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Strategic Thinking in Information Technology

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Q U E S T I O N: My boss criticizes me for not thinking ... Does have a burning desire to attain a parochial goal. Believes that you can plan perfectly ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Strategic Thinking in Information Technology


1
Strategic Thinkingin Information Technology
  • Sam Bayer, Ph.D.
  • CEO MarketAcuity
  • Raleigh AITP
  • March 13, 2003

2
Why discuss Strategic Thinking?
  • Seeing the Big PictureHow to Think
    Strategically at WorkBy Bob Rosner(WorkingWounde
    d.com)
  • Special to ABCNEWS.comQ U E S T I O N My boss
    criticizes me for not thinking strategically, but
    he doesnt give me advice on how to think
    strategically. Help!
  • P.S. Hes No Strategist, Either

3
Todays discussion topics
  • What is Strategic Thinking?
  • Should you think strategically?
  • Why dont we think strategically?
  • How do you think strategically?
  • Who should be thinking strategically in your
    organization?

4
What is strategy?
  •   
  • Strategy is the long-term plan for the war or
    the campaign
  • Tactics (either singular or plural) are the
    day-to-day schemes for the battle or the
    skirmish.
  • The Columbia Guide to Standard American
    English.  1993.

5
Strategic Thinking is
  • a mindset, and a set of tools and techniques,
    used to accomplish a well defined goal
    that
  • Is driven by the burning desire to attain the
    goal
  • Honors the dynamic nature of the environment
  • Is aware of the inability to plan perfectly
  • Embraces the gaps between the plan and execution

6
Anti-Strategic Thinking is
  • a mindset, and a set of tools and techniques,
    that are employed in pursuing an ill-defined goal
    that
  • Doesnt have a burning desire to understand or
    attain the higher goal, or
  • Does have a burning desire to attain a parochial
    goal
  • Believes that you can plan perfectly
  • Needs the environment to conform to the plan
  • Blames someone or something for the gaps between
    the plan and its execution

7
Attributes of the Strategic Thinker
  • Has a clear sense of desired outcomes before
    acting.
  • Scopes outwards to capture the larger context, to
    see how the pieces fit together.
  • Is adaptive to realities and flexible in choice
    of tactics.
  • Where possible, tries to achieve multiple
    objectives through singular actions.

Dr. Charles Albano, Adaptive Leadership
8
Attributes of the Strategic Thinker
  • Plans a couple of steps ahead.
  • Anticipates opponent's actions.
  • Has the discipline to remain composed when the
    unexpected occurs.
  • Tries to capitalize on crises or change, turn
    them to advantage.
  • Stays future-focused.

Dr. Charles Albano, Adaptive Leadership
9
Attributes of the Strategic Thinker
  • Invents both sequential and parallel actions to
    accomplish goals.
  • Picks battles that can be won and avoids those
    that cannot be won.
  • Acts decisively when the time to act has come.
  • Is able to scrap or alter plans when information
    indicates actions are not attaining their
    intended results. etc., etc.

Dr. Charles Albano, Adaptive Leadership
10
Should you think strategically?
  • No, if you are
  • an assembly line worker in a union shop
  • a bureaucrat in a well funded agency
  • faculty with tenure
  • an independently wealthy hermit
  • Yes for the rest of us

11
Why dont we think strategically?
  • Because were too busy chasing the pigs to build
    the fence!
  • We dont have a goal
  • We dont know how
  • The culture doesnt allow
    for it
  • We think we are

12
Lets focus on how to think strategically
13
Liedtkas Strategic Thinking Model
Liedtka, J.M, Strategy Leadership, 9-10/98,
Vol. 26 Issue 4, p30.
14
A system dynamics view
15
Strategic thinking is broccolic
  • Industry
  • Enterprise
  • Division
  • Facility
  • Department
  • Team
  • Self
  • Family
  • Community
  • City
  • State
  • Country
  • World

16
Focus on intent
  • Goal
  • Specific, Attainable, Measureable
  • Commitment
  • Driven and unwavering

17
Thinking in time
  • Its not just about the future
  • Its about the gap between the present and the
    future in the context of the past.
  • How do we get from here to there?
  • People, skills, attitudes etc.
  • Create scenarios

18
Thinking Scientifically
  • Form a hypothesis
  • Develop a way to test it
  • Perform the experiment
  • Gather and analyze the results
  • Review the hypothesis

19
Thinking opportunistically
  • Dont be wed to the plan
  • Always be looking for opportunities
  • Seize them as they present themselves
  • Intel and microprocessors
  • Lemonade out of lemons
  • Your examples?

20
Strategic Thinking is not genetic
  • Learn by practice, practice, practice
  • Think holistically
  • Think with intent
  • Think in time
  • Think scientifically hypothesize test
  • Think opportunistically

21
Strategic Thinking case studies
  • Visualizing and vetting the NCEITA/MarketAcuity
    story
  • Gartner Survey 42 Percent of CRM Software Goes
    Unused
  • Web Services catalyzes strategic thinking
  • Your stories??

22
The NCEITA/MarketAcuity StoryThe creation of the
NC MarketSmart Program
  • Holistic Thinking
  • Personal, team, company, state and NCEITA
    challenges
  • Intent Thinking
  • Its personal
  • Timeline Thinking
  • 20 years of experience, current state of market,
    make CFGs mandatory in the future
  • Scientific Thinking
  • Create the story and tell it to get reactions
    10/02 Starbucks meeting.
  • Opportunistic Thinking
  • From strategic consulting to NC MarketSmart
  • Provide additional services

23
CRM failure Six mistakesQ. Whats the goal?
  • Vendor hype and unrealistic expectation -
    holistic
  • No customer strategy - holistic
  • Absence of executive leadership - intent
  • Poor preparation for change - timeline
  • Forgetting that 'C' stands for Customer - intent
  • Neglecting metrics hypothesis/test

24
Web Services
  • Automates connections across applications and
    data without human intervention
  • Reduces IT development and operating costs
  • Increased flexibility and collaboration
    opportunities
  • Open new strategic capabilities
  • Allow for modest investments and short term ROI
  • John Hagel III, HBR Newsletter, 2003.

25
Whats your strategic thinking story??
26
Who should be doing the strategic thinking?
  • Top down Strategic planning
  • strategy as intelligent machine (a data-driven,
    information processing approach)
  • aka Waterfall project management
  • Bottom up Strategic Thinking
  • strategy as creative imagination.
  • Agile/RAD
  • Raimond, P. (1996). Two styles of foresight, Long
    Range Planning, April, pp 208-214.

27
Are we on the road to strategic thinking?
  • Seeing the Big PictureHow to Think
    Strategically at WorkBy Bob Rosner(WorkingWounde
    d.com)
  • Special to ABCNEWS.comQ U E S T I O N My boss
    criticizes me for not thinking strategically, but
    he doesnt give me advice on how to think
    strategically. Help!
  • P.S. Hes No Strategist, Either

28
Summary
  • Strategic thinking isnt just about thinking,
    its about making important things happen.
  • Nobody gets paid just to think anymore. We all
    have to show results.
  • Youre only as good as the company you keep.
    Surround yourself with strategic thinkers.
  • If you cant do that, at least surround yourself
    with customers.
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