Your challenge implies that the organisation is generally incompentent in
the area. If not, the best place to learn strategic thinking is with
those who are doing it. The challenge if the ability doesn't exist and
practices aren't in place is that it will not be welcome even if pursued
in an effective manner.
The three areas I look at are organisational design, management practices
and the ability to think at +/- 2 levels of abstraction from any starting
point.
Organisational design is a key to strategy development as well as
implementation. A design for strategic thinking involves designing
information flows from the outside as well as from the actual processes of
the day to day operation.
The practices are those of thinking, of meetings, of dialogue, of time
devoted to strategic thinking, of listening, of inclusion - the regular
behaviours that promote strategic thinking. These are done with others
and are unlikely to be learned except in a context and environment where
they are valued.
An effective covert way to increase strategic thinking in an organisation
is have the existing executive take on a major part of the development
challenge and thus have to increase their own time, attention and skill.
--
Mike McMaster <Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk>
"Postmodern society is the society of computers, information, scientific
knowledge, advanced technology, and rapid change due to new advances in
science and technology." Postmodern Theory, Best & Kellner