including (long-term perspective, big-picture view, future orientation)
Strategic versus tactical thinking including (time horizon, scope, abstraction level)
Strategic thinking importance including (competitive advantage, market positioning, sustainable success)
Strategic thinking characteristics including (systems thinking, creative thinking, critical analysis)
Strategic thinking barriers including (short-term focus, operational pressures, mental models)

2. Strategic Analysis Frameworks

SWOT Analysis including (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)
PESTLE Analysis including (political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental)
Porter's Five Forces including (competitive rivalry, supplier power, buyer power, threat of substitutes, threat of new entrants)
Value chain analysis including (primary activities, support activities, value creation)
Stakeholder analysis including (stakeholder identification, interest assessment, influence mapping)

3. Systems Thinking

Systems thinking principles including (interconnectedness, feedback loops, holistic perspective)
Mental models including (assumptions, beliefs, paradigm shifts)
Cause and effect relationships including (root causes, leverage points, unintended consequences)
System dynamics including (reinforcing loops, balancing loops, time delays)
Complex adaptive systems including (emergence, self-organization, non-linear behavior)

4. Environmental Scanning and Trends

Environmental scanning including (monitoring, analysis, interpretation)
Trend identification including (emerging trends, weak signals, pattern recognition)
Megatrends including (globalization, digitalization, demographic shifts)
Industry trends including (market evolution, technology disruption, customer preferences)
Competitive intelligence including (competitor analysis, market intelligence, strategic insights)

5. Strategic Vision and Mission

Vision development including (aspirational future, inspirational direction, strategic intent)
Mission clarity including (organizational purpose, core business, value proposition)
Values alignment including (guiding principles, cultural foundation, decision framework)
Vision communication including (stakeholder engagement, inspiration, commitment building)
Vision-strategy alignment including (strategic coherence, consistent direction, unified focus)

6. Competitive Strategy

Porter's Generic Strategies including (cost leadership, differentiation, focus)
Competitive positioning including (market position, unique value, competitive advantage)
Blue Ocean Strategy including (value innovation, uncontested market space, strategic moves)
Competitive advantage sources including (resources, capabilities, core competencies)
Sustaining advantage including (continuous innovation, capability development, strategic renewal)

7. Strategic Options and Choices

Strategy generation including (strategic alternatives, creative options, diverse approaches)
Strategic evaluation including (feasibility, acceptability, suitability)
Growth strategies including (market penetration, market development, product development, diversification)
Portfolio strategy including (business portfolio, resource allocation, strategic balance)
Strategic choices including (deliberate choices, trade-offs, commitment)

8. Scenario Planning

Scenario planning purpose including (uncertainty management, future preparedness, strategic flexibility)
Scenario development including (driving forces, critical uncertainties, plausible futures)
Scenario types including (optimistic, pessimistic, most likely)
Strategic implications including (robust strategies, contingency planning, early warning indicators)
Scenario monitoring including (indicator tracking, strategy adaptation, agile response)

9. Innovation and Strategic Renewal

Strategic innovation including (business model innovation, value innovation, disruptive innovation)
Innovation frameworks including (incremental innovation, radical innovation, architectural innovation)
Creative destruction including (obsolescence recognition, market disruption, strategic transformation)
Innovation culture including (experimentation, risk tolerance, learning orientation)
Strategic renewal including (capability development, organizational adaptation, competitive revitalization)

10. Strategic Decision-Making

Strategic decisions characteristics including (high stakes, long-term impact, irreversibility)
Decision-making process including (problem definition, alternative generation, evaluation, selection)
Decision under uncertainty including (incomplete information, ambiguity, risk assessment)
Decision-making tools including (decision trees, cost-benefit analysis, real options)
Cognitive biases including (confirmation bias, anchoring, groupthink)

11. Strategic Implementation

Strategy execution including (action planning, resource allocation, implementation management)
Strategic alignment including (structure, systems, processes, culture)
Change management including (stakeholder engagement, resistance management, momentum building)
Performance measurement including (balanced scorecard, key performance indicators, strategic metrics)
Implementation challenges including (execution gap, resource constraints, organizational inertia)

12. Strategic Leadership

Strategic leader role including (direction setting, alignment building, commitment generation)
Strategic communication including (vision articulation, strategy communication, stakeholder engagement)
Leading transformation including (change leadership, cultural change, organizational development)
Strategic agility including (adaptive leadership, rapid response, strategic flexibility)
Executive judgment including (pattern recognition, intuition, experience integration)

13. Group Exercises

Strategic analysis exercise including (conducting SWOT and PESTLE analysis, identifying strategic issues, developing strategic recommendations)
Scenario planning workshop including (identifying critical uncertainties, developing future scenarios, formulating robust strategies)

14. Case Studies & Group Discussions

Strategic success stories including (Apple transformation, Netflix reinvention, Amazon expansion)
Strategic failures including (Kodak decline, Blockbuster collapse, Nokia disruption)
Industry disruption examples including (digital transformation, business model innovation, competitive repositioning)
Strategic decision dilemmas including (growth versus profitability, innovation versus efficiency, global versus local)
The importance of proper training in developing effective strategic thinking capabilities

Practical Assessment

Strategic analysis project including (analyzing industry environment, assessing competitive position, identifying strategic options, developing strategic recommendations)
Strategic presentation including (presenting strategic analysis, articulating strategic vision, defending strategic recommendations)
Scenario planning exercise including (developing future scenarios, assessing implications, formulating adaptive strategies)

Gained Core Technical Skills

Applying strategic thinking frameworks including (SWOT analysis for internal strengths-weaknesses and external opportunities-threats, PESTLE analysis for political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors, Porter's Five Forces for competitive analysis, Blue Ocean Strategy for value innovation)
Conducting environmental scanning and analysis including (identifying emerging trends and patterns, analyzing competitive landscape and market dynamics, assessing organizational capabilities and resources, recognizing strategic opportunities and threats, synthesizing information for strategic insights)
Developing strategic vision and direction including (creating compelling future-state vision, articulating strategic intent and aspirations, defining strategic positioning and competitive advantage, aligning vision with organizational mission and values, communicating vision effectively to stakeholders)
Executing scenario planning and foresight including (identifying critical uncertainties and driving forces, developing multiple future scenarios, assessing scenario implications and strategic responses, building organizational agility and preparedness, incorporating long-term thinking into decisions)
Applying systems thinking approaches including (understanding interconnections and interdependencies, recognizing feedback loops and unintended consequences, analyzing complex cause-and-effect relationships, considering holistic perspective beyond linear thinking, identifying leverage points for strategic intervention)
Making strategic decisions including (distinguishing strategic from tactical decisions, evaluating strategic alternatives using multiple criteria, assessing strategic fit and feasibility, balancing short-term and long-term considerations, applying critical thinking to challenge assumptions)
Creating strategic roadmaps and implementation plans including (translating strategy into actionable initiatives, prioritizing strategic projects based on impact and urgency, allocating resources aligned with strategic priorities, establishing milestones and accountability mechanisms, designing monitoring and adjustment processes)
Building strategic alignment including (cascading strategic objectives throughout organization, aligning functional strategies with corporate strategy, ensuring coherence between strategy and execution, communicating strategy effectively across levels, engaging stakeholders in strategic dialogue)
Fostering innovation and creative strategic thinking including (challenging conventional thinking and mental models, generating breakthrough ideas and alternatives, applying design thinking to strategic challenges, encouraging experimentation and learning, creating culture of strategic inquiry)
Measuring strategic performance including (developing strategic KPIs and balanced scorecards, tracking progress toward strategic objectives, conducting strategic reviews and learning sessions, adjusting strategy based on performance insights, ensuring accountability for strategic results)

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