Strategic Thinking

Finding the Future and

Transforming the Academy

John Pisapia, ProfessorFlorida Atlantic Universityjpisapia@fau.edu

Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Workshop – 2012

Overview Overview

Target #1: How to use of the Strategic Thinking Protocol to encourage universities to transition from inward looking silos to outward looking departments

and colleges.

Theme 1: The Nature of ChangePower of the Curve

Theme 2: Self Cultivation: A Way of Thinking, A Way of Acting, and a Philosophy

Theme 3: Organizational Cultivation: The SL METHODThe SL METHODA Way of Working A Way of Working to Find the Future and Make it Happen! 204/10/23

Why? What? How?

Strategic ThinkingNew World – New Tactics

The Mind we need!

Creative ideas are both novel and valuable

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Unfortunately, “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

“Think Differently”

The innovative mind takes the creative idea and successfully implements it

What is Stopping Us from Developing the Mindset we need?The Strategic Leader Network 5

Awareness Test

“The most successful leaders see a picture not yet actualized. They see things that belong in the present picture but are not there yet. They make co-workers see that it is not their purpose which is to be achieved but a common purpose born of the activities of the group.” Mary Parker Follett

Why?

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WHY ?WHY ?Every few hundred years in western history there occurs a sharp transformation. We cross... a divide. Within a few short decades society rearranges itself, its world view; its basic values; its social and political structure; its arts; its key institutions. Fifty years later, there appears a new world...we are currently living through such a transformation. Drucker, 1993: p 1

You don’t have to change

Why do we need to think and Lead Differently?

The Power of the CurveThe Power of the Curve

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The Strategic Leader Network

The Strategic Leader Network

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WHAT KIND OF CHANGE IS THIS?

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Why do we need to Lead Differently?

The Power of the CurveThe Power of the Curve

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Disruptive Innovation

The Strategic Leader Network

The Strategic Leader Network - www.thestrategicleader.org

Sounds Nice, but how does it help me Transform the University?

You need to think, Act, and

Work in a strategic Way!

Pisapia, J. (2009). The Strategic Leader. Charlotte: NC: IAP 12

The SL Way!First, cultivate yourself by developing a

Philosophy, a Way of Thinking and Acting,

and then, cultivate your organization by

employing the SL Method, that leads to

sustained not random success.

Pisapia & Glick-Cuenot (2010) 13

MindsetResetting Your Thinking and See the Future

Mindset is the way you think about things. The schemas – , i.e. cognitive filters, mental models, and assumptions held by individuals or groups which creates an outlook that causes them to act in a certain way.

Thinking in a Strategic way Involves . . .

Be Curious

Be Flexible

The Strategic Leader Network - www.thestrategicleader.org

Be Wise

Learn

Change

Sense

The Mindset we Need

Requires that you are able to think through:

Synthesis as well as Analysis;

Nonlinearly as well as Linearly;

Abstractly as well as Concretely;

Creatively as well as Critically.15

The Strategic Leader Network 16

The ability to:1. Make and execute: CONSEQUENTIAL DECISIONS about :

ENDS, STRATEGIES , and TACTICS

2. Think strategically and execute change effectively; with a profound appreciation for stability.

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And, just how do I do this in real life?

04/10/23 Pisapia, J. (2009) The Strategic Leader. 18

Strategic Leadership

The What?Strategic leadership is the capability to

singularly, or with others, anticipate

change, and create direction,

alignment, commitment, and results

and write it down in an actionable plan.

You need a Philosophy

04/10/23 19The Strategic Leader Network (SLN)

Just how do I do this in real life?

The Philosophy Principle #1

• SLers know that that their ability to create and execute is dependent on people embracing solutions and acting upon them; not technical tools.

• Takeaway - Takeaway - The quality of my leadership is found not in my actions, but in those of my followers.04/10/23 Pisapia, J. (2009). The Strategic Leader. Charlotte, NC: IAP 20

“We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it in

themselves.”

Galileo Galilee

Principle #2

“ One of the difficulties in bringing about

change in an organization is that you must do so through the persons who have been most

successful in that organization, no matter how faulty the system or organization is. To such persons, you see, it is the best of all possible

organizations, because look who was selected by it and look who succeeded most within it. Yet these are the very people through whom

we must bring about improvements.”George Washington

First President of the United States 22

The Philosophy Principle # 31

Transformation Will Require a Change In Thinking…

“People are very open minded about new things. As long as they are exactly like the old ones.”

- Charles Kettering

23© 2009 Guidon Performance Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved. Guidon Performance Solutions is a licensee of LeanSigma®, a service mark of TBM Consulting Group.

Pisapia, J. (2009). The Strategic Leader. Charlotte, NC: IAP 24

The Philosophy Principle #4

People want to be part of something larger than themselves. They want to be part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll fight for, sacrifice for , trust.” —Howard

Schultz, Starbucks (IBD/09.05)04/10/23

The Philosophy The Philosophy Principle #5a Principle #5a

The goal of the Strategic Protocol is to establish conversations, focused on differing viewpoints and data, that generate a coherent statement of strategic intent to lead the organization to the future.

The outcome is a shared reality that is neither too rigid nor too chaotic; doesn’t over-control the organization or allow it to fall apart.

Pisapia, J. (2009). The Strategic Leader. Charlotte, NC: IAP04/10/23 25

How much do I

share?

CREATE SHARED REALITY AND DIRECTION

CREATE SHARED REALITY AND DIRECTION

The WE-THEY Line

Decide How Deep you want to go?(c)Pisapia08 26

Philosophy - Principle #5b SLers create a shared reality, and then a shared direction to get more people above the WE-THEY LINE where vision and aspirations live.

Principle #6

SLers Slers Act as Gardeners Senge (1999)

“Treating organizations like machines keeps them from changing, or makes changing them more difficult. We keep bringing in mechanics – when what we need are gardeners.” “We Keep trying to drive change when what we need to do is cultivate it.”

04/10/23 28The Strategic Leader Network (SLN)

Sounds Nice but what does this have to do with strategic thinking?

You need a method!

The Strategic Leader Network (SLN) 29

Click Here to Begin Game #1

Why?

04/10/23

Finding the Future and

The Strategic Thinking Protocol

The Strategic Leader Network - www.thestrategicleader.org

John Pisapia, ProfessorFlorida Atlantic Universityjpisapia@fau.edu

The SL Method (SLM)

What is going on here?

What needs to happen here?

How do we make it happen?

How do we keep making it happen?

The SL Method (SLM) Strategic Thinking

Strategic Execution

The Strategic Leader 33

The Strategic Thinking ProtocolGoal #3 Learn: Synthesize - Filter out the NoiseThe Strategic Thinking Protocol Learn: Filter out the Noise –Synthesize - Create Statement -

Use the ToolsTransparencyLook Outside – Strategic ListeningLook Inside – Determine Readiness

The Navigating

Team

A shared statement of intent forms a psychological contract with members and guides the organization’s actions.

Use the ToolsStrategic Conversations

Strategy CanvasSWOT Analysis

Action Framework

Synthesizers inputsinputsCreate

Statement of Intent

The Strategic Leader 34

Structural Components Process Components

Coordinating Committee

Work plans Data Types Statement of

Intent

Transparency

Strategic Listening

Strategic Conversations

Data Analysis

The Structural and Process Components of Strategic Thinking

What is going on here?

Look

(c)Pisapia08 35

LLOOKOOK

LLISTENISTENINTERNALINTERNAL EXTERNALEXTERNAL

Challenges Opportunities

36The Strategic Leader

Tool #1

Use Strategic Listening to find out What is Going on Here?

Strategic Listening

The Strategic Leader 37

THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY OUR ENVIRONMENTS

UNIVERSITY STATE PROFESSIONAL

Limited, declining, and inequitable distributions of resources, yet expectations continue to rise.

Increased need for ongoing,meaningful professional development for leaders and teachers. Much focus is on translating policy into practice; business/ Management skills; teaching and learning.

Help people to Learn how to learn Prepare people for world that is changing; digital, virtual communities, ambiguity, and a global workforce. Encourage transforming and personal learning.

What knowledge or capacity do we have that people will spend their money on outside of our courses?

Measurable outcomes Clear measurable outcomes are what count. A Department is recognized on faculty research and scholarship and alumni who are recognized for performance in their profession.

Accountability will get sharper It’s all about results. Standards & Prescriptive Procedures

Accountability/credibility Accountability is growing presence in higher education. Professor role is changing

Unclear mission and vision leads to competing expectations and a broken, fragile infrastructure. University in transition.

Differentiation How are we different? How do we wish to be different?

Distinctive signature What identity and expertise make EDL unique to the College, University, the field, and the profession? Do people see value in your program? What is the impact of our alums and their contributions?

Top down hierarchical structure strengthens bureaucracy. Centralized is thought to be better than decentralized.

Climate of Competition Role changes via community colleges and universities. Many providers Private for profit colleges /universities -Online degrees -Certification programs.

Leadership is an applied field. Programs must address this through coursework research about practice. Focus on actual problems not just case studies of others.

Reactive and not proactive Research Initiatives Need solid relevant research that is distributed in a timely fashion to practitioners.

What needs to happen here?

The SL Method (SLM)

LOOKLOOK

LISTENLISTENINTERNALINTERNAL EXTERNALEXTERNAL

LEARNLEARN

T00l #2T00l #2

Use Use Strategic ConversationsStrategic Conversations to find out to find out What Has to Happen What Has to Happen HereHere??

ChallengesOpportunitie

s

39The Strategic Leader

Strategic Conversations

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Tool:

Use Strategic Conversations to develop the shared reality

The Strategic Leader

LOOKLOOK

LISTENLISTENINTERNALINTERNAL EXTERNALEXTERNAL

LEARNLEARN

The Strategic Thinking ProtocolThe Strategic Thinking Protocol

What Has to Happen Here?What Has to Happen Here?

ChallengesOpportunitie

s

41Pisapia, J. (2009). The Strategic Leader. Charlotte, NC: IAP04/10/23

Analytic Tools

Pisapia, J. (2009). The Strategic Leader. Charlotte: IAP 42

Pisapia, J. (2009). The Strategic Leader. Charlotte: IAP 43

Learn: Analyze Information

04/10/23 Pisapia, J. (2009). The Strategic Leader. Charlotte, NC: IAP 44

Your Subject

You

Tool # 3Use The Strategy Canvas to develop a strategy

Pisapia, J. (2009). The Strategic Leader. Charlotte: IAP 45

Finding Value Innovation

Tool #4 Use the SWOT to develop prioritiesAsk, In relation to our Vision, What are the SWOT’s facing our organization? Agree on 5-6 priorities

Strengths•What is our strongest business asset? •Do you consider that our team strong? Why? •What do we offer that makes us stand out from the rest? •What unique resources do we have? •Do we have any specific marketing expertise? •Do we have a broad customer base? •Additional strengths

Weaknesses•What can be improved? •In what areas do our competitors have the edge? •What necessary expertise / manpower do we currently lack? •Do we have cash flow problems? •Are we relying primarily on just a few clients or customers? •Additional weaknesses

Opportunities•What trends do you see in our industry? •What trends do you foresee that might impact our industry? •What trends present interesting opportunities for us? •What have you seen in the news recently that might present an opportunity? •Additional opportunities

Threats•What obstacles do we face? •What is the competition doing that we’re not? •What challenges can be turned into opportunities? •Are external economic forces affecting our bottom line? •Additional threats

46The Strategic Leader

PrioritiesPrioritiesPriorities are set to focus on what the organization needs

to do to achieve its aspiration. They • Are not pre-identified goals. • Are best guesses of the areas the organization should

explore to work toward its aspiration. • Provide a sense of discovery and are not established in

priority order. • Are flexible enough so leaders can identify initiatives in

each category and have the dexterity to pursue opportunities

• Describe how the organization intends to allocate resources to accomplish the mission/aspiration over time

The Strategic Leader 47

Tool # 5Use The Strategy Map to determine specific goals in each priority!

Reduce EliminateWhich Factors should be reduced below the industry standard?

Which factors that we take for granted should be eliminated?

Create RaiseWhich factors should be created that we have never offered before

Which Factors should be raised well above what we currently offer?

The Strategic Leader 484 Actions

Use what you Learn to Inform your Thinking about Future Options…

Then write them down

The Statement of IntentThe Statement of Intent

Mission

Aspiration

Core Values

Actions

Priorities

The Statement of Intent

Create an Actionable PlanCreate an Actionable Plan

One page front and back

University

Statement of Intent Components Mission

The Mission describes what you do - why the organization is in business in one sentence with no more than 3 clear, crisp, compelling concepts.

AspirationAspirations clearly & concretely defines a compelling desired

future in one sentence. What do you want to become?Core Values/Guiding Principles

Core Values describe what makes you unique – what the organization stands for and how it will act in the daily flow of activity.

Actions/Priorities/InitiativesActions FITFIT the enterprise to its external environment and

FOCUS the organization and its members on what needs to be done to reach its aspiration. How will you move in the direction of your aspiration?

Mission, Aspiration and Principles are fixed – Priorities/Initiatives are flexible.

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The Value of a Well-Conceived Statement of Intent

• Crystallizes long-term direction• Reduces risk of rudderless

decision-making• Conveys organizational

purpose and identity• Keeps direction-related actions of lower-

level managers on common path• Helps organization prepare for the future

The Strategic Leader

LOOKLOOK

LISTENLISTENINTERNALINTERNAL EXTERNALEXTERNAL

LEARNLEARN

The Strategic Thinking ProtocolThe Strategic Thinking Protocol

What Has to Happen Here?What Has to Happen Here?

ArticulateArticulate Strategic IntentStrategic Intent

ChallengesOpportunitie

s

Effective in new Effective in new or stable or stable

environmentsenvironments

Builds on New Builds on New CompetenciesCompetencies

53The Strategic LeaderManage the Change

It Lights the Way

The Strategic Leader 54

It Lights the WayIt Lights the Way

Want More?jpisapia@fau.edu

• Pisapia, J. (2009). The strategic Leader: New tactics for a globalizing world. Charlotte: NC.

Information Age Publishing (in CUHK book store)

• Join one of SLN's Global Learning Communities!

04/10/23 The Strategic Leader Network 55