Creative Strategic Thinking
At FarSight Group, we let change become an ally. We understand the three phases of change and the breakpoints that occur when the environment you operate in changes. In fact, our founding partners wrote the books on transformational change, Grow or Die and Breakpoint and Beyond. We help you understand change in a new way - a way which is grounded in science. We understand how creativity works during every phase of growth. We have the methodology to help you manage the pull into the future. We help you build the connections between your purpose, vision, missions (yes, there are two different "missions") and your strategic opportunities. Our methodology builds alignment for your strategic intent. While we can’t predict the future, we can help you prepare for it. That’s why we call this offering a strategic advance, not a strategic retreat. Instead of looking to the past for solutions, we focus on the future and on creating great success.
Outcomes from the session
- Assess the critical facts related to business and organizational needs that are new and often more complex than past requirements
- Determine the purpose, vision, values, and missions needed to maximize the organization's future success
- Creatively generate a variety of different approaches and strategies to accomplish the business purpose and missions
- Find the key opportunities for the future that should be addressed, as well as those to maintain, diminish, release, and those that need research for future application
- Judge the effectiveness of alternative approaches and how to allocate resources for the accomplishment of critical initiatives
- Develop effective commitment-to-action and implementation of start-up plans.
- Create accountabilities for the chosen solutions
The Payoff
When people anticipate alternatives for future action the weight of a decision generally rests on how easily they can recall other examples of a similar situation. This shortcut in thinking serves well in stable situations, but impedes business and organizational changes that can address vital strategies more effectively for the future. Research shows convincingly that people make decisions based basically on gain or loss. Under ordinary circumstances, losses loom larger than gains in people's minds. The results are decisions aimed more at not giving something up rather than those that can lead to new gains.
The Creative Strategic Thinking process frames questions in such a way as to compare gains and opportunities rather than just problems and solutions. The gain/loss issue is effectively circumvented and new opportunities, usually clouded with uncertainty, are clearly identified.