Strategic Thinking Process
For over 30 years DPI has worked closely with and observed the thought processes of skilled strategic thinkers – CEOs of successful major companies around the world – to codify and create the DPI Strategic Thinking Process.
A clear, well-articulated strategy defines the corporate mission for those charged with carrying it out. Unfortunately, in most companies the strategy resides solely in the head of the CEO. As management attempts to implement the strategy, the organization zigzags from event to event, lacking clear direction. The company loses momentum. Resources are wasted. That is why DPI developed the Strategic Thinking Process. Strategic Thinking is not strategic planning. Traditional approaches to strategic planning produce lengthy and complex reports that are often poorly understood and difficult to implement. Strategic planning provides the raw material for Strategic Thinking. Strategic Thinking is a living, breathing process that enables senior management to formulate a strategy together. To debate the key issues. Evaluate the internal and external environments the organization will face. Forge a meaningful strategic profile for the future of the company that all agree upon. To build an action plan to deploy the strategy effectively.
DPI’s Strategic Thinking Process enables senior managers to:
- Gain “ownership” of the strategy.
- Achieve a common wide and deep understanding of the business and its sandbox.
- Communicate the strategic direction to the troops.
- Allocate resources and evaluate opportunities according to a clear “strategic filter”.
- Effectively deploy the strategy in a timely manner.
The immediate result is a concise strategy that is clearly understood and supported by those who will make it happen. It also creates another, even more far-reaching effect – a management team that can think and act strategically every day. In corporate “war rooms” around the world, we worked closely with, and observed the thought processes of, skilled strategic thinkers – CEOs of successful major companies – to create the Strategic Thinking Process. The process is powerful. The results real and measurable. And it is rapidly making traditional strategic planning obsolete.